Critic Reviews
One True Thing (1998) Rank 3 Reviews
Expert Review Summary
based on (98) reviews
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Reviews by Score:
Nathaniel R. Atcheson
Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
A formulaic family melodrama whose craftsmanship and sensitivity to its characters raises it to the level of sublime group portrait. ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
Walter Frith
What makes this film work is that although the story is told in flashback from the the daughter's point of view, we don't really know until the end of the film, who it is she's talking to about the film's situations. Combining that with top notch ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Walter Frith
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. ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)
Washington Post (Rita Kempley)
An uplifting, superbly acted and intelligent family drama. ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Washington Post (Rita Kempley)
Netflix (James Rocchi)
Film Blather (Eugene Novikov)
Movies 101 (Robert Glatzer)
Anchorage Press (Brenda Sokolowski)
AmateurHomeTheater.com
DVDownUnder (Cass)
Teen Movie Critic (Vivian Rose)
Movieline Magazine
Ordinary family life comes very close to the familiarity that breeds contempt. After all, we have lived with our parents or children so long we do not grant them the attention, the fond, curious eye-to-eye contact or, above all, the willingness to be ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Movieline Magazine
Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)
Filmtracks (Christian Clemmensen)
On album, Eidelman's work for this film is a purely atmospheric experience. Even
in its more ambitious cues, such as the light drum highlighted press conference
minutes, the One True Thing score and its continuously tender theme can
easily ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Filmtracks (Christian Clemmensen)
Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
But, surprisingly, it's not like that at all. The subject matter of "One True Thing" is not particularly deep, and the characters aren't particularly original, but a handful of fine performances by veteran actors and the steady, impressive direction of ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
Scott Renshaw
ONE TRUE THING deftly sidesteps that problem at least for half its running time by being nothing at all like a conventional tearjerker. At its core, it tells a story of one of adulthood's most daunting tasks: coming to terms with the humanity of one's ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Scott Renshaw
Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
The film is helped, by wonderful performances by two of the top talents in the business in Streep and Hurt, and Zellweger stays right with them. The rest of the cast is forgettable and the story could have been tightened up a little, but it is a good, ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
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. ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Christian Science Monitor (David Sterritt)
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (Rick Groen)
Thrown into exalted company, Zellweger easily holds her own in the film's most difficult role. ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (Rick Groen)
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
It is the craftsmanship that elevates One True Thing above the level of a soaper. ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Although the plot rarely excels, the actors bring enough to their roles to transform this motion picture into a satisfying weeper. ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Cinema in Focus (Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin)
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Sometimes, the performance of one actor can elevate a mediocre script to the level of solid entertainment. This is a phenomenon we see again and again, and One True Thing is just the latest example. Perhaps surprisingly, however, that performance does not ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)
...a tear-jerker that is certainly worth a look. ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)
Michael Dequina
But the true thing of _One_True_Thing_ is the acting, which is uniformly superb. The usually spacey (as of late) Hurt's uncharacteristically focused performance is a noteworthy achievement, but his effort is upstaged by the excellent motherdaughter duo. ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Michael Dequina
Christian Science Monitor (David Sterritt)
Heartfelt acting and imaginative filmmaking transform soap-opera into an affecting screen experience. ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Christian Science Monitor (David Sterritt)
Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)
...a tear-jerker that is certainly worth a look. ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)
Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Anna Quindlen's novel about a family affected by dysfunction and coping with cancer looks great in the hands of director Carl Franklin (One False Move), but Franklin's efforts aren't enough to raise the Quindlen's manipulative material above it's ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
No matter how well we eventually come to understand our parents, our deepest feelings about them are formed at a time when we are young and have incomplete information. ``One True Thing'' ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
SPLICEDwire (Rob Blackwelder)
filethirteen.com
Detroit News (Susan Stark)
Movie Habit (Andrea Birgers)
The Cranky Critic (Chuck Schwartz)
Michael D's Region 4 DVD Info Page (Ian Morris)
Christian Spotlight on the Movies
The Aisle Seat (Mike McGranaghan)
Images (Gary Johnson)
Film Scouts (Karen Jaehne)
MediaCircus (Anthony Leong)
UTK Daily Beacon (Emily Broyles)
Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)
Screen It! Entertainment Reviews for Parents
Dr. Daniel's Movie Emergency
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Nashville Scene (Donna Bowman)
In Film Australia
digitallyOBSESSED.com (Bob Mandel)
City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul
Set in the fall of 1987, this year's entry in the fucked-up-family-holidays movie tradition seems to model themes as dated as its fashions. One True Thing mourns the passing of the cheerful, white, upper-middle-class stay-at-home mom, who could ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul
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. ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Variety (Todd McCarthy)
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. ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at The Onion (A.V. Club) (Keith Phipps)
The New York Times (Stephen Holden)
Bluntly, poignantly believable. ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at The New York Times (Stephen Holden)
Slate (David Edelstein)
The movie's themes are enormously resonant, which makes its doddering tastefulness that much more frustrating. ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Slate (David Edelstein)
Dallas Observer (Peter Rainer)
In a confused world, this is a movie with answers. ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Dallas Observer (Peter Rainer)
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. ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at TV Guide (Maitland McDonagh)
Washington Post (Michael O'Sullivan)
Admirably restrained melodrama. ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Washington Post (Michael O'Sullivan)
Mixed Reviews: The Arts, The World, and More (Jill Cozzi)
Spirituality & Health (Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat)
Reeling Reviews (Robin and Laura Clifford)
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. ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Entertainment Weekly (Lisa Schwarzbaum)
Philadelphia City Paper (Sam Adams)
Salon.com (Andrew O'Hehir)
Salon (Andrew O'Hehir)
Reel Comments film review
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. ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at San Francisco Examiner (Walter Addiego)
Cinematter (Matt Williams)
Director Carl Franklin tackles this small-scale tearjerker, based on Anna Quindlen's novel One True Thing. Although good, and appropriately sad, it never reaches its full potential. Ellen Gulden (Renee Zellweger) never had a good relationship with her ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at Cinematter (Matt Williams)
filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)
Typical Meryl, as Streep Streeps her way through another wintry family crisis movie. This time out, Streep is dying from cancer, and daughter Renee Zellweger is tasked with her care. Schmaltz rarely gets thicker than this, but hey, at least it's better ...read the complete One True Thing movie review at filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)
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