Liz Stauber in White Oleander (2002)

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The story follows a young girl's travels through various types of foster care in the years after her mother is convicted of murder. Over the course of time, the girl comes to understand a lot more about her mother's actions, and about life in general. The story chronicles the ups and down in the girl's life, as well as the parallels in her relationship with the murderous mother.

Michelle Pfeiffer received a best supporting actress nomination at the SAG awards for her portrayal against type as the selfish, scheming, thoroughly detestable mother who proves herself still capable of a noble action when her daughter's welfare is on the line. Robin Wright and Renee Zellweger rounded out the talented cast, as two of the foster moms.

I don't have much to say about this movie. While there is nothing especially good about it other than glossy production values and a talented cast, there is nothing very bad about it either.

Although it is a soap opera and the source novel was once an Oprah Book Club selection, it is about equally appealing to men and women, as reflected in both IMDb scores and CinemaScore exit polls. This film is a C+. Acting and production values are excellent, but it is a soap opera, and its audience is delimited by that fact.

Nudity Report: No real nudity, but there is a very clear, well-lit look at Robin Wright's entire butt in thong underwear.

Critics Vote: Ebert 2.5/4, Berardinelli 2.5/4.

IMDb Summary: IMDb voters score it 6.8/10, Yahoo voters 3.1/5.

Box Office: It drew little attention at the box office, grossing 16 million dollars domestically. Production costs totaled about the same amount, as did marketing costs. Exit interviews: It scored pretty much straight C+/B- at CinemaScore, despite the fact that it seems like a chick-flick on the surface.

DVD Info: Good transfer, 1.85:1. Widescreen anamorphic.


Written by: Scoopy …courtesy of Scoopy.net