Rijndri Load of rubbish!!

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Cody One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Kirpianuscus one of films who continue in the memory of the viewer long time after its end. like the novel who inspired it. because it seems be perfect. the performances, the atmosphere, each detail, dialogues and the impression to see the making of large spider web. a film who gives only questions. powerful for the force to impose each of theme. not comfortable because the themes are very delicate and the desire of director is to explore each in precise, profound manner. the great thing is the way in which the story becomes yours. the extraordinary job of Renee Zellweger. the metamorphose of Astrid who has in Allison Lohmann a great interpreter. a dark, uncomfortable, cruel and high honest film. maybe useful. like a huge mirror.

secondtake White Oleander (2002)The harrowing journey of a teenage girl through a series of foster parent and foster home situations because her mother went to jail for murder. On the surface this is about survival in a hostile world, and one layer down it's about getting to know her mother and what a mother's love is all about. But even deeper we get to know what this adolescent girl is all about, with growing complexity, and growing interest and concern.There are two keys here, the layered and ever changing story, based on the bestseller by the same name, and the lead actress, Alison Lohman. Both Lohman and director Peter Kosminsky come out of television work, and for Lohman, this is her breakout film into Hollywood (she was in a Ridley Scott movie after this, and then played the young Jessica Lange character in the fabulous "Big Fish" a couple years later). Lohman makes her character really sympathetic but in a hardened way, never cloying, and never clichéd.But she has fabulous support along the way. Two of her foster mothers are given juicy roles that are played with conviction--Robin Wright Penn as a born again floozy, Renee Zelwegger as a needy but caring actress out of work--and her biological mother is played with icy slipperiness by Michelle Pfeiffer. That's a weirdly amazing cast. And well constructed, very serious. In all, the editing is usually pretty fast, the filming is visually smart without being overly seductive, and the writing (and screen writing) is sharp as an Xacto knife. All the while, watching and being impressed, you will also realize it's "just a movie." You can feel the presence of the film world, a glitzing up of characters, an unavoidable pandering to clichés to make it look and feel pretty. I don't mean that a hardhitting drama about the tragedy of a young girl's life has to be gritty and truthful and meaningful--but that was a possibility. And you can see how this film might have been something intensely moving without resorting to filmmaking tearjerker tricks (like the repeated glances through the windows near the end) or a bizarre deal-making finale.Reservations aside, I found myself more absorbed with each scene. A nice surprise.

Joshua C. Scott (swtweath2) I could watch this movie from end to end over and over again. Just as I could read Janet Fitch's book cover to cover and then start it over again. I'm torn between whose performance is better -- Alison Lohman or Michelle Pfeiffer. I think I've decided after several viewings from the time it came out on video in 2003 until now that Pfeiffer's performance is stronger. I can see so much of my own mother in her haunting portrayal of a perfect mother who could turn evil in a second and did by killing her lover. The movie itself focuses on Lohman as she transitions from foster home to foster home after Pfeiffer is sentenced to 35 years to life in prison. The screen just eats Michelle Pfeiffer -- her long blonde hair is perfect in every scene, including the time she's in prison. The book describes her as beautiful and the role was cast well. Pfeiffer is stunning. The supporting cast is equally strong, most especially Robin Wright Penn and Renee Zellweger. Wright Penn is outstanding as a Bible-beating trailer-ish (they don't actually live in a trailer) foster mother. Astrid (Lohman) enjoys this place at first, but she and Wright Penn's boyfriend Ray (Cole Hauser; in a performance that made him a star) fall for one another.All around well worth the time and energy in seeing it, White Oleander is and remains one of my favorite films.7/10; 3 of 4 stars.

Angelina Perez-Derossi I was so extremely disappointed by this movie. I read Janet Fitch's book last year before I even saw the movie, and so much of the book was left out of the movie it was unreal. Then to make the matter worse most of the parts they included in the movie were not accurate with the book. Such as when Astrid went to live with Star. They left out so much of this, and Star's daughter looked the complete opposite of the way she was described in the book. Much of Astrid's relationship with Ray was left, and Ray didn't even look the part. The acting was weak even for a movie constantly portrayed on lifetime, all of the acting was unrealistic and looked amazingly scripted. I'm not even sure they indclued the part of the book when Astrid went to live with the religious woman and all of the other girls that starved, or when Astrid went to live with the couple in the trailer when she got all of her scars. I love Janet Fitch's book, but when I tryed to watch the movie I fell asleep both times.