Richard Loncraine / USA
In the press conference Loncraine said it was amazing that this film was made since literally no one wanted to invest money in it, possibly because it does not fit any particular category. One check made this movie happen and he is thankful to the actors who made it come alive. This film was entered quite late into the Berlinale program and Loncraine described with a sense of humor the escapades that he had to go through in order to get this film to Berlin. He was taken completely by surprise that it was actually accepted into the competition category.
A story loosely based on the life of George Hamilton as a young man, many of the scenes come from Hamilton’s life depicted in his book Don’t Mind if I Do. What makes this film fantastic are the stylized characters of the fifties that perform in a very cartoon way at the beginning of the film but develop into sophisticated and complicated characters by the end. Anne Devpould (Renee Zellweger) leaves her husband, a famous bandleader with the hit song “My One and Only.” She travels with her two sons from New York City across America. She originally has no self-value and but in the end realizes that she is perfectly capable of taking care of herself, at the same time bonding with her two sons. The film’s dialogue is witty and has a fantastic music score which makes this film a must see. At the press conference reporters asked Zellweger about being an older actress and referred to her private love life. She, using her Brigit Jones’ charm, managed to slide pass these personal questions without giving away any real information at all. This film received Special Mention from the Ecumenical Jury.