Movie Review for White Oleander

Summary: After her seductive and uncompromising mother, Ingrid, kills her own boyfriend for abandoning her, fifteen-year-old Astrid witnesses her mother's arrest. It's an event that will change the course of both their lives. Suddenly, young Astrid is on her own. Shuttled through a series of foster homes, Astrid struggles to master the techniques she needs if she's to survive the unyielding and often harsh world she is thrust into. Astrid tries desperately to forge her own identity within her ever-changing environment. From behind bars, Ingrid's powerful influence is the only constant in Astrid's life--for good, and for bad. In the three years that mark her passage from child to adult, Astrid must learn the value of independence and courage, rage and forgiveness, love and survival, to earn her freedom from the past.

                         Reviews of White Oleander
By Brian Webster of Apollo Guide (7/0)
            It’s certainly possible to be impressed by the film’s seriousness and by its terrific cast. But t...

By Eleanor Ringel Gillespie of Atlanta Journal-Constitution (5/2)
            A smart, compelling drama.

By Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times (7/0)
            The film takes the materials of human tragedy and dresses them in lovely costumes, Southern Calif...

By Michael Wilmington of Chicago Tribune (7/0)
            It plays like a synopsis, jumping from scene to scene, grief to grief, and it doesn't let us rela...

By David Sterritt of Christian Science Monitor (7/0)
            What diminishes the film's impact is Mary Agnes Donoghue's schematic screenplay, which follows As...

By Margaret A. McGurk of Cincinnati Enquirer (7/0)
            A movie treat -- sharp, tasty and sugar-free.

                         Reviews of White Oleander
By Karina Montgomery of Cinerina (7/0)
            While Alison Lohman is the star, Pfeiffer (as does Ingrid) saps Astrid off the screen with her ic...

By Mark Palermo of Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) (7/0)
            There’s unfortunately too much story for too little film time.

By Harvey S. Karten of Compuserve (7/0)
            Guys: if you're able to take your eyes off Alison Magnussen, you should be entitled to a refund.

By Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly (7/0)
            Impressively unflappable and natural, 23-year-old Lohman ... holds the whole plot together skillf...

By Eugene Novikov of Film Blather (7/0)
            It's worth mentioning that any movie that ends with the phrase "I know my mother loves me" alread...

By Walter Chaw of Film Freak Central (7/0)
            A broad, melodramatic estrogen opera that's pretty toxic in its own right.

                         Reviews of White Oleander
By Shirley Sealy of Film Journal International (7/0)
            While Wright Penn and Zellweger create equally brilliant, gem-like performances, the movie truly ...

By John R. McEwen of Film Quips Online (7/0)
            Although its plot suffers from some plausibility issues, it shows that Kosminsky’s style is certa...

By Jimmy O of Film Snobs (7/0)
            What is wrong with Michelle Pfeiffer these days? She was so mean to Sean Penn and now this?

By Norm Schrager of filmcritic.com (7/0)
            There's so much in White Oleander that really works that it's easy to forgive the Movie of the We...

By Rick Groen of Globe and Mail (7/0)
            Call me a cynic, but there's something awfully deadly about any movie with a life-affirming messa...

By Ross Anthony of Hollywood Report Card (7/0)
            A marvelous performance by Allison Lohman as an identity-seeking foster child.

                         Reviews of White Oleander
By David Poland of Hot Button (7/0)
            White Oleander is a coming-of-age movie like you have rarely seen… sort of Anywhere But Here by w...

By Eric Harrison of Houston Chronicle (5/2)
            They kept much of the plot but jettisoned the stuff that would make this a moving experience for ...

By Gary Brown of Houston Community Newspapers (7/0)
            To those who have not read the book, the film is a much better mother-daughter tale than last sum...

By Steve Rhodes of Internet Reviews (7/0)
            Instead of characters with dialog, it has a bunch of very talented actors delivering speeches to ...

By Bob Bloom of Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN) (7/0)
            But this is Lohman’s film. Her performance moves between heartbreak and rebellion as she continua...

By Robert Roten of Laramie Movie Scope (7/0)
            An emotionally powerful story with some electrifying performances.

                         Reviews of White Oleander
By Jon Niccum of Lawrence Journal-World (7/0)
            The role is a perfect match for [Pfeiffer]. It’s a genuinely complex character who uses her timel...

By Kenneth Turan of Los Angeles Times (7/0)
            Even though White Oleander ... is not always compelling, it's a tribute to the strength of the bo...

By Clint Morris of Moviehole (7/0)
            Like the titular flower of its title, “White Oleander”, will sting your senses and turn you cerul...

By Jeremy Heilman of MovieMartyr.com (7/0)
            The melodramatic machinations of Peter Kosminsky's well-intentioned chick flick White Oleander do...

By Gene Seymour of Newsday (7/0)
            It's Lohman's poise in carrying this unwieldy story that impresses you the most at the movie's en...

By Frank Swietek of One Guy's Opinion (7/0)
            A Dickensian story recast for the age of Oprah...well-meaning but episodic and ultimately pat.

                         Reviews of White Oleander
By Jon Popick of Planet Sick-Boy (7/0)
            Like the eponymous flower, Pfeiffer's Ingrid is beautiful and deadly, generating enough poison to...

By Linda Cook of Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) (7/0)
            A women's movie, not a chick flick.

By Betsy Bozdech of Reel.com (7/0)
            Engrossing and affecting, if ultimately not quite satisfying.

By Laura Clifford of Reeling Reviews (7/0)
            Lohman adapts to the changes required of her, but the actress and director Peter Kosminsky never ...

By Robin Clifford of Reeling Reviews (7/0)
            “White Oleander,” the movie, is akin to a Reader’s Digest condensed version of the source materia...

By Betty Jo Tucker of ReelTalk Movie Reviews (7/0)
            I'm shocked at the depth of cruelty Pfeiffer projects here as a manipulative mother. She actuall...

                         Reviews of White Oleander
By James Berardinelli of ReelViews (7/0)
            For what it is, Kosminsky's picture is polished and effective. If only the movie had taken more r...

By Peter Travers of Rolling Stone (7/0)
            The estrogen overload damn near did me in.

By Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com (7/0)
            At its best it offers pleasures similar to those of 1940s women's melodramas.

By Jim Judy of Screen It! (7/0)
            Thanks to convincing and strong performances, decent writing and only the occasional smattering o...

By Sean Axmaker of Seattle Post-Intelligencer (7/0)
            The leaping story line, shaped by director Peter Kosminsky into sharp slivers and cutting impress...

By Moira MacDonald of Seattle Times (7/0)
            Much of the pleasure to be had in White Oleander is in watching its female stars revel in their s...

                         Reviews of White Oleander
By Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine (7/0)
            An Oprah Book of the Month gets the Lifetime Movie of the Week treatment in Peter Kosminsky's con...

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat of Spirituality and Practice (7/0)
            A compelling coming-of-age drama about the arduous journey of a sensitive young girl through a se...

By Rob Blackwelder of SPLICEDWire (7/0)
            (A) Hollywood sheen bedevils the film from the very beginning...(but) Lohman's moist, deeply emot...

By Shannon J. Harvey of Sunday Times (Australia) (7/0)
            Almost turns human misfortune into a costume parade.

By John Venable of Supercala.com (7/0)
            If it looked interesting to you or you've read the book then it's probably worth seeing in the th...

By Tony Toscano of Talking Pictures (U.S.) (7/0)
            pure cinematic gold

                         Reviews of White Oleander
By Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone of TheMovieChicks.com (7/0)
            The performances of the four main actresses bring their characters to life. A little melodramatic...

By Frank Ochieng of TheWorldJournal.com (7/0)
            This soapy gem can be overlooked by the star-studded element that enhances the feminine message o...

By Audrey Rock-Richardson of Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah) (7/0)
            ...a damning indictment on the influence—or lack thereof—a child receives from her parental figur...

By Ken Fox of TV Guide's Movie Guide (7/0)
            A showcase for some fierce acting by a talented cast that manage to over come the built-in liabil...

By Phil Villarreal of Arizona Daily Star (3/4) No reference
            There isn't a whole lot of ambiguity here. But the lessons are well delivered.

By Christopher Smith of Bangor Daily News (Maine) (3/4) No reference
            The film is a potboiler, for sure, but it's an extremely well-acted potboiler, a movie about the ...

                         Reviews of White Oleander
By Susan Green of Boxoffice Magazine (3/4) No reference
            Eschews easy sentimentality and presents the women as complex individuals.

By Bill Pearis of Citysearch (3/4) No reference
            Kudos go to newcomer Alison Lohman's unforgettable, star-making performance as Astrid.

By Matt Brunson of Creative Loafing (3/4) No reference
            If the screen version of White Oleander was an Olympic event, it's hard to tell which of the movi...

By Terry Lawson of Detroit Free Press (6/1) No reference
            Redeemed by some fine performances, most notably by Lohman.

By Sean O'Connell of Eclipse Magazine (3/4) No reference
            Praising the performances in Oleander comes easy. Answering questions about character motivations...

By MaryAnn Johanson of Flick Filosopher (3/4) No reference
            Feng-shuied into fabricated exactness at the expense of an organic authenticity.

                         Reviews of White Oleander
By Liz Braun of Jam! Movies (3/4) No reference
            White Oleander may leave you rolling your eyes in the dark, but that doesn't mean you won't like ...

By Louis B. Hobson of Jam! Movies (3/4) No reference
            What could have been a daytime soap opera is actually a compelling look at a young woman's tragic...

By Marshall Fine of Journal News (Westchester, NY) (3/4) No reference
            There is soap opera afoot here, but at least it's well-acted.

By James Sanford of Kalamazoo Gazette (6/1) No reference
            Pfeiffer's Ingrid is awe-inspiring in the way she carefully reins in her nastiness... Like the fl...

By Loey Lockerby of Kansas City Star (3/4) No reference
            Lohman not only goes toe-to-toe with Pfeiffer, she carries almost every scene, and does so with a...

By Ella Taylor of L.A. Weekly (3/4) No reference
            With its open, spontaneous elasticity, White Oleander is that rare Hollywood film -- an attempt t...

                         Reviews of White Oleander
By Duane Dudek of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (6/1) No reference
            Kosminsky ... puts enough salt into the wounds of the tortured and self-conscious material to mak...

By Michael Elliott of Movie Parables (3/4) No reference
            Director Peter Kosminsky gives these women a forum to demonstrate their acting 'chops' and they t...

By Stephen Holden of New York Times (6/1) No reference
            Superbly acted from top to bottom.

By Shawn Levy of Oregonian (3/4) No reference
            A sturdy melodrama akin to Carl Franklin's fine One True Thing -- a weepy with real muscle.

By Jay Boyar of Orlando Sentinel (3/4) No reference
            The cast is phenomenal, especially the women.

By Jack Garner of Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (6/1) No reference
            White Oleander portrays a mother-daughter struggle for control and independence, and both actress...

                         Reviews of White Oleander
By Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee (6/1) No reference
            'Synthetic' is the best description of this well-meaning, beautifully produced film that sacrific...

By Sean Means of Salt Lake Tribune (3/4) No reference
            Lohman plays each mood with precision, then brings them all together as Astrid weathers the chang...

By David Elliott of San Diego Union-Tribune (3/4) No reference
            The cast delivers without sham the raw-nerved story.

By Joe Leydon of San Francisco Examiner (3/4) No reference
            Despite a fistful of fine performances and a few standout scenes of affecting intensity, White Ol...

By Todd Anthony of South Florida Sun-Sentinel (3/4) No reference
            How this one escaped the Lifetime network I'll never know.

By Chris Hewitt (St. Paul) of St. Paul Pioneer Press (3/4) No reference
            Most of the darker parts of the book have been brightened up, making the movie feel shallow.

                         Reviews of White Oleander
By John Urbancich of Sun Newspapers of Cleveland (6/1) No reference
            ... newcomer Lohman really is the one shining brightest through all the soap suds sprayed by “Whi...

By Josh Larsen of Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) (3/4) No reference
            Features another Oprah heroine...who earns nobility and respect through contrived suffering.

By Dustin Putman of TheMovieBoy.com (3/4) No reference
            Exemplary performances across the board...Poignant without turning into a sapfest, and subtle whe...

By Jonathan R. Perry of Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas) (3/4) No reference
            One of those films that has us choking back a derisive howl at all its platitudes about 'honesty'...

By Brian Gibson of Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada) (3/4) No reference
            The daughter’s story is often haunting, but Peter Kosminsky's film . . . comes unglued because th...

By Desson Thomson of Washington Post (3/4) No reference
             In the end, White Oleander isn't an adaptation of a novel. It's a flashy, star-splashed reductio...

                         Reviews of White Oleander
By Stephen Hunter of Washington Post (3/4) No reference
            Though it flirts with bathos and pathos and the further Oprahfication of the world as we know it,...

By Rene Rodriguez of Miami Herald (6/1) Not Reachable
            It's the performances that elevate White Oleander into something more substantial, none more so t...

Movie Distributors
Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution

Production Companies
Pandora Films
Oleander Productions
John Wells Productions

Movie Studios
Warner Bros. Pictures
Inc.