One True Thing

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Evelyn X @yiyi1111 Jun 5, 2026 The mother (Meryl Streep), who initially seems shallow and emotionally distant, is actually carrying the unspoken sorrows and physical pain of life, concealing a fierce, deep love for her daughter. Meanwhile, the "perfect" father, an admired literary figure, subtly manipulates and "PUAs" his daughter, clearly favoring his son. He is completely self-absorbed, driven by an ego that utterly shatters when he discovers that a scholar he deeply admires doesn’t even know his work. Ultimately, the heart of the film lies in the daughter stripping away these false facades. By uncovering the truth, she claims the precious, fleeting time left to truly know and embrace her mother. See more Terri N @RT36271462 Nov 30, 2025 I really liked this movie. Solid acting. And a difficult subject. A satisfactory ending while not being too cloying. It spoke to me which I cannot say of most of what I’ve seen. See more Jerod S @jeroduptown Jan 26, 2024 Solid acting and a gritty subject, One True Thing tells of Streep's journey through cancer and how it affects her family. When the pain became too much, her life was ended short and the framework for the film is Zellweger's interview with the investigator. See more Sep 19, 2023 There’s one true thing and that’s family Carl Franklin directs Renee Zelwegger, the late William Hurt, and Meryl Streep Zelwegger plays Ellen and Streep plays Kate Gulden, her mother Ellen was never close to her yet Kate was the matriarch Ellen’s a successful journalist in NYC but has to drop everything after her mother is diagnosed with cancer Her father doesn’t see her for what she is and Ellen has no idea how to be the mother of the house Secrets and revelations start popping up the more time she spends with her parents There’s truly some solid performances by everyone But this is so depressing it’ll make you feel not so blissful after it’s over It’s also 2 hours too long so 90 min would’ve sufficed It’s tough to sit through so have the tissues ready to wipe your eyes See more Nisha Y @Buff1980 May 24, 2023 Little more than a made for tv movie on a low budget with a bad script. What were these actors thinking when they took the job? The plot has big holes and the interview with the lawyer that enables Renee Z extra screen time in close-ups has no narrative use. It's agenda to give voice to unappreciated house wives is extremely dated and drenched in cliches. See more Jun 9, 2022 Ellen Gulden (Renée Zellweger) is a career woman writing for a magazine who can't understand her mother (Meryl Streep) while looking up toher father, George (William Hurt), a fellow writer and literature professor. Yet when her mother gets sick with cancer, she must come home and learn to love her. This will force her to evaluate how she sees her father, as she discovers several long buried secrets from her mother. It also means giving up her life, a fact that she resents. The film was directed by Carl Franklin and written by Karen Croner, whose script was based on One True Thing by Anna Quindlen, a book based on her real life experiences. I usually avoid dramas like this, but I can recognize when a movie is well made. See more Read all reviews

One True Thing

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