Botany is about as foreign to me as forensic medicine so I had no idea that the oleander is a poisonous flower that could kill anyone who ingests its venomous nectar. The title of Janet Fitch’s best selling novel, "White Oleander," not only refers the fragrant flower that Ingrid Magnussen uses to kill her unfaithful lover, but also to the woman herself with her flowing blond hair, limber body, and alluring looks. Beneath her skin deep beauty beats a heart of darkness. She sees life as a struggle without compromise.

Ingrid is an artist who lives outside the parameters of social and moral convention. Her life’s work is to mold and shape her daughter Astrid’s character - to think and feel as she does - regardless of the consequences. You are either with her, drowning in her passions, or swimming against the tide. And Astrid is swimming for her life. The only thing that makes this mother and daughter dynamic work within the melodramatic plot that drives "White Oleander" is the thoroughly convincing performance of relatively unknown Alsion Lohman.

Once Ingrid is put behind bars for her crime of passion, Astrid is cast adrift in the foster care system enduring one hardship after another. Her only saving grace is an innate talent for drawing that allows her to express her feelings about the world through her art. A recurring image of peace and harmony is the key to a dormant past that will release her from her mother’s emotional grip.

Ingrid’s presence is felt throughout Astrid’s journey from one foster home to the next. It informs everything she does, every decision she makes, and helps her endure the whims of her guardians. She longs to find a place she can call home and tries to adapt. But jealousy and insecurity plague even the most inviting homes. Starr, played with verve by an unglamorous Robin Wright Penn, is an aging Born Again Christian who has trouble practicing what she preaches. Rene Zellweger is a very insecure Claire Richards, a failed starlet looking to fill a void in her life created by failure and an unsympathetic husband. And the Goth looking Rena ((Svetlana Efremova) teaches her foster kids a thing or two about capitalism and survival skills. Skills Astrid will come to rely on when she strikes out on her own. Patrick Fugit from "Almost Famous" plays the soul mate Astrid meets in the youth home in between foster moms and visits to Ingrid.

"White Oleander" is not a great movie by any stretch of the imagination, but Alison Lohman is in practically every scene. She transforms Astrid from a naïve waif into a free thinking woman right before our eyes. This feat alone is enough to forgive some of the movies weaker moments.

"White Oleander" is directed by Peter Kominsky, a veteran of TV production, and adapted by Mary Agnes Donoghue, best known for her work on "Beaches" with Barbara Hershey and Bette Midler.

Copyright 2002

"Deceived" (1991) - Goldie Hawn’s spends the movie trying to solve the disappearance of her husband only to discover he is not the good natured man she thought he was. Art theft, bigamy, and murder are the key ingredients of this derivative mystery thriller that is saved by some sterling performances. John Heard is the mystery man.

"Paradise" ( 1991) - Donoghue also directed this family film with Elijah Wood as a summer visitor to the country home of his mother’s friends who are experiencing marital discord. With Thora Birch, Don Johnson, and Melanie Griffith (when she was Mrs. Johnson).

"The Princess Bride" (1987) - Robin is the title character in this tongue in cheek fairy tale from Oscar winning writer William Goldman with Cary Elwes as the hero.

"State of Grace" (1990) - Robin is the sister of Westie gang member Gary Oldman and the girlfriend of undercover cop Sean Penn. Good film overshadowed by "Goodfellas" that came out the same year.