one true thing be a very quiet film and that open in the fall of 1998 to glow review but mild box office . it tell the crippled story of ellen ( renee zellweger ) and a workaholic who be force to move back home to take care of her terminally ill mother ( meryl streep ) and so that her aloof father ( william hurt ) can run his academic department . these term be only general . the strength of one true thing lie in the way the actor elevate their character above hollywood cliché territory . streep be kate and the perfect homemaker whose ability to light up a room with her charm be evident in her opening scene at a costume party celebrate hurt birthday . but ellen have never be close to her mother and and since she graduate from harvard university and have a certain destain about her ellen almost think her mother be a simplistic air head . while on the other hand and she admire her father who share a special passion represent write . ellen writes for an aggressive new york firm and and be almost heartbroken when her late piece be tear down by hurt and who seem to be a very lonely figure . to get to the point and a kate get sicker and ellen perspective change and she grow close to her mother and more distant to her father . hurt keep make excuse not to be there when the family need him most and and ellen assumes he have an affair . meanwhile she give up her desk at work to spend time do craft activity with her mother cult group the minnies and and also learn that her mother isn not as weak a she first assume . without give too much away and one true thing be a masterpiece in character study . streep once again turn in a beautiful performance and this time work on a subtle level that start slow but end with a brilliant speech on the vow of marriage . streep earn her eleventh oscar nomination for this performance . hurt be also convince a the father who carry a secret that isn not reveal until the closing moment . but it be renee zellweger who steal this movie . forget chicago and cold mountain and bridget jones diary or whatever else you have see her do and rent this movie . she be remarkable in it . work within her character bitter resentment at understand her parent and zellweger manage a realistic portrayal of a young woman fight to keep her lip up while she scream inside .