Online Film Critics Society
Home     About OFCS     Member Profiles     Schedule     Forum     Awards
    O.F.C.S. Members: Sign In    

O.F.C.S. Members

Movie Overview
Cast
• Michelle Pfeiffer
• Alison Lohman
• Robin Wright Penn
Director
• Peter Kosminsky
MPAA Rating
PG-13 - mature thematic elements concerning dysfunctional relationships, drug content, language, sexuality, and violence
White Oleander (2002)

REVIEWS
NEWS
INTERVIEWS OTHER
OFCS Rating: 74% Fresh
Page  
 

"I'm shocked at the depth of cruelty Pfeiffer projects here as a manipulative mother. She actually frightened me!"  ReelTalk Movie Reviews  Betty Jo Tucker

3/4
"Exemplary performances across the board...Poignant without turning into a sapfest, and subtle when it could have more easily been overwrought."  TheMovieBoy.com  Dustin Putman

2/4
"An Oprah Book of the Month gets the Lifetime Movie of the Week treatment in Peter Kosminsky's consistently hysterical White Oleander."  Slant Magazine  Ed Gonzalez

B-
"It's worth mentioning that any movie that ends with the phrase "I know my mother loves me" already has two strikes against it in my book."  Film Blather  Eugene Novikov

2.5/4
"This soapy gem can be overlooked by the star-studded element that enhances the feminine message of misplaced empowerment. White Oleander is a cinematic flower that could use some more blooming but the scent is still pleasing enough to acknowledge"  TheWorldJournal.com  Frank Ochieng

C
"A Dickensian story recast for the age of Oprah...well-meaning but episodic and ultimately pat."  One Guy's Opinion  Frank Swietek

"A compelling coming-of-age drama about the arduous journey of a sensitive young girl through a series of foster homes and a fierce struggle to pull free from her dangerous and domineering mother's hold over her."  Spirituality and Practice  Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

2.5/4
"For what it is, Kosminsky's picture is polished and effective. If only the movie had taken more risks or possessed a keener edge..."  ReelViews  James Berardinelli

3/5
"Michelle Pfeiffer book adaptation is a better, Oscar-level showcase for newcomer Alison Lohman."  Netflix  James Rocchi

2.5/4
"The melodramatic machinations of Peter Kosminsky's well-intentioned chick flick White Oleander don't exactly come as surprise or a disappointment, but it ultimately fails to live up to promise of its all-star cast."  MovieMartyr.com  Jeremy Heilman

7/10
"Thanks to convincing and strong performances, decent writing and only the occasional smattering of melodrama or other contrived emotions, the film mostly succeeds at telling such a tale."  Screen It!  Jim Judy

7/10
"Like the eponymous flower, Pfeiffer's Ingrid is beautiful and deadly, generating enough poison to be remembered at Oscar time."  Planet Sick-Boy  Jon Popick

4/5
"While Alison Lohman is the star, Pfeiffer (as does Ingrid) saps Astrid off the screen with her icy smolder."  Cinerina  Karina Montgomery

B-
"Lohman adapts to the changes required of her, but the actress and director Peter Kosminsky never get the audience to break through the wall her character erects"  Reeling Reviews  Laura Clifford

"Feng-shuied into fabricated exactness at the expense of an organic authenticity."  Flick Filosopher  MaryAnn Johanson

B+
"An emotionally powerful story with some electrifying performances."  Laramie Movie Scope  Robert Roten

C+
"“White Oleander,” the movie, is akin to a Reader’s Digest condensed version of the source material."  Reeling Reviews  Robin Clifford

B+
"The leaping story line, shaped by director Peter Kosminsky into sharp slivers and cutting impressions, shows all the signs of rich detail condensed into a few evocative images and striking character traits."  Seattle Post-Intelligencer  Sean Axmaker

B
"Praising the performances in Oleander comes easy. Answering questions about character motivations isn’t so simple."  Eclipse Magazine  Sean O'Connell

"At its best it offers pleasures similar to those of 1940s women's melodramas."  Salon.com  Stephanie Zacharek

2/4
"A broad, melodramatic estrogen opera that's pretty toxic in its own right."  Film Freak Central  Walter Chaw

"Click here to see review"  Wolf Entertainment Guide  William Wolf

8/10
Read review  Modamag.com  Brian Orndorf

C
Read review  EricDSnider.com  Eric D. Snider

3.5/4
Read review  Movie Habit  Marty Mapes

4/5
Read review  Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies  Nell Minow

C+
Read review  Matinee Magazine  Nick Schager

Read review  Nitrate Online  Cynthia Fuchs

Read review  Shadows on the Wall  Rich Cline
OFCS Rating: 74% Fresh
Page  
 


Reviews database provided by Rotten Tomatoes and the Movie Review Query Engine

powered by ROTTEN TOMATOES
All articles and reviews on this website © the respective authors.
All other content © The Online Film Critics Society (0.68)