My One and Only

It is 1953 and Renee Zellweger after finding her band leader husband Kevin Bacon bedding another woman embarks on a trip across the United States in search of a new husband and financial stability accompanied by sons Logan Lerman (a Zac Ephron lookalike) and Mark Rendall.

'My One and Only' apparently is based on the teen years of actor George Hamilton and the Zellweger character is based on Hamilton's mother. Given the eccentricities on display, I imagine there is a degree of embellishment to the actual events. Zellweger's character is a curious cross between Auntie Mame and Blanche Du Bois. The events are seen from Lerman's (Hamilton's) perspective and he (Lerman) provides the narration. Lerman does a nice turn of teenage innocence combined with wisdom beyond his years.

The film is essentially a drama although there are plenty of humorous and ironic moments to lighten the mood. I was particularly taken with one delicious moment when Communist hating military man Chris Noth tells the family if the Communists takeover they can expect to find every American shopping street contains the same stores. Owners of today's mega shopping malls take note!

For mine, the most impressive aspect of the film is how well it conveys the style and images of the 1950s.