White Oleander

What Do I Think of ...?

The story: This is not a plot driven movie even though there are enough plots to move the story along. The characters are the real focus of the movie. It is episodic and the bulk of the movie chronicles the experiences of Astrid (the protagonist in the movie) as she went from one foster home to another and the evolving relationship of Astrid with her incarcerated mother Ingrid. The movie has a breezy pacing that gives a classy feel for the movie. Because of the structure of the novel and the story. most of the supporting characters do not have scenes with each other. Astrid was the central role that holds all of the supporting characters together.

The performance: This is definitely one of Pfeiffer's best recent performances. She was perfectly cast for the role of Ingrid Magnussen and it's hard to imagine anyone playing this role other than her. From the description (most beautiful woman in the world) to the essence of the character, Ingrid screams Michelle Pfeiffer. It's definitely a challenging role. You play her wrong and Ingrid won't be commanding as the character was meant to be. She needs to be intimidating because of the way she looks, the eloquence in the way she speaks, and that tough spunky disposition that she projects and I think Pfeiffer nailed that characterization. She's terrifying not in a "hey look at me I'm terrifying" kind of way but more like in an effortless and low-key kind of terrifying. She delivers her lines with conviction, her eyes so piercing and focused, Pfeiffer was totally in control of the character. And in the climactic final confrontation of Astrid and Ingrid, Pfeiffer gets to remarkably combine evilness, vulnerability, and pain in those few minutes. It's a complete performance.                  

The character: Ingrid Magnussen is the type of character you don't want to mess up with. You just know she has the upper hand and she can take you down without lifting a finger. She'll kill you with her perceptive and malicious words. Some say Ingrid's "softening" in the ending was a sell out, that's debatable but here's what I think. If Ingrid remained totally in control and guarded, it probably would've become a better movie. Movies like Chinatown, Casablanca, and Thelma and Louise to name a few, great movies they are, would probably not be as highly regarded if not for the "darker" and "unformulaic" ending these movies had. There's something unexplainably "artistic" about tragic endings. On the other hand, the vulnerable "Ingrid" in the final cut of the movie in my opinion provided a much needed humanity and "three-dimensionality" to the character. I don't think it contradicted the essence of "Ingrid", nobody's saying she suddenly became a soccer mom. Personally I think it showed us how she became the strong woman she is and that she probably had an epiphany that she needs to save her daughter into the person that she might've become given the circumstances. My professor in college once said that the most evil of characters has a sense of humanity deep down himself. Nobody is purely evil. And the movie handled that aspect of the movie quite well. There's no soap opera drama of reconciliation whatsoever, the image of Ingrid in the courthouse with her eyes gazing at her daughter says it all in a subtle yet powerful way.

The costars: The movie has a great ensemble of female actors. Renee Zellwegger gave an affectionate performance. Her face has always looked vulnerable as evidenced in her earlier films like Jerry Maguire and One True Thing. Her face always looks like she's on the verge of crying, and that quality of hers was put into good use in the movie. Alison Lohman, being in every frame of the movie, did a great job especially holding her own with the other actresses in the movie. She believably handled the character as she transformed through one character development to another. Robin Wright Penn, even though she probably had the showiest role among the three, left the least impression. Not because she wasn't good, but probably because her part was in the early part of the movie and her character seemed to be the least developed. The women in the movie take the center stage. The other actors (Noah Wyle etc.) didn't really have much to do.

Notes, Observations, Questions Etc.

The lasting image of Pfeiffer in the ending of the movie, in a luminous white suit, as she was being transported back to the prison, probably sealed the deal for her not getting an Oscar nomination. She was beaming like a godddess.

In real life, is it even possible to go from one messed up foster parents to another messed up foster parents? Do those people in charge for these kinds of things even check the background of the prospective foster parents? Or was Astrid just really had an extremely bad luck?

Pfeifer's performance in this movie was almost a sure bet for an Academy Award nomination. Everybody was pretty sure she'll get in. The momentum was cut short when she failed to get a Globe nod. And guess who took her spot? Queen Latifah's forgettable, one-note performance.    

In the poster, the actresses are all noticeably blonde. Was that a conscious decision by the casting director to have all the actors blonde? Were the characters in the novel specifically described to be blonde?

There was so much buzz in Pfeiffer's performance that it was briefly considered to be submitted in the lead category in the awards season even though the character was clearly a supporting role. Do you think her chances would've been better if she was submitted in the lead category? (Probably not)

The billing of this movie was done alphabetically largely to accommodate the fact that the big stars in the movie were supporting characters. Alison Lohman the newcomer, was the lead in the movie. Do you think the alphabetical billing was perfectly fine or how about this format? Lohman will get the top billing due to the fact that she was the lead in the movie, but Pfeiffer will get the "AND" credit to distinguish her name.

Alison Lohman Rene Zellweger Robin Wright Penn

and Michelle Pfeiffer

Go Back to Film Reviews