One True Thing
Tags: tragedy, romantic, melodrama

Plot synopsis:
A very true movie. So true I could not watch it until now. From someone who has been there, seen it, lived through it, I can say it was written by someone who was there as well. The story is of a young woman, Ellen (Renee Zellweger) who comes home for the weekend from her busy life in the city and with a possible writing career in front of her to find out from her father (William Hurt) that her mother, Kate (Meryl Streep) is ill. She is about to have cancer surgery and he expects that she will drop her life and come home to take care of her mother. She will need help after the surgery and the following chemotherapy. Ellen does not know what to think. She is a writer, as her father, an english professor, does he not understand what her life and future career mean to her? She has never seen self sacrifice before, or so she thinks. As her mother grows ever weaker Ellen gets a glimpse into her mother's life. She is involved with the community on special ocassions, she refinishes furniture, makes curtains, cooks everything wonderful, and even comforts friends in times of challenge, but most important of all, she makes her husband's life possible. At first Ellen tries to step into her mother's shoes and has a tough time for she is more like her father, she writes, she doesn't cook, clean, and comfort. Soon she finds her mother's shoes are a lot harder to fill than she ever realized. As she gets better at caring for her mother and the home front she realizes just how little her father does at home. Many of us see what many probably don't see, he is not completely self-scentered he simply can't imagine his life without her and can not be around to watch her fade.Ellen does not know this, at one point she believes he is having an affair and becomes very angry with him. She believes all he can do is think about himself. At Thanksgiving her father surprises everyone by bringing home two writers he admires, seemingly oblivious to the fact that this might well be his family's last Thanksgiving together. He asks that his wife whip up some great appetizers, as though she were in any shape to do so, which leaves Ellen to make them. Ellen is enraged with the unexpected visitors, famous or not, she wanted a quiet family Thanksgiving. Ellen becomes confrontational at every turn with her father. He wants everything to remain the same, he's not willing to help out with anything, and to top it all off, she believes when he calls to say he is working late that he is with "the other woman" who drops him off in front of the house later that evening. Ellen finally has a bitter confrontation with her father in a diner that ends up with him walking away stating that she will no longer be needed she can return to the city. Before this can even be discussed her mother is hospitalized. They are told the cancer has spread and there no need to continue therapy, all they can do now is make her comfortable.Her mother has noticed what is happening with Ellen and her father and calls her into a room to talk. She looks Ellen in the face and tells her that she does not know anything about her husband that she doesn't know. Life and marriage changes as it moves along and you find yourself accepting things you told yourself you'd never do. That it can be unbearable at one point and joyous the next. That you reach a point where if you remove someone from your life all it does is leave is a great big hole in your life, you live for your family, the ones you love. She then tries to tell Ellen things she might need for later in life and Ellen does not want to hear them. Her mother begins to cry and tells her that she's tired of people not letting her talk when she wants to talk, when Ellen agrees, she thinks a minute then says, I said it already.Ellen is charged with caring for her mother and giving her pains pills, morphine, now that the pain is much worse. Even though Ellen knows she's dying, and that she is in a wheel chair, and that a nurse comes in to help her, all these facts are really made quite clear when her mother calls out for the nurse who is not there and Ellen enters the bathroom to find her mother in the tub unable to get out. For the first time she is not seeing her bulky sweaters and cap; she sees her mother with her half bald head and barely covered bones. She is so skinny that Ellen can easily lift her from the tub. At that moment Ellen realizes exactly what is happening; to know something is one thing, to see it is almost too real. After she gets her mother settled into her chair she asks Ellen for a pain pill, as she takes it she whimpers, "This is no way to live" in her weakened voice that tells volumes. She asks Ellen to help her make it stop,Ellen's mother is now staying down stairs in a hospital bed. When she sleeps you hear her struggling to breathe, eating is no more, drinking is barely so, and talking is barely so. Then we see Ellen take out the small dish we all have for our cancer victims to put a little bit of applesauce to try in vein to get them to eat anything, and to help get medications down. Then she takes out the morphine and begins to smash the pills, first one, then another, then another. Then stands there knowing she can't do this. As much as she knows it would be a kindness, as much as she knows it would make it easier for her mother she can not do it.Her father comes home early, Ellen takes a bath and when she comes down we see her father wash out a small dish, wipe it and put it back in the cupboard. He tells Ellen, "your mother says this is not living, and she was right." Ellen goes into to be with her mother and finds awake and she tells her, "I love you." In the morning Ellen's father comes downstairs to find Ellen holding her mother's hand and staring, he realizes she is gone.Throughout the movie we have seen Ellen telling a man the story of her mother's illness but we don't know who he is, a greif counselor? A priest? It is a man wanting to know how Ellen's mother died of an overdose. Ellen has been providing stories that make it impossible for her father to be responsible, while not implicating herself either.In the last scene Ellen is at her mother's grave planting bulbs in the freshingly dug up soil. Her father approaches her and watches what she is doing and asks her how it went. She tells him it went fine that the man will also want to speak to him as well. Her father then says he admires Ellen's strength, he wanted to do it but could not. Ellen hears him but it doesn't sink in right away. She finally lifts her head and says, "I didn't do it, I thought you did it." They both take a moment and then shake their heads while stating, "oh, she couldn't have, she was too weak!" Ellen's father then shares how much he loved her, that she made his world warm and comfortable, she was his One True Thing. As the movie concludes her father attempts to help plant the bulbs and they work the soil together.

Review: 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.
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..
While it may appear to be a film which mainly appeals to women, I think that the men should give it a chance too - a substantial part of the storyline is from George Gulden's (William Hurt) point of view, as the father of the family.Through 'One True Thing', we see how a family copes with disease - from everybody's point of view.
Although we follow the story from Ellen Gulden's (Renee Zellweger) eyes, it never feels like we're missing out on anything.The strongest point of the film is the superb acting.
Hurt and Zellweger give very strong, convincing performances, and the supporting cast are also very good; however, it's Meryl Streep who stands out here.
So, we know from the start that something suspicious happened at the end - the questions are "what?" and "who?" Renee Zellweger was very good as Ellen - the somewhat resentful daughter who has to give up her life and job in New York to return home to care for her sick mother.
Finally, Meryl Streep as the cancer-stricken Kate was very convincing in the role, seeking to live out what remains of her life in the most fulfilling way possible, then dealing with the anger she feels at her increasing debilitation.
In a way, watching a family deal with this kind of crisis reminded me a little bit of "Ordinary People," although this movie was far less emotionally intense.
I believe the three of them (Hurt, Streep and Zellweger) portrayed a real family story, something far from the typical Hollywood drama.
Renee Zellweger plays the journalist daughter of Meryl Streep and William Hurt, who also put in excellent performances.
Lauren Graham from Gilmore Girls also has a part in this movie as Ellen's (Zellweger) friend Jules, although this is a bit part, she truly adds to the storyline.A moving and beautiful story, I recommend it.
The same can be said about Ellen, Zellweger's role as daughter who has postponed fast track career to come home to be with Streep as Kate faces crippling and debilitating illness.
In terms of personal growth, the main characters, except for Streep, were not the same people by movies end.
The movie was very good with very good performance by Hurt, Streep and Zellweger.
The Yale graduate is the pride and joy of the American Cinema.Kate's health is deteriorating and her husband, George, role well developed by brilliant actor and also Oscar winner,  William Hurt (Smoke, Kiss of the Spider Woman) has a hard time with the deteriorating health of his one true thing,  and seeks his daughter's help.
Ellen is angry the beginning of the movie, but as time passes she ends up understanding her mothers' life time dedication to her family.
Meryl Streep as Kate, a woman dying of cancer, performs her role admirably.
Without revealing the ending of the film I will simply say that suicide is a distant theme in this movie and I think it fits in accurately with the gorgeous story.
Meryl Streep gives the greatest performance of her life as Kate Gulden, whose life has been totally dedicated to giving herself sacrificially to her family.
Even Ellen Gulden is not aware of the family values that have been instilled in her by her mother but, although naturally rebellious at the thought, she is willing to give up her promising career as a writer for a New York magazine to take on this responsibility because "It's the right thing to do".
It is the women who carry the honours here: Meryl Streep as a housewife dying of cancer and her long-suffering daughter (Renee Zellweger) who rises to the occasion to manage the household after being asked to by her father, university lecturer William Hurt.
But this screenplay doesn't give men a chance and the title, if nothing else, appears to refer to the fact that you can depend on women, but not on men.For all the men portrayed in the film are failures in one way or another: from Zellweger's employer, who mistakes a request to attend to her sick mother as a bid for a promotion, to her brother who is a Harvard drop-out, to her boyfriend who forever seems perplexed when faced with Miss Zellweger's far-richer repertoire of emotions.I suspect that this movie will strike a chord with women who find themselves in an unhappy marriage, or who have separated from a husband for it stereotypes the women as strong and ready to make sacrifices and the men weak, selfish and opportunistic.Meryl Streep's and Renee Zellweger's performances carry this somewhat ponderous movie that runs its course gracefully through the seasons in New England to its rather downbeat conclusion, and while William Hurt is called upon to be shallow, he does this well in what is an undemanding role for him..
I personally lived this story back in '97 (my then wife survived, and remains cancer free to this day) and her performance was 100% accurate to what I personally witnessed.William Hurt plays the father, who seems unable to cope with the fact his wife is dying.
The true thing though is Merly Streep as the mom, Kate Gulden who is dying of cancer.
Meryl Streep does an astonishingly emotional, heartwarming, and heartwrenching performance that tugs at your heart and will surely have you believing and crying by the film's conclusion.
Renee Zellweger is excellent as a hip urbane magazine writer who returns to her suburban Bucks County nest in order to care for mother Streep (who delivers yet another hall-of-fame performance).
Along the way, she deals with a boss who has no idea what she's going through (in fact, he thinks she has ulterior motives behind her reasons), a father who deals with his pain by sharing it with other women, and, of course, a mother fighting cancer.Renee shows a lot of calm in the movie.
I actually felt that she was a very controlling woman who kept her husband an emotional child by taking care of his every need.The fact that so many people were moved by the film is amazing.
This film was down to earth with its portrayal of a woman,(Meryl Streep) Kate Gulden,"The Hours",'02, who was full of life, and even dressed up like "Dorothy" from the "Wizard of Oz" to please her husband, John Hurt,(George Gulden),"Body Heat",'81, on his Birthday Day and even over looked his many young love affairs with college students.
British leads are not necessarily beautiful, yet a homely appearance does not stop many of them from turning in stunning performances in a wide variety of roles.Meryl Streep, who stars as the mother dying from cancer in this movie, has legendary status in America for playing a raft of different characters and accents (we'll forgive her Lindy Chamberlain imitation in "Evil Angels" which merely proved that an Australian accent sounds very like London Cockney to an outsider).
Mum, on the other hand, is the genuine article, warm, loving unselfish, good fun and not stupid, even if she does first appear in fancy dress as an outsize Dorothy from Kansas, complete with red shoes.I found Ellen's character an obstacle to liking this movie.
Based on the Novel by Anna Quindlen, 'One True Thing', directed by Carl Franklin, is a Senstive Film, that is Real & Moving.
'One True Thing' tells the story of a career oriented girl, who is forced to take care of her cancer-stick-en mother.
This film is based on Anna Quindlen's novel about a Harvard graduate who returns home to care for her ailing mother played by who else but Meryl Street.
A truly moving film with a wonderful performance by Meryl Streep.
Renee Zellweger and William Hurt delivered fantastic performances, but it was Meryl Streep who made this movie truly wonderful.
Meryl Streep revealed her one true ability in this excellent film!.
Meryl Streep proves that she is truly the best actress in film today.
I think One True Thing is one of Meryl Streeps finest movies to date.
Renee Zellweger and Meryl Streep both give remarkable performanaces in this oddly off-putting movie.
So the content of the film is quite interesting, but we should also acknowledge the acting of Meryl Streep, who in every film shows her extraordinary class, she is probably among the all-time five best actresses of cinema, while young Renée Zellweger did a work even much better than the one she did in "Bridget Jones's Diary" (2001).
One True Thing is a film about a husband and wife dying of cancer.
George and Kate Gulden (William Hurt and Meryl Streep, respectively) have two grown children--Brian (played by Tom Everett Scott of That Thing You Do) is a struggling university student and Ellen (played by Renee Zellwegger of Jerry McGuire fame) is a driven journalist on her way up the career ladder.George Gulden is a literary critic and university professor.
It is during this time that the family discovers Kate's cancer, and Ellen is asked to move back home to care for her mother.As our central character, Ellen is struggling to win the acceptance of her somewhat distant father, and to come to terms with her controlling mother.
But it is also about forgiveness, compassion, and grace.To fans of Meryl Streep and William Hurt it should come as no surprise that there is some excellent acting in this film.
Meryl Streep is outstanding as always, and Renee Zellwegger's role provides new challenges that she handles quite well.One True Thing doesn't have a lot of gunfire, heroics, or sinking ships.
Her mother Kate (Meryl Streep) gets cancer and Ellen returns home to help out.
Renee Zellweger plays an ambitious journalist who, under pressure from her college professor father (William Hurt), finds herself having to juggle her career while nursing her terminally ill mother (Meryl Streep).
Zellweger's character initially feels she is living under her brilliant father's shadow and considers her mother to be shallow, and looks down upon her community activities with her like-minded middle-aged friends.
Forced to care for her mother Zellweger founds herself effectively forced to live her mother's life, accompanying her on her Good Samaritan duties at first until the unspecified cancer develops and she must assume all domestic duties.Although, as I wrote earlier, the story isn't particularly original, the study of these three main characters – the fourth family member, Zellweger's younger brother, is pretty much shunted to the sidelines – is quite well written.
The only thing that bothered me about the script was its occasional tendency to make its point in the most obvious ways: Hurt asks Zellweger to write an introduction for his forthcoming book of essays then immediately asks her to wash his shirts, for example; on another occasion, when Zellweger tells her doctor her mother doesn't need a nurse because her mother can confide in her the doctor pointedly asks 'Can she?' Considering the number of subtle ways in which the script succeeds in other respects, these weaknesses are both surprising and obvious.It's probably the father's character that undergoes the biggest test, mainly because he attempts to carry on his life as normal while his wife is dying and the mental pressures these place upon him are too immense to conceal for any length of time.
William Hurt gives a typically accomplished performance in the role, as does Meryl Streep as the mother.
this is one very good movie.it's all about love and loss,two pretty heavy themes.it's not at all depressing,but there's a lot of depth her,bot to the story and to the performance of Meryl Streep.there are good supporting performances,such as Renee Zellwegger,and William Hurt.James Ekhouse(The dad from the Original Bevery hills 90210)who i really like as an actor,has a small role,as does Tom Everett Scott.but the movie belongs to Streep,who who is brilliant here.also the makeup artists did brilliant work here,as well.this is no lite drama.it's pretty thought provoking.it's pretty intense,so it's not for everyone.but if heavy drama is your thing,you might want to check out this movie..
In between the zombies and disasters I watched yesterday, I took time out for this family drama starring Meryl Streep, Renee Zellweger, and William Hurt.Streep got all the award nominations, including one for an Oscar, but I felt that Zellweger gave a much better performance.
The movie was really all about her character, who has to return home to care for a dying mother.
This is a good film about families and Zellweger was great..
Meryl Streep gives one of her most outstanding performances as Kate Gulden, the dying wife of a National Book Award-winning professor of English George Gulden (William Hurt) and uber mother of Ellen (Renee Zellweger) and Brian (Tom Everett Scott).
William Hurt does a great job playing the self-absorbed academic who tries to keep his life going as smoothly as when his wife was well.This movie offers an very real portrayal of the forces and dynamics that shape the relationships of a family and community during a time of hardship and ending.
Renee Zellweger, Meryl Streep, and William Hurt are all amazing, and just perfect.
Despite receiving an undeserving Best Actress Nomination, Meryl Streep did not give the best performance in this film.
Its easy to understand why Meryl Streep was nominated, she plays a woman suffering from cancer (the academy loves that).
I enjoyed the film because of the acting and it was a feel good movie.
One True Thing was an absolutely wonderful movie that took it's time to tell a very important and touching story.
Meryl Streep and William Hurt were perfect, and Renne Zelwegger was actually quite good.
For me it is a story where the characters really see what the most important thing in life is...family..
If you know what it's like to see someone you love go through the agony of battling cancer, you will believe Meryl Streep's performance.
An all star cast including William Hurt and Rene Zellwegger, One True Thing is about the story of a family having to face the slow death of their mother who has cancer.A touching film, One True Thing is equal to the movie Dad..
At the risk of being beaten severely by outraged fans, I have to say that Meryl Streep did not deserve her Best Actress Oscar nomination for this movie.
One True Thing is certainly one of Meryl Streep's finest films.
One True Thing should certainly have been nominated for best picture in 1998, with its emotional realism and fine acting by all the characters.
First of all the movie was VERY badly written, and I hate William Hurt but Meryl Streep was FANTASTIC!
Meryl Streep is riveting as the dying Kate Gulden, mother of Ellen played by Renée Zellweger.
Tom Hanks and Jackie Gleason in "Nothing in Common," and Ted Danson and Jack Lemmon in "Dad" are just two of a slew of father/son movies that explore this same theme, but "One True Thing" has a definite more tender edge, although somewhat distant and cold.Kudos to Karen Croner for writing characters that seem closer to real life than most tear jerkers.
Renee Zelwegger, Meryl Streep, William Hurt, and Tom Everett Scott star in a film that was supposed to be one of the heart and togetherness.
"One True Thing" reminded me so much of those 80's drama movies, either because it is set during that decade, or because both William Hurt and Meryl Streep are in it and they usually were the stars of those 1980's drama movies.
During the course of the movie a wonderful transition takes place as this daughter finds her way in a family where things are not, at all, as they seem.
We also see the family dynamic explored very well, so instead of a simplistic "Gee mom was right after all" feeling, we see how Ellen, the daughter, struggles under the weight of her father while neglecting her mother, and learns that her mother did pass some qualities on to her.Zellweger and Streep are both outstanding, refusing to go for easy pathos, which is another trap of tear-jerker movies.
The overlooked(and most essential) performance of the movie, however, is William Hurt as the father.
Although the progression of cancer in Meryl Streep's character is the primary plot device, this is not the main focus of the movie.
Instead it is the story of a daughter (Renee Zellweger) who has grown up idealizing her literature-professor father (William Hurt) and more or less taking her home-making mother (Meryl Streep) for granted, and how her mother's illness causes her to reassess her opinion and relationships with both parents.
and so does Zellweger's character.The film was also well-directed and kudos to the screenplay-- telling the story in flashback added a different dimension to what could have been a typical person-dies-of-cancer-and-isn't-this-sad movie.Two minor flaws in the film were that the psychological tension all but stopped for the last half-hour of the film, which then focused only on Streep's condition.
Renee Zellweger is perfectly able to hold her own with the old pros Meryl Streep and William Hurt.
Meryl Streep was wonderful in it and her character was very true to most housewives.
Meryl Streep's no-holds-barred performance, along with a beautiful story and intensely strong acting by William Hurt made Renee Zellweger's lackluster performance totally bearable.
"One True Thing" puts Zellweger in the midst of a family crisis as an adult journalist who returns home to care for her dying mother (Streep).