Movie summary of My One and Only by Michael the Moviegoer.
MY ONE AND ONLY = ****
“A Class Act”
Renee Zellweger seems to be an actress at her best when in period pieces. After playing Roxie Hart in “Chicago” and winning an Oscar for her performance in “Cold Mountain” here comes “My One And Only”, a 1950s-set drama that gives Zellweger her juciest role yet. Her fiesty performance reminds one of the early days of Katharine Hepburn. The film reminds us of the type of mad-cap romantic comedies that helped build Hollywood more than half a century ago.
When Zellweger comes home to find her husband (Kevin Bacon) having an affair, she grabs her two boys and begins a cross-country odyssey looking for love in the form of any man who might be willing to financially support them. In town after town she quickly skips through random relationships like a stone skipping across a lake.
In a script filled with enough sharp, witty and sarcastic dialogue to be worthy of Neil Simon, the story is told from the point of view of her young son George who will grow up to become the famous B-movie actor George Hamilton. His involvement in getting the film made only adds to the story’s authenticity.
Hamilton should know something about biopics. He starred in a few including “Evel Knievel” and “Your Cheatin’ Heart”. But unlike most celebrity biopics, this story is about Hamilton’s mom. It’s her story, and how the events that happened to her led Hamilton to his first Hollywood screen test, and the rest is history.
In today’s movie business, it’s a miracle that a film like this can get made. Its current release is a true gift to movie lovers. Like finding a postcard from the past in an attic filled with Hollywood nostalgia, “My One And Only” is bursting with fresh air. Breathe it in.
DVD Double-Feature: In 1999, little-known actress Janet McTeer got the attention of Academy voters and received an Oscar nomination for her performance in “Tumbleweeds” as a single mom dragging her daughter through the mud of her cross-country odyssey trying to find love in one wrong man after another. McTeer’s outstanding performance makes us wonder why we haven’t heard much from her since.
Michael The Moviegoer
