Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersIndependent Spirit AwardsWomen's History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

One True Thing

  • 19981998
  • RR
  • 2h 7m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
12K
YOUR RATING
Renée Zellweger, William Hurt, Meryl Streep, and Tom Everett Scott in One True Thing (1998)
Drama
A career woman reassesses her parents' lives after she is forced to care for her cancer-stricken mother.A career woman reassesses her parents' lives after she is forced to care for her cancer-stricken mother.A career woman reassesses her parents' lives after she is forced to care for her cancer-stricken mother.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
12K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Carl Franklin
  • Writers
    • Anna Quindlen(novel)
    • Karen Croner(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Meryl Streep
    • Renée Zellweger
    • William Hurt
  • Director
    • Carl Franklin
  • Writers
    • Anna Quindlen(novel)
    • Karen Croner(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Meryl Streep
    • Renée Zellweger
    • William Hurt
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 124User reviews
    • 51Critic reviews
    • 63Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 8 nominations total

    Videos1

    One True Thing
    Trailer 0:58
    Watch One True Thing

    Photos136

    Meryl Streep in One True Thing (1998)
    Renée Zellweger and Meryl Streep in One True Thing (1998)
    Renée Zellweger and William Hurt in One True Thing (1998)
    Renée Zellweger and Meryl Streep in One True Thing (1998)
    Renée Zellweger and Meryl Streep in One True Thing (1998)
    Renée Zellweger and Meryl Streep in One True Thing (1998)
    William Hurt and Meryl Streep in One True Thing (1998)
    Renée Zellweger and Meryl Streep in One True Thing (1998)
    Renée Zellweger and William Hurt in One True Thing (1998)
    Meryl Streep at an event for Sophie's Choice (1982)
    Renée Zellweger, William Hurt, Meryl Streep, and Tom Everett Scott in One True Thing (1998)
    Renée Zellweger, William Hurt, Meryl Streep, and Tom Everett Scott in One True Thing (1998)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Meryl Streep
    Meryl Streep
    • Kate Gulden
    Renée Zellweger
    Renée Zellweger
    • Ellen Gulden
    William Hurt
    William Hurt
    • George Gulden
    Tom Everett Scott
    Tom Everett Scott
    • Brian Gulden
    Lauren Graham
    Lauren Graham
    • Jules
    Nicky Katt
    Nicky Katt
    • Jordan Belzer
    James Eckhouse
    James Eckhouse
    • District Attorney
    Patrick Breen
    Patrick Breen
    • G.A. Tweedy
    Gerrit Graham
    Gerrit Graham
    • Oliver Most
    David Byron
    • Senator Sullivan
    Stephen Peabody
    Stephen Peabody
    • Harold
    Lizbeth Mackay
    Lizbeth Mackay
    • Dr. Cohen
    Mary Catherine Wright
    • Clarice
    Sloane Shelton
    Sloane Shelton
    • Evelyn Best
    Michele Shay
    • June
    Bobo Lewis
    • Muriel
    Marylouise Burke
    Marylouise Burke
    • Louisa
    Marcia Jean Kurtz
    Marcia Jean Kurtz
    • Marcia
    • Director
      • Carl Franklin
    • Writers
      • Anna Quindlen(novel)
      • Karen Croner(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Music of the Heart
    6.7
    Music of the Heart
    A Cry in the Dark
    6.9
    A Cry in the Dark
    ...First Do No Harm
    6.7
    ...First Do No Harm
    Marvin's Room
    6.7
    Marvin's Room
    Ironweed
    6.7
    Ironweed
    Postcards from the Edge
    6.7
    Postcards from the Edge
    Plenty
    6.0
    Plenty
    Silkwood
    7.1
    Silkwood
    Heartburn
    6.1
    Heartburn
    The French Lieutenant's Woman
    6.9
    The French Lieutenant's Woman
    Dancing at Lughnasa
    6.3
    Dancing at Lughnasa
    Prime
    6.2
    Prime

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Meryl Streep called Bette Midler to use her songs in the movie and Midler said "of course".
    • Goofs
      In some birthday-party scenes, daylight is visible through some windows, and lighting on the staircase suggests daylight, although the action is supposed to be at night, and other windows show darkness outdoors.
    • Quotes

      Kate Gulden: It's so much easier to be happy, my love. It's so much easier to choose to love the things that you have, and you have so much, instead of always yearning for what you're missing, or what it is you're imagining you're missing. It's so much more peaceful.

    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Rounders/Kiki's Delivery Service/Simon Birch/Slums of Beverly Hills/Digging to China (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      My One True Friend
      Written by Carole King, Carole Bayer Sager and David Foster

      Produced by David Foster

      Performed by Bette Midler

    User reviews124

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Less is more
    As William Hurt also said in The Accidental Tourist, "Less..is invariably more". I guess many of us do live in denial, trying to slip through life as if certain things weren't happening. It is true that rude awakenings sometimes are the only ways for some of us to open our eyes and smell the coffee.

    William Hurt executed the egotistic father's role like no one ever has before. He is gifted at portraying the role of the "blind" husband. I guess if Kathleen Turner had played the wife's part in this movie he would have had a much harder time. I believe the three of them (Hurt, Streep and Zellweger) portrayed a real family story, something far from the typical Hollywood drama. They were able to show the strong and weak sides of being human and bearing family responsibilities. Very beautiful movie, very descriptive with several not-so-long scenes. Indeed, sometimes less..is invariably more.
    helpful•19
    1
    • mdefranc
    • Mar 18, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 18, 1998 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Portuguese
    • Also known as
      • Một Điều Có Thật
    • Filming locations
      • Morristown, New Jersey, USA
    • Production companies
      • Monarch Pictures
      • Ufland
      • Universal Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $30,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $23,245,840
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $6,606,455
      • Sep 20, 1998
    • Gross worldwide
      • $26,616,840
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 7 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Renée Zellweger, William Hurt, Meryl Streep, and Tom Everett Scott in One True Thing (1998)
    Top Gap
    By what name was One True Thing (1998) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.