One True Thing (1998)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Based on Anna Quindlen's novel,
this is the story of a young writer who learns the value of her mother
when she goes to care for her during her treatment for cancer.

Renee Zellweger plays Ellen Gulden, a New York Magazine writer
who has always rejected her mother's homey values
to follow the career of her father,
a distinguished literary critic, professor, and author.

As Ellen cares for her mother,
she finds that her father is less than she thought,
and her mother is more.

In understanding and accepting her parents as fully human,
Ellen begins to be more fully human herself.

She gains an appreciation for her mother's strength.

The community and domestic projects Ellen had seen
as unimportant busywork she learns to see as an essential source of sustenance.

Meryl Streep shines as Ellen's mother Kate,
not afraid to show us the irritating side of Kate's sunny personality
and the impatience she reveals as she acknowledges that
she has to insist on her opportunity to talk about
what is important to her before it is too late.

William Hurt plays Ellen's father George.

He show us that his hypocricy comes from weakness,
insecurity, and fear, in a way harder for Ellen to take than
if it had been based only on selfishness.

Parental concerns include the brief profanity
that earns this film an R rating as well as intense
and disturbing scenes concerning Kate's illness
and the issue of euthanasia.

The movie probably will not have much appeal for teens,
who are seldom ready to consider their parents as fully human,
but those who want to see it may come away with a better appreciation
for the complexity of relationships and the diversity of accomplishments. 

 

: onE TRUE THING tells the sobering story of a family
: whose strength is tested when tragedy strikes.
:
: Ellen Gulden (Renee Zellweger), a writer living in New York City,
: has dedicated her life to becoming a successful journalist.
:
: When she learns that her mother, Kate
: (Meryl Streep--nominated for an Oscar for her performance)
: is dying of cancer,
: her life is forever altered.
:
: Ellen's father, George Gulden (William Hurt),
: a National Book Award winner and university professor,
: pressures her into moving home and sacrificing her own life
: for her mother's sake.
:
: The pressure of running the household combined
: with the pain of seeing her mother grow terminally ill
: threatens to overwhelm Ellen,
: and she is further upset
: when she discovers that her father may not be the ideal
: she thought he was.
:
: Based on the book by journalist Anna Quindlen,
: onE TRUE THING tackles its serious subject matter
: without becoming heavy-handed,
: a tribute to Carl Franklin's (ONE FALSE MOVE) accomplished,
: compassionate direction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eric Clapton - Over The Rainbow