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White Oleander (2002)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
11 October 2002 (USA) moreTagline:
Where does a mother end and a daughter begin?Plot:
A teenager journeys through a series of foster homes after her mother goes to prison for committing a crime of passion. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
3 wins & 4 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(25 articles)
10 Most Underrated Young Actors (From The Movie Fanatic. 12 October 2009, 7:54 PM, PDT)
10 Most Underrated Young Actors
(From The Movie Fanatic. 12 October 2009, 7:54 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Alison Lohman stands out in subtle coming-of-age drama more (160 total)US TV Schedule:
| Thur. Nov. 12 | 11:30 AM | MAX |
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Amy Aquino | ... | Miss Martinez | |
| John Billingsley | ... | Paramedic | |
| Elisa Bocanegra | ... | Girl in Fight | |
| Darlene Bohorquez | ... | Prisoner | |
| Solomon Burke Jr. | ... | Guard | |
| Scott Allan Campbell | ... | Bill Greenway | |
| Sam Catlin | ... | Teacher | |
| Debra Christofferson | ... | Marlena | |
| Billy Connolly | ... | Barry Kolker | |
| Marc Donato | ... | Davey Thomas | |
| Svetlana Efremova | ... | Rena Gruschenka | |
| Patrick Fugit | ... | Paul Trout | |
| Vernon Haas | ... | Guard | |
| Sean Happy | ... | Dirt Bike Boyfriend | |
| Cole Hauser | ... | Ray |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements concerning dysfunctional relationships, drug content, language, sexuality and violence.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
109 minLanguage:
EnglishColour:
Colour (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreCertification:
Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:16 | Canada:PG | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:12A (original rating) | UK:12 (video rating) (2004) | USA:PG-13Filming Locations:
Airport Courthouse - 11701 S. La Cienega Blvd., Ladera Heights, Los Angeles, California, USA moreFun Stuff
Trivia:
Alison Lohman wore a wig/was bald throughout the whole film, because she had just previously filmed a role as a cancer patient. moreGoofs:
Continuity: Astrid is blonde throughout most of the movie (until she turns Goth and dyes her hair while fostered to the Russian woman), but in some of the scenes at McKinney Hall after Claire's suicide, before and after visiting her mother in prison, her eyebrows are dark and dark roots are showing in her hair. moreSoundtrack:
Why'd They Make Me Bang moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (160 total)
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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