Wondering why you've never heard of "White Oleander"
director Peter Kosminsky? Well, that's because this is
his first feature length film. His previous work has
included directing spots on television shows and a couple of
Lifetime Movies of the Week. That whole 'TV movie' feel
is dripping from "White Oleander", based on the
novel by Janet Fitch. The only reason this film was even
made was because it was recommended by Oprah's book club.
Then again, so was "The Deep End of the Ocean", and
so was "Beloved".
Alison Lohman stars as Astrid Magnussen, whose mother, Ingrid
(Michelle Pfieffer) is inprisoned for murdering her male lover
(Billy Connolly). While her mother is behind bars,
Astrid is sent to a couple different foster homes, which serve
as most of the entertainment in the film. The first
foster mother is Starr (Robin Wright Penn), a former alcoholic
and cokehead who was saved by Jesus. The second foster
mother is Claire (Renee Zellweger), a former horror movie star
who is married to a director and lives in the crux of
Hollywood. The third foster mother is Rena (Svetlana
Efremova), a Russian capitalist who runs a booth at a flea
market. Astrid develops the strongest relationship with
Claire, and she is played wonderfully by Renee Zellweger, who
is married to Noah Wyle in the film, by the way.
"White Oleander" is what the critics said "Life
As A House" was. Most critical
authorities panned "Life
As A House"
for being too much like a made for television movie, which it
most certainly was not. "White Oleander" plays
JUST like a TV movie, and you can feel it as you are watching
it. Why would Peter Kosminsky get this job? WHy
would they not throw it into the capable hands of someone like
a Bruce Beresford or a Penny Marshall, or even an Atom Egoyan.
Why Kosminsky? I don't have a solid answer for that
question, though I wish I did.
I
have read the novel "White Oleander", and the film
is basically dead-on with the book, but I never found the book
to be that fantastic. Sure, it is worth a movie being
made, but not this one. The most tragic aspect of
"White Oleander" is that the performances are so
good, just buried behind a lousy screenplay and piss-poor
direction. Michelle Pfieffer is a phenomenal actress and
her performance goes to waste here, as does Alison Lohman's,
who pretty much rules this picture. Billy Connolly's
role, though pivotal, is barely noticeable, and Robin Wright
Penn is given crap to work with. I am extremely upset
with no one but Peter Kosminsky for this run-of-the-mill
melodrama that felt like I was watching "The Deep End of
the Ocean" again, lacking the fabulous Jonathan Jackson
and Treat Williams.
This film is sappy, boring, bogged down, and very forgettable.
I was hoping to be dazzled and catch a Best Picture hopeful,
but I don't see that happening unless the Academy turn to
Liquid-E for inspiration when nominating films.
"White Oleander" should be avoided in theatres, but
caught on video just to see if it matches up to those Lifetime
TV movies. Props to the cast and the performances, but
BOOS and DIES on the director and screenplay.
