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The Vow

A saccharine and paint-by-numbers slice of romance, which is largely boosted by the appeal of its two leads.

Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (3D)

The under-utilised 3D adds little to this prequel, which only serves as a sore reminder of the brilliance of the original films.

Any Questions For Ben?

The talented bunch of actors ably cut through the surface gloss, but it’s tough to remain invested in the plight of the self-absorbed lead.

Shame

It starts off as brutal but arresting stuff, and the two lead performances are scorching, but disappointingly dissolves into a case of tragedy for the sake of tragedy.

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My One And Only (Film)

by Alicia Malone | March 08, 2010 15:12 | Edited March 08, 2010 15:14

A warm-hearted road trip movie which boasts strong performances

Renee Zellweger has just about covered every decade. She tackled the sixties in Down With Love, the twenties in Leatherheads, the thirties with Cinderella Man, and now the early fifties in My One And Only.

 

Inspired by famously tanned actor George Hamilton's teenage years, but definitely not a biopic, My One And Only centres on Ann (Zellweger), a Blanche Dubois type Southern Belle whose beauty is slowly fading. When she catches her philandering bandleader husband (Kevin Bacon) cheating one too many times, Ann packs her bags, grabs her two sons, George (Logan Lerman) and Robbie (Mark Rendell), and hits the highway in search of a new husband. Their subsequent adventures are told through George's eyes, as the family travels from town to town, visiting Ann's ex-boyfriends in the hopes of locking one down - preferably a rich one. She may be a gold digger and not the most attentive mother, but Ann has good intentions, wanting financial security for her sons.

 

Renee Zellweger brings heart to her character, but the two young boys playing her sons are the real standouts. Logan Lerman (3:10 To Yuma, Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief) is charismatic as the narrator George, while Mark Rendell keeps the film moving along with hilarious one-liners as the innocent yet effeminate Robbie. There are great cameos from actors playing Ann's prospective beaus, especially David Koechner, who is very entertaining as a house paint tycoon who offers young George advice about women - namely that they are "never the right temperature" so you should always "carry a sweater."

 

The real George Hamilton serves as the film's executive producer, but it's unclear how much of the story is true. There aren't too many laugh out loud moments, but My One And Only offers plenty of smiles, and a few insights into a Hollywood icon.