One True Thing (1998)
85%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
8 nominations total
Solid performances lift this drama to a higher level
One True Thing is a movie that will make you cry, but in a good way. It’s like a well-oiled machine that knows exactly how to tap into your emotions and make you feel all the feels. Streep is amazing, as always, and Zellweger and Hurt hold their own. It’s not a movie for everyone, but if you’re in the mood for a good cry, this is the one for you. Just make sure you have some tissues handy!
Production Company(ies)
Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Media Rights Capital,
Distributor
Universal Pictures, MCA/Universal Pictures [us]
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Morristown, New Jersey, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language
Year of Release
1998
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 7m
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Language(s):English, Portuguese
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 18, 1998 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 13, 2007
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Meryl Streep, Renée Zellweger, William Hurt, Tom Everett Scott, Lauren Graham, Nicky Katt, directed by Carl Franklin, written by Anna Quindlen, Karen Croner, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Nell Minow, Rick Groen, Peter Travers, Kenneth Turan, Paul Tatara, Michael O’Sullivan, Maitland McDonagh, Tom Meek, Robin Clifford, James Sanford, Eugene Novikov, John R McEwen, R MPAA rating, produced by Harry J Ufland, Jesse Beaton, cancer, family, mother-daughter relationship, secrets, journalism, New York City, undervalued matriarch, difficult life, higher level, solid performances, simple things, everyday woman, moving, sad, death, dealing with loss, excellent performances, top notch, worthwhile, barfy, sentimental, hokey
Worldwide gross: $26,616,840
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $48,845,655
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,345
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 5,326,680
US/Canada gross: $23,245,840
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $42,659,394
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,137
US/Canada opening weekend: $6,606,455
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $12,123,776
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 893
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $30,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $55,054,230
Production budget ranking: 731
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $29,646,703
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$35,855,279
ROI to date (est.): -42%
ROI ranking: 1,636
Renée Zellweger – Ellen Gulden
William Hurt – George Gulden
Tom Everett Scott – Brian Gulden
Lauren Graham – Jules
Nicky Katt – Jordan Belzer
Director – Carl Franklin
Producers – Harry J. Ufland, Jesse Beaton
Writers – Anna Quindlen, Karen Croner
Director(s)
Carl Franklin
Writer(s)
Anna Quindlen, Karen Croner
Producer(s)
Harry J. Ufland, Jesse Beaton
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
8 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (60) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (53) | Rotten (7)
Probably won’t appeal to teens.
December 26, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
A well-oiled machine manufactured to tap our welled-up ducts.
April 12, 2002 | Rating: 3/4
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
Even director Carl Franklin…can’t prevent One True Thing from descending into chick-movie hell.
May 11, 2001
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
TOP CRITIC
One True Thing demonstrates that the power of simple things, the transcendent nature of the ordinary, can make for riveting filmmaking.
February 14, 2001
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Streep is luminous as the hypermaternal Kate.
January 1, 2000
Paul Tatara
CNN.com
TOP CRITIC
One True Thing celebrates the very things you don’t miss, or even know exist, until they are gone.
January 1, 2000
Michael O’Sullivan
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Carl Franklin’s understated direction keeps the tears and life-affirming revelations from congealing into chicken shmaltz for the soul.
June 18, 2008 | Rating: 3.5/4
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide
There’s a lot of Oscar timber here…
December 6, 2005 | Rating: 3/5
Tom Meek
Film Threat
Streep, Zellweger, and Hurt are outstanding.
April 9, 2005 | Rating: B
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews
the movie ultimately belongs to Streep, who illuminates the extraordinary soul inside an everyday woman.
June 4, 2003
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette
One of those rare films — a movie that is genuinely sad and moving without being melodramatic, sentimental or hokey.
May 22, 2003 | Rating: B+
Eugene Novikov
Film Blather
Streep’s performance will probably secure her another Oscar nomination.
February 8, 2003 | Rating: 4.5/5
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online…
Plot
When a tough New Yorker’s mother is stricken with a serious illness, she is forced to quit her job and her relationship with her boyfriend to take care of her, finding out a lot of things she didn’t know about her mother and father and her life along the way.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features solid performances from Meryl Streep, Renée Zellweger, and William Hurt.
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