Movies-TV

Truely amazing, a wonderful storytelling...

Alison Lohman deliveres an awe-inspiring performance in this amazing adaptation of the book White Oleander. While I've never read the book, the movie is absolutely stunning and thought-provoking, with believeable characters, situations, and relationships, especially the relationship between Ingrid, a scathing artist, and her daughter Astrid (Lohman). I highly reccomend this film to anyone who feels lost and alone, and would like to say that it's popularity falls sadly short of it's worth.

Dark but good

I saw this movie this past weekend on video and I thought it was really good. A mother who dances with danger and a daughter trying to pry herself from her mother's grip. I was glad to see Astrid grow and learn so much. If her mother had not gone to prison, she may not learned some valuable lessons such as love and salvation. Very deep and dark but well worth the time and money.

boo! read the book instead!

This painfully boring and mild screenplay leaves so much to be desired. It's slow. It just doesn't come close to the drama and emotion of the book. Left out are so many of the foster homes- some truly defining moments of Astrid's life. I was so excited to see the movie- but i had to watch it in 2 sittings - it just wasn't riveting in the least. A lot of the acting is forced- it seems to be they hurriedly filmed this just to get it out in a timely manner, ignoring art- except they did make an attempt to make it interesting with the "blair witch"-like cinematography (the shaky camera, etc.). Which shouldn't have been so noticable.

Take the time to read the book.

I like to feel bad over and over and over again!

The creators of this movie just want to make you feel bad. Over and over.After her mother, Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer), murders her ex-lover, she has to go to prison, leaving Astrid (Alison Lohman) to bounce from foster home to foster home. It seems like every tragedy possible befalls Astrid, and whenever she starts to become happy, she's taken away (due to some terrible tragedy) and tragically moved again, in the neverending quest to see how tragic this movie can be.It's barely tolerable, and maybe worth a rental, if it's your girlfriend's night to pick.

Mothers seen as protective vultures

A girl born without a father and raised by a mother who is a real Machiavelli of love, has one day to face her own life through hell when her mother is sent to prison for the murder of her boy friend because he had to let her go on their last meeting because he had a date, which she of course could not accept. The girl knows all the horror there can be in the kind of institution she finds herself sent to or in the foster homes she ends up in. She is nothing but a substitute for something the foster parents do not have, or the dream that her presence is going to solve their own problems, or whatever. But the worst part is of course her mother who is, from behind the wings, pulling the strings that pretend to protect the girl whereas she is only treating her as a possession that has to be defended for future use. She thus more or less creates temptation or even death in those foster homes that could have helped her daughter. When this daughter finally realizes her mother's game it is by far too late and she can only sever the tie, the connection, the link, the bond. And it is then that she builds a compensation and pretends she finally understands that her mother loved her. When it becomes obvious the mother will not be granted an appeal or win the one she may be granted and that she will not be granted parole the daughter has to more or less make it sound as if she were responsible for her mother's crime, her mother's destitution and even her mother's continuing ordeal she deserves quite a lot. Such mothers are puppeteers with their children, daughters, and they turn their daughters into musketeers who are fighting with their own reflection in a mirror, with their own shadows, when it is not with their own mothers' shadows.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines

This movie is a must see!!

This movie was better than I had even heard. Michelle Pfeiffer should have gotten an Oscar. Miss Lohman should have gotten an award too. This was a dark subject, but done so well. It kept me interested and on the edge of my seat the whole time. I also loved the music in it. The supporting actors were excellent also. The ending was especially good. It is the best drama I have seen in a long time!!!

An excellent film

I've not read the book, so the film is my first exposure to this work. It is not a "chick flick", as many have and will, undoubtedly, label this movie. Rather, it is a hard stare at the life of a teenaged girl with a strong, dominant mother, opinionated to the extreme. I have seen numerous films with Michelle Pfeiffer over the past 20 years and this is, in my opinion, her most powerful performance. Frankly, there are moments in the film where we witness her character's unkind machinations, where we can see in her eyes pure malice for all of us "cattle", and she is downright scary.
The character of Astrid is ably portrayed, and the supporting cast, including Robin Wright-Penn & Renee Zelwegger, is solid. It is Pfeiffer, however, that propels this film as her character is ultimately responsible for convincing the audience that this story - and the events therein - is a result of her forcefulness, as her daughter begins, and eventually does, realize that there is a gaping difference between her mother's belief system and her own reality. Recommended, certainly.

white Oleander

excellent movie. Sat thur it twice..A wonderful story of a Mother and daughter strain relationship. Zellweger.plays a excellent role struggling to get her independence from her Mother. Great acting.

A story upon story, layered with beauty in every form!

I chose to read the book first, which I feel is crucial. There is so much going on beneath the surface that the movie did not fully begin to scratch. This does not mean the movie wasn't spectacular, because it was. Michelle and Alison's performances were out of this world!! No matter where you are in life this movie will touch you and reach a part of your soul that needed to be touched. Do yourself a favor and read the book then go see the movie. Or even see the movie and then read the book, either way you'll take something from both. Enjoy!

I never read the book...

I'm not much of a drama oriented movie goer, but this movie was pretty good. Michelle Pfeiffer is beautiful as always and was great acting as the villian, when in reality she seems very sweet. The movie was not what I expected. I expected less of the movie and didn't want to see it but I did. It's a movie that I'd more than likely only see once. I just have to say again, I'm not a drama person, so this movie was not the most appealing movie for me.

Tries to arise realism, but doesn't back it up with depth.

White Oleander tells of a daughter (Alison Lohman) of a mother (Michelle Pfieffer) who is put away for murder, so she is brought around to different foster homes where she gets life altering experience and such. The camera stylings work in the kind of hand-held format by Elliot Davis, and the acting is believable, that is to the certain extent the script offers, which as things almost too strategical for Lohman's character.
There are also other aspects that go unchecked, such as Billy Connelly, who plays the slain of Pfieffer's character, who is in it but for 10 seconds in total (including flashbacks) and we never hear him talk, which can't really send over the reasonings for Pfieffer's actions (outside of the possibly skewed flashbacks). And each foster home seems to be the least likely choice for someone with a tragedy such as what happens in the start and unquestioningly proceeds. More of a directed lifetime movie with good camera skills and performances. C+

a daughter defines her own identity

it is not primarily a coming-of-age story. although elements are there. it is a good story about a mother that kills her boyfriend, thus forcing her daughter to spend from 15-18 in a foster care system, while learning to cope with the slowly dawning realization that she is very much like her mother yet not wanting to end up like her.

We give our children our genes, we care for them when they are young and unable to care for themselves. We are their first and probably strongest role models. All things considered in is amazing that any of us reach adulthood intact or worse yet how any of us manage to raise reasonably decent kids. So much can go wrong. And in this movie most of it does for the young girl who looses her mother to the penal system and becomes a victim of the foster care system herself.

Pretty, talented, sensitive, questioning, aware. And now alone. She bounces from misery to crisis for 3 years while fighting her mother in order to define herself and learn who she is. Its a good story, well written, sensitively filmed and a real treat. If you watch the DVD watch the director's conversation after the movie so it will answer a few questions left on the cutting room floor that would have helped a bit with the continuity. Otherwise it is an excellent movie and worth the time to watch and reflect.

Appears chick flick at a glance... definitely not so

The cover and the tagline 'where does mother end and daughter begin' just cries Lifetime tearjerker watered down in sentiment. What I actually saw in White Oleander was an engaging, emotional (sentiment kept surprisingly low) film with an incredible cast. The opening credits (with the rundown NY apartment) are stark but Astrid's voice-over introduction is beautiful and haunting as her suitcase art is shown. Alison Lohman is vibrant, innocent, edgy, cynical and brutally honest as Astrid. Her performance was Oscar-worthy and it's a shame she wasn't even nominated. Her portrayal of Astrid's evolution was not only convincing, it showed her as an extremely versatile and talented new actress. Michelle Pheiffer is chilling as Ingrid, a character that I was unsure whether to symphathize with or hate. Her brutal manipulation of her daughter mixes with an obvious sense of love that is seemingly overcome by her bitter self-centered-ness and jealousy over Astrid's changing character. The essence of the character radiates from her face. Robin Wright Penn is both cruel and amusing as hypocritcal Starr, a trashy, lusty born-again Christian whose initial niceness dissolves into jealousy and rage. Her young foster son Davey (Marc Donato) is actually quite impressive as a nerdy, insecure young boy who bonds with Astrid, and Cole Hauser, right down to his rough, handsome look, embodies Starr's mostly good-natured but philandering boyfriend, Ray. This was the first movie I saw Renee Zellweger in, and this performance, being likely overshadowed by 'Chicago,' is stunning. Everything- her cherub-like face, the passive, and empathetic, softness of her voice, reflects the fragility and compassion of Claire. One of the parts I was actually drawn to most was that of Rena (Svetlana Efremova), the bohemian type Russian woman who was Astrid's final foster mother. She cares mostly about making money, which was obvious from her earlier scenes, but with her Astrid learns about the reality of facing life. Rena rejects all sentiment and patronization but her influence seems to effect Astrid the most. I particularly liked the scene where she and Astrid have a rather honest discussion at the house. By now Astrid has grown up, become hardened, cynical but retains her curiosity and fierce determination and artistry. Patrick Fugit is appropriate as Paul, an ambitious, lonely artist that provides one meaningful thing to Astrid in hellish McKinney Hall, and gives her hope at the end. In all, White Oleander is provoking, ethereal at times, emotional and is pulled together by a brilliant cast and an amazing musical score and unique camera angles. One of my favorite movies.

Alison Lohman stands out in subtle coming-of-age drama

Based on the same-titled novel by Janet Fitch, White Oleander tells the story of a teenage girl (Alison Lohman) struggling to survive in foster homes while her free-spirited mother (Michelle Phieffer) is in prison for having murdered her lover with the poisonous flower 'White Oleander'. It is a complex story of the relationship between a powerless girl and a loveless mother that, in spite of its cheesy sounding premise, manages to avoid all clichéd Hallmark moments and project quite a lot of heart in doing so.White Oleander sees Alison Lohman in a superbly bruised and fragile performance as Astrid Magnussen and we follow her through her struggles, both to bond with her mother and to survive in foster cares. All developments in her life feel natural and genuine, for example seeking the affirmation of an older man (Cole Hauser) in one of her foster homes, and putting herself into a strangely Lolita-like situation -- and this part is viciously well-handled and more effective than any other teen girl/older man jail bait situation I have ever seen.The film stars a wide variety of blondes, Michelle Phieffer, Alison Lohman, Robin Wright Penn and Renée Zellweger in different parts and they all feel appropriate. Phieiffer is proud, cold and heartless and this is juxtapositioned with Lohman's mildness and loving ways. White Oleander is a film that is indeed very sad, but does not purposely pull at the human race's collective heartstrings in every emotional scene and set-up. This way, in spite of its content, it never becomes sappy. It's not a film I would watch again however, and I would never recommend it to male viewers because it is very chick-oriented.7/10

Loved the Book? DON'T See This Movie!!

I give it two stars because it's a decent film. BUT, I absolutely love the book and this movie deviated from it. I don't feel it did it justice...pretty disappointing, really.

such a serious subject matter but it feels like flipping through a glossy magazine with gorgeous skinny blondes

This movie is very easy to watch and rewatch on cable. Even in dire straits such as JAIL or foster homes, the female actresses all look beautiful especially Robin Wright Penn in the dressing room. I felt a little guilty and weirded out that this movie was such eye candy and seemed to be so glamourous when the mother and daughter were in such perilous situations. I understand that the story is about what happens to women who are both above average intelligent and beautiful.


The music cues at all the appropriate moments just like an Aerosmith song in no-acting boring action blockbusters and that really bothered me. I thought it was manipulative. I think the music was reused in a popular Korean drama to even greater effect.

All inside

I always hated the term chick flicks, just like I hated the macho label given to action movies, there are simply good and bad movies, either gender is capable of loving good movies no matter what the genre. My point in relation to this movie, is that guys are perfectly capable of liking this movie whether or not it contains only women. I mean men are fascinated with women are we not. This movie is not an amazing movie, far too melodramatic and precious for that. But it is delightful in parts, Alison Lohman delivers a pretty staggering performance, showing the change of her character but also the steadiness that she exudes. Its a pleasure watching her navigate the movie. Thomas Newman, as always delivers a beautiful score, adding tremendous weight to all scenes where his work is present. This movie was different from what I expected in its visual style, its handheld but well-composed shots brought an almost theatrical style to the movie. But the sweeping events, like shootings and suicides add an unneeded overdramatic element to the beautiful underplayed character scenes, which undermine the dramatic tension of the plot. It bothered me, but overall, I wasn't awed by this movie, I just remember it, but that might even be better.

Depressing and long

This film was well performed, however, the subject is depressing and that fact alone seemed to have prolonged the agony of watching it. Storyline is bleak. The youthful performances are very believable and the dramatic interchange of the players makes up for the grim story. I gave it a 5 only because I felt so very down after seeing it. This does not mean that all dramas should be judged by the content.

"Workers of the world, arise! You have nothing to lose but Visa, Happy Meal, and Kotex with wings!" - Rena

Took the train to see this one during college - had to get away from campus and didn't mind going to the theater by myself. I have to give credit to Oprah's Book Club and my sister for introducing me to the novel by Janet Fitch. This is one of my favorite movies and a pretty good adaptation.

Michelle Pfeiffer was exceptionally cold, intelligent, selfish, and beautiful - much like the Ingrid I'd pictured in the book. And Allison Lohman was phenomenal. Great supporting cast.

I usually can't stand Renee Zellweger, but her last scenes were so powerful. An insecure, needy woman, too easily broken down by her husband. He didn't know how to love her, as Astrid said. He was not an authentic husband, someone you should be able to trust. Too often absent and removed from his wife's problems (which he trivialized). Claire had no faith in herself and could not see herself apart from her husband. And well, it didn't help that Ingrid pushed her a little over the edge. I hate it that Ingrid helped to destroy Astrid's happiest foster home.

It made sense when Ingrid said that love humiliates but hatred cradles you. Love can make you very weak and stupid, as in Claire's case, while hatred made Ingrid a stronger woman. She knew what she wanted, her art grew from this strength, and she was her own person. Claire was too damaged to survive as an entity separate from her husband. Some of Astrid's narration from the novel further illustrates:


"I was tired of men. Men who made you love them and then changed their minds...I could still see a woman in a red bathrobe crawling in the street" and "He didn't know how to love her. He had the world; all she had was him."

It is a sad, sad movie, but definitely worth seeing, especially if you enjoyed the book.

a Lifetime TV movie

This movie was OK, but it seemed better suited for the Lifetime network.
The plot seemed like a sob story for an Oprah show. We follow Astrid, whose mom is sent to prison for murder, as she is sent to 3 different foster families. Her first foster mom gets jealous of her when she is around her boyfriend and goes crazy. The second mom turns out to be a basket case that is very depressed. And the third mom is just kind of out there. Throughout the movie, Astrid keeps in contact with her mom and thinks her mom doesn't want her to be happy, which seemed pretty much true.
This movie should have been a little shorter, and the music could have been better. Also, there is the mystery of Astrid's eyebrow color. In some scenes when she's blond, her eyebrows are dark and in others light. When she dyes her hair, her eyebrows are dark. So obviously they must have reshot some scenes with the blond hair after she had already dyed her hair black. It was just very noticeable.FINAL VERDICT: It just didn't seem like a big screen film. It's not bad, just not anything great. I recommend it for those who like sappy TV movies.