My One and Only (film)

My One and Only
File:My one and only.jpg Promotional film poster
Directed by	Richard Loncraine
Produced by	Aaron Ryder (close friend of Chad Forbes) Ara Katz Art Spigel
Written by	Charlie Peters
Starring	Renée Zellweger Logan Lerman Mark Rendall Eric McCormack Chris Noth Nick Stahl Steven Weber Kevin Bacon
Music by	Mark Isham
Cinematography	Marco Pontecorvo
Distributed by	Herrick Entertainment Freestyle Releasing
Release dates	August 21, 2009 (2009-08-21)
Running time	108 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$3,026,272 (Worldwide)

My One and Only is a 2009 comedy film loosely based on a story about George Hamilton's early life on the road with his mother and brother, featuring anecdotes that Hamilton had told to producer Robert Kosberg and Merv Griffin. Kosberg pitched the idea of this true story to screenwriter Charlie Peters, then Merv Griffin shepherded the project from screenplay to production, until his death in 2007. Merv Griffin's company served as one the film's producers and Robert Kosberg executive produced.

My One and Only starred Logan Lerman as George and Renée Zellweger as George's mother. The film was directed by Richard Loncraine and written by Charlie Peters.

Plot

In New York City in 1953, Ann Deveraux lives with her bandleader husband Danny, their 15-year-old son George, and Ann's somewhat older effeminate son Robbie. Ann does not seem very interested in her children's lives; she does not even remember which school they attend. After catching Danny in yet another affair, Ann, fed up, tells him she is leaving him and taking the children with her. She removes cash from her safe deposit box and sends George out with it to buy a Cadillac. The salesmen are suspicious, but Ann drops by later herself.

Ann embarks with Robbie (stitching out a map of ther road trip in the backseat) and George (as his mother's chauffeur) on a road trip across the United States, in search of a husband to fund a new life for her and her boys. They first stay in Boston and Pittsburgh. Several men turn out to be disappointments for Ann. One has financial problems and asks for a large sum of money; when she does not seem willing to give it, he steals the money in her purse, leaving her unable to pay for the lavish dinner they both shared. Another man (a military officer), one Ann met briefly at a party a year before, offers to pay for it, eventually leading the two to date and become engaged. But when Ann and George discover his abusiveness, they leave. Later, Ann is put in jail overnight after chatting in a bar with a man who turns out to be an undercover police officer, who takes her for a prostitute and charges her with solicitation. One man sexually assaults her; one is in love with another woman.

George decides he wants to live with his father, but Danny turns him down because he is often on the road for his work. George is greatly disappointed and concludes that Danny does not love him. Later, when George asks Danny why he does not support them financially, he says he sent money several times, but Ann always returned it.

Ann does not like her sister in St. Louis. She has always said she would have to be desperate to go to her. Now, however, they go there, so George properly concludes Ann has become officially desperate. Shortly, Ann becomes engaged to a salesman who, it subsequently turns out, is mentally ill and has recently proposed to and/or married at least seven women, much to the embarrassment (and the 'delight' of Ann's sister) of his actual wife and his family. Ann is paid off by the family's attorney for her inconvenience. As Ann readies to leave and get on the road again, she discovers George has asked her sister to let him stay there while Ann moves on with Robbie to Los Angeles. Unhappy that his mother does not really know him, they argue; when Ann gets frustrated she slaps him, causing him to walk out of the house. Ann first protests, but, to George's surprise, accepts his decision, and they leave. George is surprised they actually leave him behind.

Near Albuquerque, when Ann and Robbie give a couple a ride for gas money, the man attempts to rob them, threatening Ann with a knife, but he is foiled when Robbie points a gun at him and fires a warning shot. Ann and Robbie invite the woman to come with them, and she accepts, but later steals their money. Robbie phones George to tell him what happened. George tells Ann's sister and her husband what happened, and discovers Ann had left money with them for his board and care. He demands they give him the money so he can go to meet up with his mother and brother, which they do. At a Greyhound bus station somewhere in the southwest, Robbie stops and tells his mother he figures they can 'pick somebody up'. Ann is then surprised to see George getting off a bus. The three get back on the road to Los Angeles.

Once Ann and the boys arrive in Los Angeles Ann comes home one day and finds Danny sitting in there apartment. He asks her if she still loves him and that he wants her and the boys to go back to New York with him and live there again. She replies by says "I don't know if I love you but I do know I don't need you". Danny then leaves and says "If you ever change your mind you know where to find me". Ann gets work as an extra, and Robbie tries acting.

After their first day of acting as extras George states that maybe his mum was correct all along and everything will turn out ok. Then Ann gets a call saying unfortunately Danny has died in New York after a show. He got a heart attack. She tells the unfortunate news to George and he starts to cry. After a few days George flies back to New York to attend Danny's funeral.

He decides to remain in New York and study to become a writer, with Ann's blessing. However, later he returns to Los Angeles, and it turns out that George is better at acting than Robbie. Robbie gets work in costuming. George realizes that they didn't need anyone to take care of them, that they could take care of themselves, and that they were going to be just fine.

Cast

• Renée Zellweger as Ann Deveraux (based on Ann Hamilton Spalding)
• Logan Lerman as 15-year-old George Deveraux
• Mark Rendall as George's older half-brother, Robbie
• Chris Noth as Harlan
• Nick Stahl as Bud, Paula's older brother
• Steven Weber as Wallace
• Kevin Bacon as Danny Deveraux
• Eric McCormack as Charlie
• Robin Weigert as Anne's sister, Hope
• David Koechner as Bill Massey
• Molly Quinn as Paula, a friend George makes in Pittsburgh

Production

Filming took place in the Baltimore area beginning on June 9, 2008. Part of this filming took place in the Institute of Notre Dame private high school. Other locations included Mount Vernon, Baltimore, and the 26-acre (110,000 m²) estate Tyrconnell near Lake Roland. For several weeks in early August 2008, further filming took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Many of the scenes include the use of an azure blue 1953 Cadillac Eldorado. The 1953 Eldorado "hero car" (#87 out of just 532 Cadillac Eldorados made that year) was used at the film's premiere in New York City on August 18, 2009 at the Paris Theater, Manhattan.

Music

The jazzy score to My One and Only was composed by Mark Isham, who recorded it with a 20-piece jazz orchestra ensemble of the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the LA Sound Gallery in Burbank, California.

Release

The film was released on August 21, 2009, in New York City, New York, and Los Angeles, California. On September 4, 2009 the release was expanded to 20 markets across the US. The film was also released in the Netherlands on September 10, 2009.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a rating of 71% based on 65 reviews.

External links

• Official website
• My One and Only at IMDb