My One and Only (PG-13, 2009)

The real life George Hamilton is known for many things: his campy characters, his numerous cameos, and, of course, his perma-tan. What’s not as well known are the details of his colorful childhood, which are chronicled (and somewhat fictionalized) here. As the young George, Lerman is a find. Subtle when necessary, emotional when called for, he’s a protagonist to root for. So is Zellweger, who plays Ann with aplomb. The actress manages to be sympathetic while playing someone who, despite loving her children, is very selfish. She and the boys make a tight family unit, with Bacon the outsider they adore but can’t quite tame.

Director Richard Loncraine keeps the pace breezy -- appropriate for a film set in the 1950s. The dialogue is equally snappy. But sometimes the gaiety feels forced and the banter theatrical. Though Ann and the boys’ lives sometimes feel perilous, even depressing, disbelief is very much suspended. (You know they barely have any money, but somehow they manage to stay clothed, fed, and housed.) Still, the film works as an escape into a world where tragedies can feel like jaunty misadventures.