One True Thing (1998)

A career woman reassesses her parents' lives after she is forced to care for her cancer-stricken mother.

Director:

Carl Franklin

Writers:

Anna Quindlen (novel), Karen Croner (screenplay)

Stars:

Meryl Streep, Renée Zellweger, William Hurt

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Meryl Streep	...	Kate Gulden
Renée Zellweger	...	Ellen Gulden
William Hurt	...	George Gulden
Tom Everett Scott	...	Brian Gulden
Lauren Graham	...	Jules
Nicky Katt	...	Jordan Belzer
James Eckhouse	...	District Attorney
Patrick Breen	...	G.A. Tweedy
Gerrit Graham	...	Oliver Most
David Byron	...	Senator Sullivan
Stephen Peabody	...	Harold
Lizbeth MacKay	...	Dr. Cohen
Mary Catherine Wright	...	Clarice
Sloane Shelton	...	Evelyn Best
Michele Shay	...	June

Storyline

When a tough New Yorker's mother is stricken with a serious illness, she is forced to quit her job and her relationship with her boyfriend to take care of her, finding out a lot of things she didn't know about her mother and father and her life along the way.

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Plot Keywords:

cancer | female protagonist | melodrama | dysfunctional family | terminal illness | 

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Taglines:

Love What You Have.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Portuguese

Release Date:

18 September 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cosas que importan

Filming Locations:

Morristown, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,606,455, 20 September 1998, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$23,245,840

Company Credits

Production Co:

Monarch Pictures,Ufland,Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film cast includes three Oscar winners: Meryl Streep, Renée Zellweger and William Hurt.

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Goofs

In one of the first flashback scenes, the Gulden family is driving in their car with the transmission lever plainly in the "Park" position.

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Quotes

George Gulden: It's only in going uphill that you realize you're headed downhill.

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Connections

Referenced in Siskel & Ebert: Stepmom/Hilary and Jackie/Mighty Joe Young/Patch Adams/Hurlyburly (1998)

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Soundtracks

Paraiso de dulzura
Written by Hector Lavoe
Performed by Hector Lavoe
Courtesy of Fania Records Sonido, Inc.

User Reviews

A well-acted, non-schmaltzy drama

What impressed me the most about "One True Thing" was how up-front it was when the daughter mentions her mother's cancer at the beginning of the movie. As depressing the subject matter was, it was a refreshing change of pace instead of being blindsided with the revelation about a character's fatal illness 2/3 into the movie ("Love Story" "Terms of Endearment", etc.).

Meryl Streep, Renee Zellweger and William Hurt give very strong performances that don't go over the edge. The characters they play seem human; they're not perfect people. (Arguably, one might not say that about the "Martha Stewart"-type character Streep plays but throughout the film, I found her character to be noble in a non-sappy way. She's dealing with her plight the best way she knows how.)

"One True Thing" is an observant, unsentimental family drama in which the tears at the end were well-earned.