“My One and Only” is one of those films that is full of A-list actors… yet no one has ever heard of it. It actually came right out of the blue and landed in the laps of only a handful of theater goers a few months back. And now it is hitting the DVD market utilizing a very new and very daring marketing plan. You can go out and buy the DVD today if you like… but you can only buy it at Target. (Or Target Online if you are a shut in…). Interesting, odd… and I’ll be curious to see how well this plays out for the overall sales of the film.

So now... on to the movie. “My One and Only” chronicles the rather odd childhood adventures of actor George Hamilton. Younger audiences might be asking who the heck George Hamilton is, but the rest of us should be familiar with his years of ‘perfect tanning’ and awesomely funny portrayals of Dracula and Zorro.

Renee Zellweger stars as Anne Devereaux, a mother of two who opts to drag her sons on a cross country road trip in search of a new husband. Her old one (Kevin Bacon) is caught in a rather uncompromising position with another woman, so she decides enough is enough. Logan Lerman steps into the shoes of the young George, while Mark Rendall stars as his brother Robbie. The three embark in her 1953 Cadillac Coupe de Ville and find adventure on the road. Along the way, they cross paths with a series of old and new boyfriends (Eric McCormack, Chris Noth, Steven Weber), never quite finding the settled down live they so richly desire.

“My One and Only” is a period film, and Zellweger has proven herself quite the period actress. Here she starts out the typical Southern Belle but attempts to evolve in order to fit into new social circles. Performance-wise, it is as strong as anything she’s done in the past. Performances all the way around are strong, though main characters aside, most of the talented cast only shows up for brief scenes. The strongest delivery comes from Rendall even though he is relegated to being third lead.

The film itself is quite enjoyable as it is somewhat light and frothy most of the time. It makes for an entertaining afternoon matinee viewing. However, overall it is a rather mixed bag of events and emotions that never really delivers any high points. Well worth a watch, but not necessarily a repeat viewing.

As for special features, there are two brief making of featurettes. Neither is very deep or detailed, but the little tidbits offered here are definitely interesting.

Directed by: Richard Loncraine
Starring: Renee Zellweger, Logan Lerman, Kevin Bacon, Eric McCormack, Chris Noth, Mark Rendall, Nick Stahl, Steven Weber
Extras: Behind the Scenes Featurette, The Making of… Featurette
Specifications: Widescreen (2.35:1), 5.1 Dolby Digital
Studio: Herrick Entertainment
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: 11/17/2009

We'll give My One and Only a B-.