MOVIE: MY ONE AND ONLY
In the post-WWII era that saw women enter the workforce en masse and gain more independence, Anne Devereaux (Renee Zellweger), was not moving with the times. “Trust me George,” she informs her son, “A woman never looks more intelligent to a man than when she’s listening to him.” After discovering her husband Dan’s (Kevin Bacon) philandering, she whisks her two sons Robbie and George off on a road trip across America to find herself a new one. It sounds like a superficial plot and it is but more surprising, is that it’s true. Based on the childhood story of actor George Hamilton, this tale is long-winded and repetitive – of course Anne will encounter several prospective husbands and of course they will all turn out to be inadequate. Zellweger’s performance is poor as there is little conviction to her character and frustratingly, her accent falls somewhere between that of a Southern belle and a Toff. Otherwise, the subtle changes in set and costume cleverly mimic the changing dynamic of this dismembered family as it attempts to rebuild itself and resolves itself well by the end of the film – if you can be patient enough to wait for it to come. (NG)
