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      White Oleander

      2002, Drama, 1h 50m

      134 Reviews 50,000+ Ratings

      What to know

      Critics Consensus

      Strong performances by the lead actresses make White Oleander a compelling female melodrama. Read critic reviews

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      White Oleander  Photos

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      Movie Info

      "White Oleander" chronicles the life of Astrid (Alison Lohman), a young teenager who journeys through a series of foster homes after her mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) goes to prison for committing a crime of passion. Set adrift in the world, Astrid struggles to become her own person while coming to terms with the challenges of living life on her own.

      • Rating: PG-13 (Language|Drug Content|Mature Thematic Elements|Sexuality|Violence)

      • Genre: Drama

      • Original Language: English

      • Director: Peter Kosminsky

      • Producer: John Wells, Hunt Lowry

      • Writer: Mary Agnes Donoghue, Janet Fitch

      • Release Date (Theaters):  wide

      • Release Date (Streaming):

      • Box Office (Gross USA): $16.3M

      • Runtime:

      • Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures

      • Production Co: Gaylord Films, Oleandor Productions, John Wells Productions

      • Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital

      • Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

      Cast & Crew

      Critic Reviews for White Oleander

      Audience Reviews for White Oleander

      • Jan 08, 2013

        Um yeah. This whole thing is set up to be one of those movies that women sit around the television and watch and have a cry over and talk about what a group of talented women can put together if given the opportunity. Somehow it doesn't quite rise about the levels of movie of the week. What a shame.

        Super Reviewer
      • Sep 13, 2011

        Really good and interesting story with brilliant performances.

        Super Reviewer
      • Aug 23, 2010

        What happens to a teenager when her single mother is sent to jail for killing her boyfriend? She lands up in various foster homes and institutions. In this movie, we follow Astrid (played by Alison Lohman) through a number of different situations which seem to be Hollywood's answer to foster homes. The biggest issue Astrid has is her mother. We don't know if Starr actually cares about her daughter, or if she just want to raise Astrid in her image.

        Super Reviewer
      • Jul 08, 2010

        i enjoyed this movie because of the performances of the actresses whose accomplished talents transcend the larger-than-life melodrama into believability. frankly, i don't appreciate the ending, even it does dramatize the flick toward another paramout of "hard-boiled sentiments." personally i find it morbid to request your mom to go to jail just to prove her love for you. (besides, she IS supposed to go to jail because she DID kill the man.) theoretically speaking, the young woman who makes such eccentric request doesn't want the actuality of her mother but a steady symbol which represents MOM. (which is just a signifier) because she's much better-off when her mom isn't around her. she doesn't want her mom as a real person with faults; she wants her mother to simply be a symbol of mom to grant her a false illusion of functionality. her mom's being in jail also enforces another illusion that all the chaotic events didn't happen since mom was sent to jail where she belongs. in a brief, it's a sick vindictive pretension to punish your mom in the glorified name of love. roger ebert: "Astrid, who once idealized her mother, now blames her for the loss of happiness with Claire. But even the movie's big emotional payoff at the end loses something because, after all, Ingrid did murder Barry, and so what is presented as a sacrifice on behalf of her daughter could also be described as simply doing the right thing." isn't your life your own affair? wouldn't it be a bit infantile to trade your mom's illicit freedom for your reformed wholesome self as if your life is not your own but property of her doings? perhaps, the movie is special case since its characters are all abnormal and dysfuntional people (or women) who refuse to participate in any constitutionalized social norm. (ps) why dressing like a death-metal punk girl symbolizes degredation and pfeiffer's mom has to reverse IT? why dyeing your hair back to blonde is a positive sign? that confuses me. consider it coming from a deranged murderess who kills her beau just because he makes love to her and then says her has to leave because he has a date "Its only influence on Astrid is to change her wardrobe and hair color, in what feels more like a stunt than a character development."(ebert) conclusion: white oleander is just a bunch of childish sentiments falsely capsulated with beguiling complexities as if they were sophisticated emotions.

        Super Reviewer

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