Contre-jour

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.

I don't cry easily over movies, but I have to admit, this one brought me to tears. Although I am not a Ms. Streep fan, her performance was excellent. The title defines in a sentence what a mother's love is. For the first hour I didn't like any of the characters, but that changed as the movie went on. The movie also explained why certain marriages last even though there are obstacles. A must see film.

One True Thing is an beautifully made film with an established cast. Renee Zellweger plays the journalist daughter of Meryl Streep and William Hurt, who also put in excellent performances.

Zellweger shines in the emotional movie as she discovers her childhood memories of her parents are not what she thinks they are. 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. 8/10 Stars

Yes, at least in large part to Streep's performance. The more we learn of Kate and her character, the more we love her and her strengths. 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. Their relation ship at movie beginning is strained to say the least. Going into the theater I was mentally prepared for a very deep and emotional roller coaster ride. A slow start with character development was actually to the movie's benefit. In terms of personal growth, the main characters, except for Streep, were not the same people by movies end. We came to learn them as they learned about themselves. Zellweger and Hurt appear one dimensional, both focused on their writing and careers, with daughter idolizing father. Streep the same as a mother content with home making. But as the movie continues to unfold, we get to see all of these characters as real; their strengths and weaknesses both. Ellen's childhood flashback illustrate happy moments of only father at first, but as time goes on, she relives the same flashbacks and notes her mother's subtle, supportive role. All are challenged to assess their lives in the face of certain death of Streep, whose role as matriarch continues to impress as the tale is told. She was the 'light' of the film, as Hurt confesses. The bedroom conversation between mother and daughter is exceptional, when secrets are revealed and the realization that potential dreams are left unfulfilled. I doubt there was a dry eye in the house at this point. Follow that up with the New Year's Eve scene, a funny breath of fresh air at a difficult and emotional part of the movie. The movie was very good with very good performance by Hurt, Streep and Zellweger. I wouldn't call it the movie of the year, but consideration should go to Streep and Zellweger for nominations. Hurt lends his expected strong presence to both roles, and makes both characters all the better. Give it an 8 out of 10.

The DVD jacket in which this movie came describes it as "uplifting and humorous." Those are not the words I would have chosen - not by a long shot. I would choose a word like "sombre," sometimes even "depressing." Which isn't to say that it's a bad movie. It's actually a pretty good movie, featuring good performances from the leads, with enough uncertainty throughout about what's going to happen at the end that you keep watching. The uncertainty comes from the structure of the movie - it seems to revolve around Ellen's reminiscences of her mother's slow death from cancer, as she is interviewed by the DA. 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. Ellen evolves through the movie - moreso than any other character - as she learns to deal with both the strengths and weaknesses of her parents. Her relationship with her father (William Hurt) is quite interesting. My initial impression was that they were quite close, but the warts in the relationship start to show after a while. Hurt was effective as the detached husband - detached not in an uncaring way, but in the sense of being unable to cope with what's happening to his wife, and seeking escape from it in various ways. 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. So, not "uplifting and humorous" (with all due respect to whoever wrote the synopsis on the DVD jacket) but very good in its own way. 7/10