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One True Thing
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| One True Thing | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Carl Franklin |
| Written by | Karen Croner |
| Based on | One True Thing by Anna Quindlen |
| Produced by | Jesse Beaton Leslie Morgan Harry J. Ufland William W. Wilson III |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Declan Quinn |
| Edited by | Carole Kravetz |
| Music by | Cliff Eidelman |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 127 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30 million[1] |
| Box office | $26.6 million[2] |
One True Thing is a 1998 American drama film directed by Carl Franklin. It tells the story of a woman in her 20s who is forced to put her life on hold in order to care for her mother, who is dying of cancer. The script was adapted by Karen Croner from the novel by Anna Quindlen, with the story being based on Quindlen's own struggle with the death of her mother, Prudence Pantano Quindlen, from ovarian cancer in 1972.[3]
The film stars Meryl Streep, Renée Zellweger, William Hurt, and Tom Everett Scott. Bette Midler sings the lead song, "My One True Friend", over the end credits. The track was first released on Midler's 1998 album Bathhouse Betty. The film was shot in Morristown, New Jersey[4] and Maplewood, New Jersey, as well as at the campus of Princeton University.
Plot
[edit]Ellen Gulden has a high-pressure job writing for New York magazine. Ellen is visiting her family home for her father George's surprise birthday party. It becomes obvious that she deeply admires George, a once-celebrated novelist and literature professor at Princeton University, but Ellen has barely restrained disdain for her mother, Kate, and the domestic life she lives.
When it is discovered that Kate has cancer, George pressures Ellen to come home and take care of her mother. Ellen is taken aback by this request, knowing it could jeopardize her career and love interest. However, she eventually agrees, caving in to her father's appeals and inducements.
As Ellen helps her mother with domestic chores while her father goes about his usual business without helping much, Ellen begins to reassess her views of her parents. She realizes she always brushed her mother aside and idealized her father, despite his self-centered focus on his career and, she discovers, a longtime habit of having flings with his female students.
Ellen attempts to find a place for herself in her parents' life while struggling to continue writing on a freelance basis and maintain her relationship with her boyfriend in New York. Over time, Ellen grows closer to her mother and learns more about her parents' marriage—including realizing that Kate has known about George's affairs all along. Ellen also learns that her father's philandering days have become lonely nights of drinking at a local bar to numb the pain of never again achieving success with, nor even being able to complete, further novels. George admits to Ellen the reason he loved Kate was that she was full of light shining through everything, and he could not bear the thought of her light slipping away.
As her mother is dying, Ellen tells her she loves her, and Kate says she knew it and always had. At the funeral, Ellen ends her relationship with her boyfriend.
After Kate's death, the autopsy reveals that Kate actually died of morphine overdose. A district attorney questions Ellen about her mother's death. Scenes from this interview are interspersed throughout the movie and raise the suspicion that Ellen assisted her mother's suicide. In the closing scene, by Kate's grave, Ellen has returned from a new job she found in New York with the Village Voice. She is planting daffodils when her father approaches and tells her that she was very brave to do what she did. She looks puzzled until she realizes George thinks she had given her mother the fatal overdose. Ellen replies that she had thought the accomplice was the father. They both realize Kate must have killed herself.
George speaks to Ellen about how much he loved Kate, considering her his muse, his "one true thing." Ellen explains to her father how to plant the daffodil bulbs and he helps her, foreshadowing their reconciliation based on a mutual and long-overdue appreciation of Kate.
Cast
[edit]- Meryl Streep as Kate Gulden
- Renée Zellweger as Ellen Gulden
- William Hurt as George Gulden
- Tom Everett Scott as Brian Gulden
- Lauren Graham as Jules
- Nicky Katt as Jordan Belzer
- James Eckhouse as District Attorney
- Gerrit Graham as Oliver Most
- Patrick Breen as Mr. Tweedy
- Julianne Nicholson as College student
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]One True Thing received mostly favorable reviews from critics, with Streep being the subject of acclaim for bringing warmth and natural energy instead of appearing cold and technical. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a rating of 87% based on reviews from 61 critics. The site's consensus states: "Solid performances lift this drama to a higher level."[5] The similar site Metacritic grades it 63 out of 100 based on reviews from 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "A" on a scale of A to F.[7]
Todd McCarthy of Variety called it "sensitively written, fluidly directed and expertly acted."[8] Roger Ebert, reviewing the film for the Chicago Sun-Times, commended it for rising above the level of a soap through pure craftsmanship, and awarded the film three stars out of four.[9]
Mick LaSalle in the San Francisco Chronicle declared, "After One True Thing, critics who persist in the fiction that Streep is a cold and technical actress will need to get their heads examined. She is so instinctive and natural – so thoroughly in the moment and operating on flights of inspiration – that she's able to give us a woman who's at once wildly idiosyncratic and utterly believable."[10] Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan noted, "[Streep's role] is one of the least self-consciously dramatic and surface showy of her career, but Streep adds a level of honesty and reality that makes [her performance] one of her most moving."[11] Among the few negative reviews, Salon.com's Andrew O'Hehir complained that the movie "really has no plot", and found director Carl Franklin unable to properly connect with his cast.[12]
Accolades
[edit]Streep was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film, but lost out to Gwyneth Paltrow for her role in Shakespeare in Love.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ "One True Thing (1998) Financial Information". the-numbers.com. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ "One True Thing". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
- ^ Her Own True Thing accessed 7-15-2015 Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Much of the shooting took place in Michael Aaron Rockland's house, something he mentions in passing in An American Diplomat in Franco's Spain, pg. 104
- ^ "One True Thing (1998)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
- ^ "One True Thing reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- ^ "ONE TRUE THING (1998) A". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.
- ^ McCarthy, Todd (7 September 1998). "One True Thing". Variety. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (18 September 1998). "One True Thing". The Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
- ^ LaSalle, Mick (18 September 1998). "Home Is a Beautiful 'Thing' / Streep shines in drama about ailing mother". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 1 Jan 2021.
- ^ Turan, Kenneth (18 September 1998). "One True Thing". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ O'Hehir, Andrew (18 September 1998). "One Blue Thing". Salon.com. Archived from the original on 7 May 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
- ^ Waxman, Sharon (21 March 1999). "WashingtonPost.com: Academy Awards 1999". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
External links
[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to One True Thing.
One True Thing
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
is a semi-autobiographical novel by Anna Quindlen, published on September 13, 1994, that examines family relationships through the lens of terminal illness and caregiving.[1] The narrative follows Ellen Gulden, a young journalist who returns to her Midwestern hometown to care for her mother, Kate, diagnosed with advanced cancer, while grappling with her distant relationship with her academic father, George.[2] Quindlen, a Pulitzer Prize winner for journalism, drew from personal experiences of loss to portray the erosion of idealized parental images and the moral complexities of end-of-life decisions, including Ellen's subsequent indictment for her mother's alleged mercy killing. The book achieved commercial success as a New York Times bestseller, praised for its unflinching depiction of cancer's toll on domestic life.[2] Its adaptation into a 1998 film directed by Carl Franklin, starring Meryl Streep as Kate, Renée Zellweger as Ellen, and William Hurt as George, highlighted similar themes and earned critical acclaim for performances amid debates over euthanasia portrayal.[3]
Source Material
Novel Background
One True Thing is the second novel by Anna Quindlen, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who transitioned from newspaper columns to fiction in the early 1990s.[4] Quindlen, born in 1953, drew partial inspiration from her own family experiences, particularly the death of her mother from ovarian cancer in 1972, when Quindlen was 19 years old and her mother was 40.[5] In interviews, Quindlen has acknowledged that readers often interpreted the book as semi-autobiographical due to these parallels, though she emphasized that the narrative and characters are fictional constructs developed from an initial concept of mother-daughter dynamics.[5] The novel was published in hardcover by Random House on August 30, 1994, with an initial print run that contributed to its status as a commercial success, appearing on bestseller lists.[6] Quindlen's prior work included her debut novel Object Lessons in 1991, but One True Thing marked a deeper exploration of personal loss and familial roles, reflecting her shift toward full-time fiction writing after leaving her position at The New York Times.[4] The book received critical attention for its emotional depth, with reviewers noting Quindlen's ability to weave introspective narrative from journalistic precision. Subsequent editions, including paperback releases by Random House and Dell Publishing in 1995 and 2006, sustained its availability, and the novel's themes of caregiving and mortality resonated amid growing public discourse on terminal illness in the 1990s.[7] Quindlen has reflected that the story evolved from contemplating relational bonds before incorporating the element of impending death, underscoring her intentional crafting of the plot around universal human experiences rather than direct memoir.[5]Adaptation Differences
The novel One True Thing (1994) employs a first-person narrative framed by protagonist Ellen Gulden's reflections from jail, where she awaits trial for allegedly causing her mother Kate's death via morphine overdose, enabling deep exploration of her psychological evolution and disillusionment with her father George. In contrast, screenwriter Karen Croner's adaptation adopts a primarily linear third-person structure with minimal voiceover, facilitating cinematic depictions of Kate's physical decline—through Meryl Streep's transformative performance, including emaciation and a Midwestern accent to underscore class and regional contrasts—and interpersonal conflicts, such as heated family dinners that visually convey tensions absent in the book's introspective prose.[1][8] Central to the plot, Kate's death by morphine overdose differs in attribution and aftermath. The novel reveals Ellen administered the fatal dose at Kate's explicit request amid unbearable pain, prompting her arrest; George, recognizing his failings, falsely confesses to shield Ellen, adding a redemptive arc to his self-absorbed character while culminating in a "clever mystery" twist that underscores familial sacrifice. The film retains Ellen's act but omits George's confession, instead building suspense around suspicion falling on him before Ellen's admission; the district attorney ultimately declines prosecution, citing the mercy context, which resolves the legal thread more swiftly and emphasizes emotional catharsis over protracted intrigue. This shift arguably mitigates explicit endorsement of assisted suicide, though critics noted the portrayal as sympathetic to euthanasia.[1][9][10] Subtle character and subplot adjustments further distinguish the versions. George's extramarital affair, discovered by Ellen in the novel through inference and confrontation, is more alluded to via visual cues like phone calls in the film, condensing internal revelations into observable behaviors to suit a 120-minute runtime. Ellen's brother Jon's role, peripheral in both but symbolizing generational detachment, gains minor screen time for familial gatherings, enhancing the ensemble dynamic. These changes prioritize performative nuance—e.g., William Hurt's portrayal of George's intellectual vanity clashing with domestic reality—over the novel's emphasis on Ellen's Harvard-honed cynicism, resulting in a visually intimate yet less philosophically dense examination of gender roles and parental idolatry.[11][12]Production
Development and Pre-Production
The screenplay for One True Thing was adapted by Karen Croner from Anna Quindlen's 1994 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, which drew from Quindlen's experiences caring for her mother during her battle with cancer.[13][14] Croner restructured the book's introspective narrative, emphasizing external family conflicts and visual storytelling to suit cinematic demands, while preserving core themes of caregiving and moral ambiguity.[15] Director Carl Franklin became attached to the project in 1997, bringing personal insights from his own life as a twice-divorced single father, which informed his approach to depicting strained family dynamics and paternal shortcomings.[16] The production initially developed at Fox 2000 Pictures with Franklin, Meryl Streep, and Renée Zellweger attached, but Fox passed, leading to relocation under Monarchy Enterprises for financing and eventual distribution by United Artists.[17] Pre-production emphasized authentic suburban settings, with principal filming locations scouted in New Jersey, including a Morristown residence selected to represent the family's home due to its period-appropriate architecture.[18] Streep actively pursued the lead role of Kate Gulden upon learning of the adaptation, contacting her agent to express interest in portraying the terminally ill matriarch.[19] Casting prioritized actors capable of conveying emotional restraint amid the story's ethical dilemmas, aligning with Franklin's vision of understated realism over overt sentimentality.Casting and Filming
Meryl Streep was cast as Kate Gulden, the terminally ill mother, leveraging her established reputation for portraying complex maternal figures in dramatic roles.[20] Renée Zellweger portrayed the protagonist Ellen Gulden, the ambitious daughter who returns home to care for her mother, in a performance that highlighted her transition from comedic supporting roles to lead dramatic parts.[21] William Hurt was selected for the role of George Gulden, the charismatic but flawed father and academic, drawing on his experience with nuanced paternal characters.[20] Casting director Richard Pagano oversaw the principal selections, emphasizing actors capable of conveying familial tensions amid illness.[22] Principal photography commenced on October 14, 1997, and wrapped on January 27, 1998, under director Carl Franklin.[23] Filming occurred primarily in New Jersey to evoke the film's suburban East Coast setting, with key locations in Morristown—including a Victorian home on Farragut Place used for interior family scenes—and Maplewood for exterior shots.[24][18] These sites facilitated authentic depictions of domestic life disrupted by cancer, with production capturing the seasonal shift from fall to winter to mirror the narrative's emotional progression.[25]Release and Distribution
One True Thing was released theatrically in the United States on September 18, 1998, by Universal Pictures, which handled domestic distribution for the Monarch Pictures/Ufland production.[3] The film opened on 1,062 screens and grossed $6,606,455 in its first weekend, placing third at the North American box office behind Rush Hour and The Wedding Singer.[26] Despite positive critical reception, including praise for Meryl Streep's performance, it underperformed commercially, ultimately earning $23,245,840 domestically against a reported budget of $30 million.[26][21] Worldwide, the film's total gross reached $26,616,840, reflecting limited international appeal for the intimate family drama.[3] International distribution was managed by United International Pictures (UIP), a joint venture between Universal and Paramount, in several territories.[27] Releases occurred in markets including Spain and France in 1999, though specific earnings from these regions were not substantial enough to offset the domestic shortfall.[27] The film's modest global performance aligned with its focus on nuanced interpersonal themes rather than broad commercial elements, contributing to its status as a critical rather than financial success.[8] Home media distribution followed in late 1998 via VHS through Universal Studios Home Video, with DVD and further video releases expanding availability into the early 2000s. Streaming options emerged later, including availability on platforms like Apple TV by the 2010s, broadening access beyond initial theatrical and physical media runs.[28]Cast and Characters
Principal Cast
Meryl Streep portrays Kate Gulden, the resilient housewife and mother diagnosed with terminal cancer, whose unwavering devotion to her family drives the narrative's emotional core.[20] [29] Renée Zellweger plays Ellen Gulden, an ambitious young journalist from New York who reluctantly returns home to care for her mother, undergoing a profound personal transformation amid family revelations.[20] [21] William Hurt embodies George Gulden, the charismatic but narcissistic university professor and father whose idealized public image contrasts sharply with his domestic shortcomings.[20] [29] Tom Everett Scott appears as Brian Gulden, Ellen's younger brother and a medical student who provides sibling support while pursuing his own career.[20] [30] Lauren Graham stars as Jules, the compassionate caregiver hired to assist Kate, adding layers to the household dynamics through her interactions with the family.[20] [22]| Actor | Role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Meryl Streep | Kate Gulden | Terminally ill mother central to family conflicts.[20] |
| Renée Zellweger | Ellen Gulden | Protagonist daughter navigating caregiving and truth.[20] |
| William Hurt | George Gulden | Flawed father whose deceptions unravel.[20] |
| Tom Everett Scott | Brian Gulden | Supportive son focused on medical studies.[20] |
| Lauren Graham | Jules | Hired aide influencing family revelations.[20] |
Character Portrayals
Ellen Gulden, the protagonist, is depicted as a driven and perfectionist young professional who has emulated her father's intellectual pursuits while dismissing her mother's domestic life as trivial.[10] [31] In both the novel and film, her character arc involves returning home from New York to care for her ailing mother, prompting a confrontation with family realities that challenges her initial resentments and protective instincts toward her father.[8] [31] Renee Zellweger's portrayal conveys a subtle vulnerability beneath Ellen's impatience and ambition, highlighting her growth through caregiving and legal scrutiny.[10] Kate Gulden, the mother, is portrayed as a resilient homemaker whose cheerful facade masks profound sacrifices and emotional depth, particularly as cancer erodes her physical independence.[10] [31] In the source novel, she embodies quiet strength and contentment despite intense suffering, forging a deeper bond with Ellen amid deteriorating health and moral pleas.[31] Meryl Streep's film interpretation accentuates Kate's warmth through whimsical domesticity—such as holiday preparations—and raw confrontations, transforming a potentially generic role into one of understated honesty and familial insight.[8] [10] George Gulden, the father and a prominent literature professor, is characterized as intellectually charismatic yet emotionally distant and manipulative, prioritizing career accolades over spousal care.[10] [31] His portrayal reveals flaws like infidelity and avoidance during his wife's illness, catalyzing Ellen's disillusionment while underscoring generational tensions in family roles.[8] William Hurt's performance particularizes George as a self-absorbed figure whose tweed-clad authority crumbles under personal crises, exposing limited paternal engagement.[10]Synopsis
Plot Overview
Ellen Gulden, an ambitious young magazine writer in New York City, returns to her family's home in suburban Pennsylvania for her father George's surprise 50th birthday party, where she learns her mother Kate has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.[10] Her father, a charismatic English professor and published author whom Ellen has long idolized, convinces her to abandon her career and relationship to become Kate's full-time caregiver, sparing her brother Brian—who is in medical school—from the responsibility.[10] [32] Initially resentful of her seemingly frivolous homemaker mother and frustrated by the disruption to her life, Ellen gradually uncovers Kate's unsuspected depth, resilience, and sacrifices, including her tolerance of George's emotional neglect and extramarital affairs, which Kate has long concealed to preserve family harmony.[10] [21] As Kate's condition deteriorates amid grueling chemotherapy treatments and home care, Ellen confronts her idealized view of her father, witnesses the strain on family dynamics, and forms a profound bond with her mother through shared activities like holiday preparations and candid conversations.[10] [32] The story unfolds primarily through Ellen's perspective in flashback, framed by her interrogation by a district attorney investigating suspicious circumstances surrounding Kate's death, raising questions about euthanasia and mercy.[3] Throughout, the narrative examines Ellen's personal growth, shifting from career-driven detachment to appreciation for domestic values and familial duty, amid the raw realities of terminal illness.[10] [32]Key Twists and Resolution
As Ellen cares for her deteriorating mother, she uncovers profound flaws in her father George, whom she had idolized as an intellectual paragon. She discovers his long-standing extramarital affair with a graduate student, evidenced by clandestine phone calls and the woman's visits to the home, which Kate had tolerated silently to preserve family stability.[31] Further revelations expose George's academic dishonesty: he routinely plagiarized term papers from his students, publishing them as his own essays in scholarly journals, a betrayal Ellen confirms through correspondence and drafts found in his study.[31] [1] These discoveries coincide with Ellen's evolving perception of Kate, whom she initially dismissed as superficial. Through intimate caregiving routines, Ellen learns of Kate's unacknowledged talents, including sophisticated unpublished writings and a quiet resilience forged from years of supporting George's career at personal cost; Kate had even ghostwritten elements of his work and managed household logistics with strategic competence.[31] This shift culminates in a deepened mother-daughter bond, marked by shared confessions and mutual vulnerability, challenging Ellen's prior alignments with her father's worldview.[33] In Kate's final days, suffering intensifies, prompting her to implore Ellen to administer a fatal morphine dose to hasten death, a request Ellen rejects out of moral conflict.[31] Kate dies shortly thereafter from an overdose of the painkiller. An autopsy on December 1990 confirms lethal morphine levels, leading authorities to arrest Ellen for first-degree murder under suspicion of euthanasia.[31] [1] The investigation unravels the truth: Kate had premeditated her suicide by preparing the overdose herself, concealing it in rice pudding that George unwittingly—or knowingly—fed her, absolving Ellen of direct involvement.[31] Lacking forensic evidence to prove otherwise, prosecutors drop charges against Ellen in early 1991, though local rumors persist of her complicity in mercy killing.[31] Disillusioned, Ellen estranges herself from George for eight years, relocates to New York, abandons journalism for psychiatric training on May 15, 1992, and rebuilds her life, ultimately recognizing Kate's unconditional love and inner strength as the enduring "one true thing" amid familial deceptions.[31] A tentative paternal reconciliation occurs years later at a theater, where George confesses fuller details of Kate's agency in her death.[31]Themes and Analysis
Family Dynamics and Gender Roles
The Gulden family exemplifies a traditional mid-20th-century American household structure, where George Gulden, a university English professor, occupies the role of intellectual authority and primary breadwinner, prioritizing his career and public persona over domestic responsibilities.[10] His wife, Kate Gulden, adheres to conventional feminine duties as homemaker, organizing community events like the annual Christmas party and maintaining family traditions, such as elaborate costumes for holidays, which sustain social cohesion but receive little recognition from her husband or daughter.[10] This division aligns with historical gender norms where men pursued external achievements and women managed internal family stability, often at personal cost.[34] Ellen Gulden, the ambitious daughter and aspiring journalist, initially internalizes a hierarchical view of these roles, idolizing her father's scholarly pursuits and dismissing her mother's domestic focus as trivial and unfulfilling.[10] Her perspective mirrors a cultural bias favoring intellectual masculinity, leading her to overlook Kate's emotional labor in buffering George's self-absorption and infidelities, which undermine his authoritative image.[34] During Kate's illness, Ellen's caregiving role reverses the dynamic, exposing the interdependence: Kate's resilience holds the family together, while George's detachment reveals the limitations of his role when confronted with crisis.[35] The film's portrayal underscores causal tensions in such structures, where undervaluing maternal contributions fosters resentment and imbalance, as Ellen confronts her prior judgments through direct involvement in household tasks previously scorned.[10] This evolution highlights generativity in Kate's legacy—passing on unarticulated wisdom about endurance—contrasting George's stagnation in intimacy, tied to his evasion of familial vulnerabilities.[35] Empirical observations of family resilience in the narrative suggest traditional roles can enable survival amid adversity, though they risk exploitation when one partner's sacrifices remain invisible.[34]Euthanasia and Ethical Debates
In One True Thing, the theme of euthanasia emerges through the terminal cancer diagnosis of Kate Gulden, who endures progressive physical decline and ultimately dies from a self-administered morphine overdose, prompting her daughter Ellen's arrest on suspicion of mercy killing. The narrative deliberately blurs the line between assisted suicide and autonomous action, with Kate expressing a desire for control over her death amid unrelenting pain and loss of bodily function, thereby framing euthanasia as a potential response to intractable suffering in advanced illness. This portrayal draws from real-world cases of terminal patients seeking to hasten death, but the film's ambiguity—revealing Kate's agency while exploring family complicity—avoids explicit advocacy, instead probing the moral weight of such choices.02119-1/fulltext)[36] Ethical arguments in favor of euthanasia, as implicitly engaged by the film, emphasize patient autonomy and the alleviation of unbearable suffering, positing that competent individuals facing irremediable pain have a right to dignified self-determination over their end-of-life trajectory. Kate's arc reflects this view, highlighting how cancer's toll—nausea, immobility, and dependency—can erode quality of life beyond medical intervention, a perspective supported by proponents who argue that denying euthanasia prolongs avoidable torment without violating non-maleficence when requested voluntarily. However, empirical data on palliative care challenges the necessity of euthanasia: pharmacologic strategies, including opioids, effectively manage upwards of 90% of cancer-related pain in terminal patients, often restoring comfort without hastening death, as evidenced by systematic reviews of end-of-life symptom control.[37][38] Opposing viewpoints, rooted in deontological ethics, assert that euthanasia inherently devalues human life by equating it to a disposable burden, conflicting with the physician's role as healer and risking causal chains of abuse where vulnerability invites coercion or expansion to non-voluntary cases. Critics of the film's sympathetic lens warn of a slippery slope, noting that legalization correlates with broadened eligibility in jurisdictions like the Netherlands, where initial safeguards against involuntary euthanasia have eroded over time, potentially pressuring the elderly or disabled as in Kate's domestic context of familial strain. A majority of physicians (over 56%) deem active euthanasia ethically unacceptable, favoring enhanced palliative options that address root causes of suffering—physical, psychological, and existential—without intentional killing, aligning with causal realism that prioritizes preserving life amid treatable symptoms.[39]64289-4/fulltext)[9] The film's ethical ambiguity—neither endorsing euthanasia nor rejecting compassionate relief—mirrors broader debates, where media portrayals like this one may normalize hastened death despite evidence that comprehensive palliative integration reduces requests for it by improving symptom relief rates to 70-85% in advanced cancer cohorts. In the U.S. context of the story's 1990s setting, euthanasia remained illegal nationwide, underscoring tensions between individual narratives of dignity and societal safeguards against commodifying life, with some analyses critiquing such stories for subtly advancing pro-euthanasia sentiment under guises of family empathy.[40][41]Perceptions of Parental Value
The narrative of One True Thing centers on Ellen Gulden's evolving assessment of her parents' worth, initially skewed toward her father George, a charismatic university professor and author whose intellectual pursuits she emulates, while undervaluing her mother Kate's role as a dedicated homemaker. Ellen perceives George as the family's intellectual anchor, crediting him with her own ambitions, whereas Kate embodies conventional domesticity that Ellen views as unremarkable and limiting, reflecting a broader cultural prioritization of professional achievement over unpaid familial labor.[10] As Ellen assumes caregiving duties during Kate's battle with terminal cancer, diagnosed in 1992 within the story's timeline, she uncovers layers of Kate's character that challenge her prior dismissals, including Kate's self-taught knowledge, organizational acumen in managing the household, and emotional fortitude that sustained the family amid George's professional demands and personal failings. This shift highlights the causal importance of maternal domestic contributions—such as fostering social connections and maintaining stability—which Ellen had overlooked, evidenced by Kate's orchestration of community support networks and her quiet endurance of George's infidelity and academic shortcuts, including plagiarized works passed off as original.[32][10] The film contrasts this revelation with the erosion of George's perceived value, as Ellen witnesses his emotional detachment from Kate's suffering and his reliance on her sacrifices to bolster his career, such as hosting faculty events that masked household strains. Analyses of the mother-daughter dynamic underscore how Kate's "one true thing"—her unwavering commitment to family—emerges as the genuine measure of parental efficacy, prioritizing relational depth and resilience over external accolades, a perspective reinforced by Ellen's post-caregiving reflections on the irreplaceable nature of such roles.[42][10] This portrayal critiques societal tendencies to devalue homemaking, drawing from the source novel's exploration of familial ambiguities where domestic labor's empirical contributions to childrearing outcomes—such as emotional security and practical skills—prove more enduring than paternal intellectual posturing, though the story avoids idealizing either parent without acknowledging mutual flaws like Kate's occasional denial of her illness's severity.[42]Reception
Critical Response
The film received generally positive reviews from critics, earning an 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 58 reviews, with the consensus highlighting its "solid acting and a gritty subject" in depicting Meryl Streep's character's cancer battle and its family repercussions.[21] On Metacritic, it aggregated a score reflecting 72% positive reviews, 24% mixed, and 4% negative from 25 critics, praising its craftsmanship and sensitivity to character dynamics despite formulaic elements.[43] Roger Ebert awarded it three out of four stars, commending the narrative's exploration of a daughter's evolving perceptions of her parents, particularly her realization that her intellectual father (William Hurt) is flawed and her seemingly conventional mother (Streep) possesses hidden depths and strength.[10] Ebert noted the film's strength in avoiding sentimentality, focusing instead on realistic emotional shifts amid terminal illness. The New York Times review by Janet Maslin lauded the adaptation of Anna Quindlen's novel for its credit in tackling euthanasia and caregiving without preachiness, emphasizing Streep's transformative portrayal of a dying woman's dignity and Zellweger's growth as the conflicted daughter.[12] Variety's Todd McCarthy described it as "sensitively written, fluidly directed and expertly acted," appreciating director Carl Franklin's restraint in revealing "small truths" about parent-child bonds, though acknowledging the drama's elemental conflicts limited its scope.[8] Performances drew widespread acclaim: Streep's role as the afflicted mother was frequently cited for its nuance, blending humor, resilience, and vulnerability; Zellweger's ambitious journalist confronting domestic realities; and Hurt's portrayal of paternal hypocrisy.[10][12] Critics occasionally faulted structural choices, such as the framing device and a late plot twist deemed unnecessary by some, which diluted emotional impact without adding depth.[44] Others viewed it as overly reliant on melodrama, with the euthanasia theme risking predictability despite authentic handling of grief and moral ambiguity.[43] Nonetheless, the consensus positioned it as a mature, actor-driven drama effective in probing family illusions over overt advocacy.[8]Audience and Commercial Performance
One True Thing was released in the United States on September 18, 1998, by Universal Pictures, opening in 1,062 theaters and earning $6,606,455 in its first weekend, which placed it fourth at the domestic box office.[45] The film ultimately grossed $23,337,196 in North America and $3,371,000 internationally, resulting in a worldwide total of $26,708,196 against a reported production budget of $30,000,000.[45] This performance fell short of breaking even at the box office, contributing to its status as a modest commercial disappointment despite critical praise for the cast's portrayals of family strife and terminal illness.[45] Audience response highlighted the film's emotional resonance, with theatergoers giving it an A CinemaScore, indicating strong approval for its handling of caregiving and loss.[17] On Rotten Tomatoes, it maintains a 71% audience score from over 5,000 user ratings, where viewers frequently commended the authentic depictions of maternal bonds and ethical dilemmas in end-of-life care, though some noted its heavy dramatic tone as a barrier to broader appeal.[21] The positive word-of-mouth supported a steady but limited run, underscoring a niche reception among those drawn to introspective dramas rather than mass-market entertainment.Accolades and Nominations
One True Thing earned eight major award nominations, predominantly for Meryl Streep's performance as Kate Gulden, though it secured no wins.[46] Streep's portrayal of the terminally ill mother was recognized at the 71st Academy Awards on March 21, 1999, where she was nominated for Best Actress but lost to Gwyneth Paltrow for Shakespeare in Love.[46] [47] The film also received attention at other prestigious ceremonies. At the 56th Golden Globe Awards on January 24, 1999, Streep was nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.[46] [48] She earned a further nomination at the 5th Screen Actors Guild Awards on March 13, 1999, for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.[49] [47] Additional nominations included the 3rd Satellite Awards in 1999 for Streep in Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama, and the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards in 2000 for Favorite Actress – Drama.[46] [50]| Awarding Body | Category | Nominee | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Actress | Meryl Streep | Nominated | March 21, 1999[46] |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama | Meryl Streep | Nominated | January 24, 1999[46] |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role | Meryl Streep | Nominated | March 13, 1999[49] |
| Satellite Awards | Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama | Meryl Streep | Nominated | 1999[46] |
| Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Actress – Drama | Meryl Streep | Nominated | 2000[46] |