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One True Thing

EMAILPRINTMCA/Universal Pictures

One True Thing reviews
63
7.5 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 25 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 2 votes
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Drama

Written by: Karen Croner
Anna Quindlen (novel)

Directed by: Carl Franklin

Release Date:
Theatrical: September 18, 1998
DVD: January 7, 2003

Running Time: 127 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: R for language

Starring Meryl Streep, Renée Zellweger, William Hurt, Tom Everett Scott, Lauren Graham, Nicky Katt, James Eckhouse, and Patrick Breen

When crisis confronts Katherine and George Gulden (Streep, Hurt), they turn to their grown daughter, Ellen (Zellweger), for support. An ambitious New York journalist, Ellen at first rejects the idea of returning home. But once there, Ellen embarks on a journey of self-discovery that will change her forever. (Universal Studios)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Though Mom is ditzy and, at times, irritating, we come to recognize her as the family's most original creative spirit.

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88

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

A beautifully rich performance by Meryl Streep, [18 September 1998, p. 57]

80

Washington Post Rita Kempley

An uplifting, superbly acted and intelligent family drama.

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80

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

One True Thing demonstrates that the power of simple things, the transcendent nature of the ordinary, can make for riveting filmmaking.

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78

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

A formulaic family melodrama whose craftsmanship and sensitivity to its characters raises it to the level of sublime group portrait.

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75

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

This is not a happy tale, and its ending will have moviegoers reaching for every handkerchief they can find. But its compassion is as clear as the talents of the folks who made it.

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75

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

It is the craftsmanship that elevates One True Thing above the level of a soaper.

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75

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

Thrown into exalted company, Zellweger easily holds her own in the film's most difficult role.

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75

USA Today Susan Wloszczyna

When we first see Meryl Streep's happy homemaker in One True Thing, she's a domestic dinosaur circa late '80s, a regular mommy monster. [18 September 1998, p.3E]

75

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Although the plot rarely excels, the actors bring enough to their roles to transform this motion picture into a satisfying weeper.

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70

The New York Times Stephen Holden

Bluntly, poignantly believable.

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70

Variety Todd McCarthy

As sensitively written, fluidly directed and expertly acted as it is, and as elemental as its dramatic conflicts may be, One True Thing has trouble breaking free of its limitations as a small-scale, modestly aimed family drama.

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70

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

The framing story is pointless and almost insulting, even though it's part of former New York Times columnist Anna Quindlen's novel.

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70

Dallas Observer Peter Rainer

In a confused world, this is a movie with answers.

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70

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

It's a film whose virtues--particularly its rare, intelligent portrayal of the relationship between two generations of women--outweigh its faults.

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70

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

Admirably restrained melodrama.

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67

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

In the end, One True Thing suggests, families can be healed even in loss. This may not be a true thing, but at least this emotional drama offers up hope, sweet like one of Kate Gulden's tasty cakes.

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63

San Francisco Examiner Walter Addiego

You may find yourself weeping toward the end, and, later, you may also find yourself wondering why. The revelations are staggeringly obvious.

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60

Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector

The vicarious catharsis offered by this adaptation of Anna Quindlen's novel is as efficient as that of any family-affected-by-illness drama.

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60

Film Threat Tom Meek

Hobbled melodrama with obvious "Terms of Endearment" pretensions.

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50

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

No matter how tactful and sensitive Franklin's direction, he has made himself complicit in a polarization that panders to anti-intellectual populism even as it caters to women's movement backlash.

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50

Village Voice Michael Atkinson

Quindlen's book is wry and deeply sad in its prose, but watching actors run this very simple maze is significantly less entertaining, or convincing.

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40

Slate David Edelstein

The movie's themes are enormously resonant, which makes its doddering tastefulness that much more frustrating.

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40

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

This might have worked if the director and lead actress had the kind of intense mutual understanding that, say, Ingmar Bergman had with Liv Ullmann, or John Cassavetes had with Gena Rowlands.

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38

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Even director Carl Franklin, an artful purveyor of sterner stuff in "One False Move" and "Devil in a Blue Dress," can't prevent One True Thing from descending into chick-movie hell.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 7.5 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Veta N. gave it an8:
I saw this movie when I was dealing with caregiving issues with my ailing elderly parents and it resonated with me, big time. There was some cynical humor to many scenes that was right on the money. The screenplay was terrific. I read the book and I saw the movie --- and the screenplay added dimensions to the character William Hurt played that weren't in the book. It was really interesting for me to compare the screenplay with the book. I think the film lost something in translation to film, plot wise. The ending of the movie was just too cut and dried. The resolution of the story, the woman's coming to terms with her father's flakiness occured over a period of years in the book and in the movie, the resolution was reduced to a few minutes right at the end. This is one of the few cases where the movie and the book matched up pretty equally in their effectiveness. The movie brought out new dimensions in the father (played by William Hurt) but the plot development suffered in comparison with the book because the Hollywood ending was too cut-and-dried, the resolution was immediate and it didn't occur over a period of years --- due to constraints in the medium no doubt.

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