One True Thing

A mainstream effort from independent film auteur Carl Franklin, One True Thing was released to little fanfare and small box office in 1998. Despite an Oscar-nominated performance by Meryl Streep, the film is still relatively unknown and will probably remain so on DVD. Even so, the 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer is a nearly flawless effort from Universal. The only supplements are the trailer and a fluffy, back-patting "On Location" feature. Since the film was adapted from a popular book, some insight into the adaptation process would have been appreciated. Likewise, not much is made of Franklin's transition to more mainstream fare after films like One False Move. Studios will hopefully realize someday that ten-minute featurettes that run like an extended trailer for the film are about as helpful in learning about the filmmaking process as no featurette at all. One True Thing is another fine transfer from Universal, but the DVD is still only worth a rental.