My One and Only (2009) in Ventura, CA

In the 19 years I lived in Los Angeles I never visited the town of Ventura, up the coast past Malibu and Oxnard. This weekend it is a beach destination (albeit a cloudy one, with temps in the 60s). Jack & I walked a little over a mile to Pete's Breakfast House, and then walked off our french toast and pesto omelet another mile and a half to the Century Theatre, of the Cinemark chain, to see this new release and wait for the sky to clear. It didn't, but we walked back on the sand, and it was half the length (I do miss the sea, and am so lucky I get to visit oceans as often as I do). It's great inside, too, with cushy rocking seats, excellent sound, and the signature Cinemark black and white checkerboard tile.

This period piece (1950s) was inspired by incidents in the life of actor George Hamilton, who was one of the producers. It was written by Charlie Peters, who also adapted, among other things, Frank Parkins' book into the funny Krippendorf's Tribe (1998), and the director was Richard Loncraine (the Michael Palin vehicle The Missionary (1982), the Sting vehicle Brimstone & Treacle (1982), and the cute (I mean that in a good way) romantic comedy Wimbledon (2004) with Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany, before Bettany started to get typecast as a villain).

Young George (Logan Lerman--he was the son in 3:10 to Yuma (2007), and I haven't seen Gamer (2009) yet) is the narrator and provides the point of view, but Renée Zellweger (she was fabulous in the twisted Nurse Betty (2000), Chicago, White Oleander (both 2002), and the Bridget Jones movies in 2001 and 2004) is the star, as his mother Ann, who leaves George's father (Kevin Bacon) in the first five minutes, and spends the rest of the script looking for a new husband. Mark Rendell (he was in the wonderful Charlie Bartlett in 2007) is excellent as George's effeminate brother Robbie, Nick Stahl is yummy as neighbor Bud, and Chris Noth (Sex and the City's Mr. Big on small and big screen) and David Koechner (Thank You for Smoking (2005), Extract) play some of the louts in Ann's life.

Mention must be made of the picture cars: the ones on the screen. The family travels the country in a beautiful Cadillac (the scene on a boat in that link must have been cut) and lots of other cars are lovingly lit and shown in all their glory. Creative costumes and good music, both the Mark Isham (I love his work, and wrote about him in The Times of Harvey Milk) score and all the songs from the era. I have asked my fellow moviegoers on the imdb message board to help me name the songs. There are a couple of sly references to Hamilton's becoming the tannest white guy in Hollywood ("Go get yourself some color, George, you're paler than a nun's behind."). This movie was an entertaining diversion, and worth our time.