White Oleander (2002 film)
Encyclopedia
White Oleander is a 2002 American drama film
directed by Peter Kosminsky
. The cast features Alison Lohman
in the central role of Astrid Magnussen, and Michelle Pfeiffer
as her temperamental mother Ingrid, alongside Renée Zellweger
, Robin Wright Penn, Billy Connolly
and Patrick Fugit
in supporting roles.
The screenplay was adapted from the novel of the same name
by Janet Fitch
, which was selected for Oprah's Book Club
in 1999.
), is the 15-year-old daughter of a free-spirited artist, Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer
). Her father having left before she was old enough to remember him, Astrid depends heavily upon the maternal care of her passionate but largely self-centered mother. Ingrid's current relationship, with a vulgar man named Barry (Billy Connolly
), comes to an end when he is discovered to be cheating on her with younger women, and her emotional response leads her to murder him using poison (white oleander
). Ingrid is arrested and sentenced to life in prison, leaving Astrid without parents and in need of foster care
.
Astrid is sent to live with foster mother Starr Thomas (Robin Wright Penn), a former stripper
and born-again Christian who is a recovering alcoholic. Though they initially interact well, Starr begins to suspect that Astrid is having an affair with her live-in boyfriend. Eventually, after a loud argument with her boyfriend, Starr enters Astrid's room in a blind and jealous rage and shoots her. After spending some time in a violent group foster home, Astrid is then given into the care of former actress Claire Richards (Renée Zellweger
), a sweet and affectionate woman who initially provides stability for Astrid. Upon accompanying Astrid to see her mother in prison, however, Claire's weaknesses are seized upon by the jealous Ingrid, and she ultimately commits suicide
by overdosing on pills and alcohol, suspecting that her husband Mark (Noah Wyle
) is having an affair and is going to divorce her. Astrid then chooses to live with a Russian
immigrant, Rena (Svetlana Efremova), who treats her foster children as cheap laborers.
As Ingrid's appeal for release approaches, she tries to bribe Astrid to testify that she did not murder Barry. In a newfound position of power, Astrid demands answers from her mother as to their past, leading to the revelation that Ingrid left Astrid with a babysitter called Annie for over a year when she was younger, a move that clearly gave rise to feelings of abandonment in Astrid's childhood. Eventually, having reluctantly agreed to testify, Astrid learns from her mother's lawyer that the appeal has been denied, because Ingrid refused to let Astrid's testimony be heard, a final act of love from a difficult but ultimately loving mother. Newly emancipated, Astrid forges a new adult life in New York
with Paul Trout, (Patrick Fugit
) a young man she met in the group home.
turned down the offer of directing the film, and playing the role of Ingrid Magnussen.
Alison Lohman
wore a wig throughout filming, having just finished playing a cancer patient in deleted scenes from the film Dragonfly (2002).
The film clip shown by Claire (Renée Zellweger
) to Astrid as an excerpt of her earlier acting career is actually taken from one of Zellweger's own early performances, in The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1994).
, and a score of 61 on Metacritic
, indicating generally favorable reviews.
Stephen Holden
in the New York Times called it a "rich, turbulent adaptation," and described the performances as "superbly acted from top to bottom." Comparing it to other films on the same theme - Anywhere but Here, Tumbleweeds
and The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood - Holden found White Oleander to be the only one to show "how children instinctively absorb their parents' attitudes and personalities." Roger Ebert
in the Chicago Sun-Times
wrote: "White Oleander tells a sad story of crime and foster homes, and makes it look like the movie version. The film takes the materials of human tragedy and dresses them in lovely costumes, Southern California locations and star power." Andrew Sarris
named it as a runner-up on his list of the ten best English-language films of 2002.
The performances were widely acclaimed, particularly those of Michelle Pfeiffer
and Alison Lohman
. The New York Times called Pfeiffer's role the "most complex screen performance of her career... at once irresistible and diabolical," while the Los Angeles Times
singled out her "riveting, impeccable performance in what is literally and figuratively a killer role." Variety
described it as a "daring, unsympathetic performance." Lohman's work was variously described as "the year's most auspicious screen acting début," a "tremendously weighty and extended role... [taken on] with great confidence," and an "awesome performance."
won the Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress
and the San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
, and received a nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress.
Renée Zellweger
was nominated for the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
.
Alison Lohman
was nominated for the Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Newcomer
.
Marc Donato
won a Young Artist Award
in the category of Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Peter Kosminsky
Peter Kosminsky
Peter Kosminsky is a British writer, director and producer. He has directed Hollywood movies such as White Oleander and television films like Warriors, The Government Inspector and The Promise.- Biography :...
. The cast features Alison Lohman
Alison Lohman
Alison Marion Lohman is an American actress. She has had lead roles in the films White Oleander, Where the Truth Lies, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Flicka and Drag Me to Hell as well as smaller parts in Matchstick Men, Big Fish, Gamer, and Beowulf...
in the central role of Astrid Magnussen, and Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her film debut in 1980 in The Hollywood Knights, but first garnered mainstream attention with her performance in Brian De Palma's Scarface . Pfeiffer has won numerous awards for her work...
as her temperamental mother Ingrid, alongside Renée Zellweger
Renée Zellweger
Renée Kathleen Zellweger is an American actress and producer. Zellweger first gained widespread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire , and subsequently received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her roles as Bridget Jones in the comedy Bridget Jones's Diary ...
, Robin Wright Penn, Billy Connolly
Billy Connolly
William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...
and Patrick Fugit
Patrick Fugit
Patrick Raymond Fugit is an American actor best known for his debut performance in the lead role of Cameron Crowe's film Almost Famous.-Career:...
in supporting roles.
The screenplay was adapted from the novel of the same name
White Oleander
White Oleander is a 1999 novel by American author Janet Fitch. It is a coming-of-age story about a child who is separated from her mother and placed in a series of foster homes. The book was a selection by Oprah's Book Club in May 1999 and became a 2002 film.-Plot summary:Astrid Magnussen is a...
by Janet Fitch
Janet Fitch
Janet Fitch is most famously known as the author of the Oprah's Book Club novel White Oleander, which became a film in 2002. She is a graduate of Reed College, located in Portland, Oregon....
, which was selected for Oprah's Book Club
Oprah's Book Club
Oprah's Book Club was a book discussion club segment of the American talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, highlighting books chosen by host Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey started the book club in 1996, selecting a new novel for viewers to read and discuss each month. The Club ended its 15-year run, along with...
in 1999.
Plot
The narrator, Astrid Magnussen (Alison LohmanAlison Lohman
Alison Marion Lohman is an American actress. She has had lead roles in the films White Oleander, Where the Truth Lies, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Flicka and Drag Me to Hell as well as smaller parts in Matchstick Men, Big Fish, Gamer, and Beowulf...
), is the 15-year-old daughter of a free-spirited artist, Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her film debut in 1980 in The Hollywood Knights, but first garnered mainstream attention with her performance in Brian De Palma's Scarface . Pfeiffer has won numerous awards for her work...
). Her father having left before she was old enough to remember him, Astrid depends heavily upon the maternal care of her passionate but largely self-centered mother. Ingrid's current relationship, with a vulgar man named Barry (Billy Connolly
Billy Connolly
William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...
), comes to an end when he is discovered to be cheating on her with younger women, and her emotional response leads her to murder him using poison (white oleander
Oleander
Nerium oleander is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the dogbane family Apocynaceae, toxic in all its parts. It is the only species currently classified in the genus Nerium. It is most commonly known as oleander, from its superficial resemblance to the unrelated olive Olea, but has many other...
). Ingrid is arrested and sentenced to life in prison, leaving Astrid without parents and in need of foster care
Foster care
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
.
Astrid is sent to live with foster mother Starr Thomas (Robin Wright Penn), a former stripper
Stripper
A stripper is a professional erotic dancer who performs a contemporary form of striptease at strip club establishments, public exhibitions, and private engagements. Unlike in burlesque, the performer in the modern Americanized form of stripping minimizes the interaction of customer and dancer,...
and born-again Christian who is a recovering alcoholic. Though they initially interact well, Starr begins to suspect that Astrid is having an affair with her live-in boyfriend. Eventually, after a loud argument with her boyfriend, Starr enters Astrid's room in a blind and jealous rage and shoots her. After spending some time in a violent group foster home, Astrid is then given into the care of former actress Claire Richards (Renée Zellweger
Renée Zellweger
Renée Kathleen Zellweger is an American actress and producer. Zellweger first gained widespread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire , and subsequently received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her roles as Bridget Jones in the comedy Bridget Jones's Diary ...
), a sweet and affectionate woman who initially provides stability for Astrid. Upon accompanying Astrid to see her mother in prison, however, Claire's weaknesses are seized upon by the jealous Ingrid, and she ultimately commits suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by overdosing on pills and alcohol, suspecting that her husband Mark (Noah Wyle
Noah Wyle
Noah Strausser Speer Wyle is an American film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as Dr. John Truman Carter III in the Medical drama ER. He has also played Steve Jobs in the 1999 docudrama Pirates of Silicon Valley and Flynn Carsen in The Librarian franchise...
) is having an affair and is going to divorce her. Astrid then chooses to live with a Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
immigrant, Rena (Svetlana Efremova), who treats her foster children as cheap laborers.
As Ingrid's appeal for release approaches, she tries to bribe Astrid to testify that she did not murder Barry. In a newfound position of power, Astrid demands answers from her mother as to their past, leading to the revelation that Ingrid left Astrid with a babysitter called Annie for over a year when she was younger, a move that clearly gave rise to feelings of abandonment in Astrid's childhood. Eventually, having reluctantly agreed to testify, Astrid learns from her mother's lawyer that the appeal has been denied, because Ingrid refused to let Astrid's testimony be heard, a final act of love from a difficult but ultimately loving mother. Newly emancipated, Astrid forges a new adult life in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
with Paul Trout, (Patrick Fugit
Patrick Fugit
Patrick Raymond Fugit is an American actor best known for his debut performance in the lead role of Cameron Crowe's film Almost Famous.-Career:...
) a young man she met in the group home.
Cast
- Alison LohmanAlison LohmanAlison Marion Lohman is an American actress. She has had lead roles in the films White Oleander, Where the Truth Lies, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Flicka and Drag Me to Hell as well as smaller parts in Matchstick Men, Big Fish, Gamer, and Beowulf...
as Astrid Magnussen - Michelle PfeifferMichelle PfeifferMichelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her film debut in 1980 in The Hollywood Knights, but first garnered mainstream attention with her performance in Brian De Palma's Scarface . Pfeiffer has won numerous awards for her work...
as Ingrid Magnussen - Robin Wright as Starr Thomas
- Renée ZellwegerRenée ZellwegerRenée Kathleen Zellweger is an American actress and producer. Zellweger first gained widespread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire , and subsequently received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her roles as Bridget Jones in the comedy Bridget Jones's Diary ...
as Claire Richards - Amy AquinoAmy AquinoAmy Aquino is an American television, film, and stage actress.-Background and education:Aquino is the daughter of Adele and Salvatore Aquino...
as Ms. Martinez - Billy ConnollyBilly ConnollyWilliam "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...
as Barry Kolker - Svetlana Efremova as Rena Gruschenka
- Patrick FugitPatrick FugitPatrick Raymond Fugit is an American actor best known for his debut performance in the lead role of Cameron Crowe's film Almost Famous.-Career:...
as Paul Trout - Taryn ManningTaryn ManningTaryn Manning is an American actress, fashion designer, and singer-songwriter. She is the vocalist for electronic duo Boomkat and co-owner of the clothing brand Born Uniqorn. Manning gained her first major role as an actress in 2001 when she played the role of Maddy in Crazy/Beautiful...
as Nikki - Cole HauserCole HauserCole Kenneth Hauser is an American film and television actor.-Family background:Hauser was born in Santa Barbara, California, son of Cass Warner, who founded the film production company Warner Sisters, and actor Wings Hauser. His paternal grandfather was Academy Award-winning screenwriter Dwight...
as Ray - Liz StauberLiz StauberLiz Stauber is an American actress. She attended North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana.-Selected filmography:Film*All Good Things as Sharon McCarthy*Shut Up and Sing as Michelle...
as Carolee - Noah WyleNoah WyleNoah Strausser Speer Wyle is an American film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as Dr. John Truman Carter III in the Medical drama ER. He has also played Steve Jobs in the 1999 docudrama Pirates of Silicon Valley and Flynn Carsen in The Librarian franchise...
as Mark Richards - Marc DonatoMarc Donato-Life and career:Donato portrayed the character Derek Haig on Degrassi: The Next Generation. Other roles include those in Doc, Locked in Silence, The Blue Butterfly, and other cartoon voices, recently as Ethan in The Future Is Wild...
as Davey Thomas
Production
Barbra StreisandBarbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
turned down the offer of directing the film, and playing the role of Ingrid Magnussen.
Alison Lohman
Alison Lohman
Alison Marion Lohman is an American actress. She has had lead roles in the films White Oleander, Where the Truth Lies, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Flicka and Drag Me to Hell as well as smaller parts in Matchstick Men, Big Fish, Gamer, and Beowulf...
wore a wig throughout filming, having just finished playing a cancer patient in deleted scenes from the film Dragonfly (2002).
The film clip shown by Claire (Renée Zellweger
Renée Zellweger
Renée Kathleen Zellweger is an American actress and producer. Zellweger first gained widespread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire , and subsequently received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her roles as Bridget Jones in the comedy Bridget Jones's Diary ...
) to Astrid as an excerpt of her earlier acting career is actually taken from one of Zellweger's own early performances, in The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1994).
Differences between novel and screenplay
- Astrid is twelve years old at the beginning of the novel; in the film, she is fifteen.
- Ingrid is a poet in the novel, but an artist in the film.
- Ingrid is released from jail after winning her appeal in the novel; in the film she remains imprisoned. In both cases, she chooses to spare her daughter from testifying.
- In between living with Starr and Claire, Astrid experiences two more foster homes in the novel, staying with the Turlocks and Olivia Johnstone, and then with Amelia Ramos; in the film, these characters are eliminated, so Astrid is never attacked by dogs and does not live with scars on her arms and face, nor is she forcefully starved.
- In the novel, Ray is portrayed as being nearly fifty years old; in the film, he appears to likely be in his thirties.
Reception
White Oleander currently holds a rating of 69% on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, and a score of 61 on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, indicating generally favorable reviews.
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden is an American writer, music critic, film critic, and poet.Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963...
in the New York Times called it a "rich, turbulent adaptation," and described the performances as "superbly acted from top to bottom." Comparing it to other films on the same theme - Anywhere but Here, Tumbleweeds
Tumbleweeds (1999 film)
Tumbleweeds is a 1999 American drama film directed by Gavin O'Connor. He co-wrote the screenplay with his then-wife Angela Shelton, who was inspired by her memories of a childhood spent on the road with her serial-marrying mother.-Plot:...
and The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood - Holden found White Oleander to be the only one to show "how children instinctively absorb their parents' attitudes and personalities." Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
in the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
wrote: "White Oleander tells a sad story of crime and foster homes, and makes it look like the movie version. The film takes the materials of human tragedy and dresses them in lovely costumes, Southern California locations and star power." Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris is an American film critic and a leading proponent of the auteur theory of criticism.-Career:Sarris is generally credited with popularizing the auteur theory in the U.S...
named it as a runner-up on his list of the ten best English-language films of 2002.
The performances were widely acclaimed, particularly those of Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her film debut in 1980 in The Hollywood Knights, but first garnered mainstream attention with her performance in Brian De Palma's Scarface . Pfeiffer has won numerous awards for her work...
and Alison Lohman
Alison Lohman
Alison Marion Lohman is an American actress. She has had lead roles in the films White Oleander, Where the Truth Lies, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Flicka and Drag Me to Hell as well as smaller parts in Matchstick Men, Big Fish, Gamer, and Beowulf...
. The New York Times called Pfeiffer's role the "most complex screen performance of her career... at once irresistible and diabolical," while the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
singled out her "riveting, impeccable performance in what is literally and figuratively a killer role." Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
described it as a "daring, unsympathetic performance." Lohman's work was variously described as "the year's most auspicious screen acting début," a "tremendously weighty and extended role... [taken on] with great confidence," and an "awesome performance."
Accolades
Michelle PfeifferMichelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her film debut in 1980 in The Hollywood Knights, but first garnered mainstream attention with her performance in Brian De Palma's Scarface . Pfeiffer has won numerous awards for her work...
won the Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress
The Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award given by the Kansas City Film Critics Circle to honor the best achievements in acting.-1960s:-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:-References:*...
and the San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
The San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award given by the San Diego Film Critics Society to honor the finest female acting achievementes in filmmaking.-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:...
, and received a nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress.
Renée Zellweger
Renée Zellweger
Renée Kathleen Zellweger is an American actress and producer. Zellweger first gained widespread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire , and subsequently received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her roles as Bridget Jones in the comedy Bridget Jones's Diary ...
was nominated for the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
The Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture is one of the Satellite Awards presented annually by the International Press Academy.- 1990s :Best Supporting Actress – Drama*1996: Courtney Love - The People vs...
.
Alison Lohman
Alison Lohman
Alison Marion Lohman is an American actress. She has had lead roles in the films White Oleander, Where the Truth Lies, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Flicka and Drag Me to Hell as well as smaller parts in Matchstick Men, Big Fish, Gamer, and Beowulf...
was nominated for the Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Newcomer
Phoenix Film Critics Society
The Phoenix Film Critics Society is an organization of film reviewers from Phoenix-based publications.In December of each year, the PFCS meets to vote on their Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards for films released in the same calendar year.Categories of awards include:* Best Actor The Phoenix...
.
Marc Donato
Marc Donato
-Life and career:Donato portrayed the character Derek Haig on Degrassi: The Next Generation. Other roles include those in Doc, Locked in Silence, The Blue Butterfly, and other cartoon voices, recently as Ethan in The Future Is Wild...
won a Young Artist Award
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
in the category of Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor.