White Oleander
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: October 11, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
61
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews
Positive:
20
Mixed:
15
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
While the film may drop a few of the novel's more disturbing moments, it still travels some emotionally rocky territory, and each of those actresses -- particularly Alison Lohman, who carries most of the movie on her young shoulders -- turns in a first-rate performance. Read full review
60
Village VoiceMichael Miller
Ultimately sacrifices nuance to tidy epiphanies about personal growth. Read full review
60
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
White Oleander goes through the paces with a little more dignity than usual, which is a mark of either director Peter Kosminsky's refusal to overplay the melodrama, or his inability to wring it for all it's worth. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
This is a film without a center, a film whose young protagonist should have more texture, more of a compelling voice than she does. Through no real fault of the acting, young Astrid does not compel our attention the way she must if White Oleander is to succeed completely on the screen. Read full review
60
TimeRichard Corliss
Lohman's pensive loveliness carries the film. Read full review
60
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Maybe it's only half of what it could be, but at least it's a healthy half. And in this era of mainstream cookie-cutter moviemaking, that's a feat in itself. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
What diminishes the film's impact is Mary Agnes Donoghue's schematic screenplay, which follows Astrid from home to home as unswervingly as a faithful pet. Read full review
50
The New YorkerAnthony Lane
Adapted from the million-selling novel by Janet Fitch. Not adapted enough, I would say. [14 & 21 October 2002, p. 226]
50
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
The overwrought White Oleander may be middling drama, but if it bears any resemblance to truth (which I doubt), it's a brutal indictment of the L.A. County Department of Social Services. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter Travers
The estrogen overload damn near did me in. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy Burr
The people who've made White Oleander appear to have spent a lot of time worrying about the audience. They should have told the story and let us take care of ourselves. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleCarla Meyer
Lacks emotional power. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Wilts under a weak, formulaic story. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleSteve Davis
The metaphoric title about the danger in beautiful things sounds like something from Byron or Keats, but this compressed film adaptation of an Oprah-endorsed bestseller plays like the Dickens. Read full review
40
Washington PostDesson Thomson
The worst mistake is the screenplay, which not only cuts everything into superficial pieces but fails to make authentic moments of anything. In the end, White Oleander isn't an adaptation of a novel. It's a flashy, star-splashed reduction. Read full review
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