RavenGlamDVDCollector Alison Lohman has just got to be one of the prettiest girls on film EVER! Okay, so during WHITE OLEANDER she wore a wig, but that's the way she looks anyway. It is a crying shame that she dropped out of the filming scene - she has since returned, but there should have been more from her back in those days.Michelle Pfeiffer is the quintessential actress of her time, she is the very symbol of grace, elegance and female desirability amongst people with a taste for the better things in life. It is therefore quite surprising to see her getting her name shown after the newcomer in the credits. But you're hardly watching before you realize that Alison is some child genius. Okay, then the second surprise, and this one, I think my jaw dropped open when I researched her on Wikipedia... Alison is much older than she appears to be. I mean, she is young, but as Astrid, she looks, well, 14, 16 tops.My regards to the casting department on excellent work with the two main characters. Michelle is superb, Alison is wonderful.The movie itself? Has got to be the worst failure at filming a murder mystery EVER! This has got to be the weakest murder ever committed to film! No wonder there are people in the audience who believe Ingrid is innocent. So, Ingrid seemingly placed some oleanders in a glass of milk, and the police arrested her IMMEDIATELY...? Highly unlikely. .But for fans of Michelle Pfeiffer, a must, and if you want to see a pretty young girl who is, like, charmingly droolworthy, albeit in a very, very innocent way, look no further than Alison Lohman.Ooh, and I am THE South African fanatic when it comes to Robin Wright thanks to her glorious stint as Kelly Capwell in SANTA BARBARA, and you have to go and spoil my memories of her...! Only kidding, great work, Robin!As for Renée, truth and fiction seemed like the same thing. She was cut out for the part. Not meant as a compliment. Check her out in LOVE AND A .45, she shouldn't have gone the Bridget Jones route...After seeing this movie last week, I have since began negotiating to buy more of her titles, starting With WHERE THE TRUTH LIES.

tabattr There is a big difference between the book and the movie, but I think the movie covers most of the important parts in the time frame that they have. The actresses chosen for this movie were perfect, even though the character of Claire is different in the book in terms of looks. I think the writers chose the right parts of the book to tell. I do wish that the movie portrayed the mindset of each character better, especially Astrid. For instance, Uncle Ray is much younger and attractive in the movie than he is in the book. What the movie doesn't show enough is how Astrid is interested in much older men who are actually in their 40's. Nevertheless, this is a must watch movie. It shows a lot about women and their emotions.

collan dsilva I was really amazed at the performance delivered by the actors especially alison lohman, renee zellweger and michelle pfeiffer. This is a movie which delivers the story mentioned in the novel in the best possible way. Nice direction and cinematography as well. I was especially amazed by the 2 scenes which showed the location - Ladera Heights in Los Angeles,CA. The way this location was used, the background music (sound created by sea waves), the scene at that moment .. everything was quite intriguing. I repeated that scene many times and thought before dying I should stay in a home like that for at least a week. Ms Zellweger did quite a nice job of a faithful wife devoted to her husband and really felt bad for wht happened later. Its very difficult to get a wife that devoted to her hubby and if a woman like that exists then she should choose a right partner. Pfeiffer's cold-blooded view on life was a little out of the league. But given her life story nothing else wud have been expected. Robin Wright reminded me of so called "God's people" who just read the scriptures and never follow it in their lives. Lohman did a great job acting in various circumstances was at her best through the movie. Overall I give 10 out of 10 and recommend it for people who believe that life's not fair for everyone and for those who want a Feel GOOD movie!

Jackson Booth-Millard I might have heard the title somewhere, I think what appealed to me more was a good cast list and a good sounding plot. Basically fifteen year old Astrid Magnussen (Big Fish's Alison Lohman) has her life changed when her free-spirited poet and artist mother Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) sent to prison for murdering Barry Kolker (Billy Connolly) with the deadly poison of her favourite flower, the White Oleander. Astrid has to go through foster home after foster home with three different women, all with their good sides, but ultimately all ending badly. First with trailer-park Christian Starr (Forrest Gumps' Robin Wright Penn) who turns out to be an alcoholic and loses it with Astrid. Second with struggling actress Claire Richards (Renée Zellweger) who seemed the perfect, ideal guardian, but after being told by her husband Ray (Pitch Black's Cole Hauser) she overdoses on some pills. Third and last is wily hustler Rena Gruschenka (Svetlana Efremova), not a very long stay, and not as interesting as the other two. While Astrid goes through all these experiences, she keeps in contact with her mother with letters and a couple of prison visits. Going through forbidden love, religion, a near-death experience, drugs and starvation, Astrid learns to think for herself, and in the end, her mother decides not to ask her to give her statement in her court case, and lets her go to live her own life. Also starring Patrick Fugit as Paul Trout and Noah Wyle as Mark Richards. Lohman is a fantastic young leading actress, Pfeiffer as her over-opinionated mother does well, and Zellweger is most appealing as the second guardian, you feel sympathetic for her, especially when she's dead, a very watchable drama. Good!