Susan Granger’s review of “White Oleander” (Warner Bros.)
“How do I explain that being with someone so dangerous was the last time I felt safe?” begins teenage Astrid Magnussen (Alison Lohman). Astrid’s mother Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) is a proud feminist poet convicted of murder for poisoning her unfaithful boy-friend (Billy Connolly) with her favorite flower, the delicate but deadly white oleander. Ingrid’s incarceration forces Astrid into Los Angeles’s foster-parent program, where she’s placed in the care of several families: first, a Bible-thumping tramp (Robin Wright-Penn) whose demeanor defines trailer-trash, then an emotionally needy actress (Renee Zellweger) whose marriage is falling apart, and finally a Russian ŽmigrŽ (Svetlana Efremova). But Astrid is a wary survivor, sizing up each situation and learning to cope with it. Sadly, her efforts are constantly undermined by the capricious Ingrid who – even from prison – viciously destroys anyone who dares to care for her daughter – until Astrid can muster the strength to break away from her mother’s icy control and forge a future with a young comic-book artist (Patrick Fugit) whom she meets at the county facility. Janet Fitch’s episodic best-seller has been faithfully scripted by Mary Agnes Donoghue, sensitively directed by Peter Kosminsky, and luminously photographed by Elliot Davis. Alison Lohman is convincing as the sad, intimate observer, and credit Michelle Pfeiffer for tackling such an enigmatic, unsympathetic role, although she does look serenely lovely behind bars. (Who knew correctional facilities offered age-retarding facials?) And Renee Zellweger delivers a quietly searing, Oscar-caliber supporting performance, speaking volumes without using words. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “White Oleander” is a lush and languid 6, chronicling a traumatic coming-of-age story.
