White Oleander (2002)

Director:

Peter Kosminsky

Writers (WGA):

Janet Fitch (novel)
Mary Agnes Donoghue (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 October 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Where does a mother end and a daughter begin?

Plot:

A teenager journeys through a series of foster homes after her mother goes to prison for committing a crime of passion.

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Foster Home | California | Flower | Letter

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Amy Aquino	...	Miss Martinez
John Billingsley	...	Paramedic
Elisa Bocanegra	...	Girl in Fight
Darlene Bohorquez	...	Prisoner
Solomon Burke Jr.	...	Guard
Scott Allan Campbell	...	Bill Greenway
Sam Catlin	...	Teacher
Debra Christofferson	...	Marlena
Billy Connolly	...	Barry Kolker
Marc Donato	...	Davey Thomas
Svetlana Efremova	...	Rena Gruschenka
Patrick Fugit	...	Paul Trout
Vernon Haas	...	Guard
Sean Happy	...	Dirt Bike Boyfriend
Cole Hauser	...	Ray
Leila Kenzle	...	Ann Greenway
Cathy Ladman	...	Swap Meet Mother
Drinda Lalumia	...	Patty (as Drinda La Lumia)
Myra Lamar	...	Detective
James Lashly	...	Reverend Daniels
James W. Lee	...	Prison Visitor
Alison Lohman	...	Astrid Magnussen
Daniel Mandehr	...	Dad at Induction Area
DeVonda Manghane	...	Guard at X-Ray Machine
Taryn Manning	...	Niki
Melissa Marsala	...	Julie
Melissa McCarthy	...	Paramedic
Roger McIntyre	...	Police Officer
Dallas McKinney	...	Owen
Brian Mulligan	...	Bailiff
Allison Munn	...	Hannah
Robin Wright Penn	...	Starr
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Ingrid Magnussen
Kali Rocha	...	Susan Valeris
Stephen Root	...	Michael (scenes deleted)
Jennifer Saxon	...	Swap Meet Daughter
Samantha Shelton	...	Yvonne
Mark Soper	...	Patrick
Liz Stauber	...	Carolee
Carl Sundstrom	...	Police Officer
James 'Kimo' Wills	...	Comic Book Store Clerk (as Kimo Wills)
Noah Wyle	...	Mark Richards
Biff Yeager	...	Judge
Renée Zellweger	...	Claire Richards
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mary Elizabeth Barrett	...	Sign Language Interpreter (uncredited)
Allen Lee Haff	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Jill Harris	...	Woman with Barry (uncredited)
Kiosha Lee	...	Juvenile Delinquent (uncredited)
Stephen Milton	...	Apartment Boy (uncredited)
Vickie Rabjohn	...	Lady on Bus (uncredited)
Margarita Reyes	...	Juvenile in Van with Astrid and Paul (uncredited)
Tony Ross	...	Guard (uncredited)
Gary Sievers	...	Member of Bowling Team (uncredited)
Scott L. Treger	...	Prison Guard (uncredited)
Bree Michael Warner	...	Apartment Girl (uncredited)
Elizabeth Woodward	...	Prisoner (uncredited)

Directed by
Peter Kosminsky

Writing credits (WGA)
Janet Fitch		(novel)
Mary Agnes Donoghue		(screenplay)

Produced by
Stacy Cohen	....	executive producer
E.K. Gaylord II	....	executive producer
Kristin Harms	....	executive producer
Hunt Lowry	....	producer
Patrick Markey	....	executive producer
Ilyse A. Reutlinger	....	associate producer (as Ilyse Reutlinger)
Tracy Underwood	....	associate producer
John Wells	....	producer

Original Music by
Thomas Newman

Cinematography by
Elliot Davis		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Chris Ridsdale

Casting by
Ellen Lewis

Production Design by
Donald Graham Burt

Art Direction by
Anthony R. Stabley		(as Anthony Rivero Stabley)

Set Decoration by
Bryony Foster

Costume Design by
Susie DeSanto

Makeup Department
Alan D'Angerio	....	hair stylist: Ms. Pfeiffer (as Alan Dangerio)
Monica Di Venti	....	hair assistant (as Monica Diventi)
Lynda Gurasich	....	hair stylist
Jo-Anne Smith-Ojeil	....	assistant makeup artist (as Joanne Smith)
Ronnie Specter	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Patrick Markey	....	unit production manager
Kimberly Rach	....	production supervisor
Ilyse A. Reutlinger	....	post-production supervisor (as Ilyse Reutlinger)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Velvet Andrews-Smith	....	second second assistant director
Kaaren F. Ochoa	....	first assistant director
Phil Robinson	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Deno Richard Antonini	....	on-set dresser (as Deno Antonini)
Colin Bardon	....	construction foreman
Mychael Bates	....	property master
Thomas Betts	....	set designer
Canada Johanna Gordon	....	art department researcher
Brian Markey	....	construction coordinator
Christopher Neely	....	lead (as Chris Neely)
John 'Johnny O' Ornelas	....	assistant property master
David Corral	....	greensman (uncredited)
Canada Johanna Gordon	....	art department coordinator (uncredited)
Wendy Jerde	....	scenic painter (uncredited)
Jean B. Kliever	....	art department assistant (uncredited)
Gordon McVay	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Dominique Navarro	....	specialty props artist (uncredited)
Steven Samanen	....	graphic artist (uncredited)
Brad Shoemaker	....	carpenter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Christopher S. Aud	....	sound effects editor (as Christopher Aud)
Steve Bowerman	....	production sound mixer
David E. Campbell	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Dave Campbell)
Ginny Cook	....	dialogue editor
Gloria D'Alessandro	....	dialogue editor
David Lee Fein	....	foley artist
Patrick J. Foley	....	dialogue editor
Terry Garcia	....	assistant sound editor
Eric Gotthelf	....	adr mixer
Dan Hiland	....	sound re-recording mixer
David L. Horton Jr.	....	supervising foley editor (as David H. Horton Jr.)
Rick Hromadka	....	sound effects editor
David Jobe	....	foley mixer
Adam Johnston	....	sound effects editor
Dennis Kirkpatrick	....	cable
Trillby Kim Lowe	....	dialogue editor (as Kimberly Lowe Voigt)
Walter Newman	....	supervising sound editor
Troy Porter	....	adr mixer
John F. Reynolds	....	supervising adr editor (as John Reynolds)
Gary D. Rogers	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Gary Rogers)
Katherine Rose	....	foley artist (as Catherine Rose)
Tom Thoms	....	boom operator
Darren Wright	....	sound effects editor

Special Effects by
Jeff Denes	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Thad Beier	....	visual effects supervisor: Hammerhead
Daniel Chuba	....	visual effects executive producer: Hammerhead (as Dan Chuba)
Michelle Eisenreich	....	visual effects producer: Hammerhead
Gilbert Gonzales	....	animator: Hammerhead
Jay Mark Johnson	....	visual effects supervisor
Rebecca Marie	....	animator: Hammerhead
Shaina Holmes	....	digital compositor (uncredited)
Jay Mark Johnson	....	digital matte painter (uncredited)
Matt McFarland	....	scan/record manager (uncredited)
Laurie Powers	....	digital compositor (uncredited)

Stunts
Julie Adair	....	stunts
Monica Staggs	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Art Bartels	....	key grip
George Billinger III	....	camera operator: "a" camera (as George Billinger)
Ted Caloroso	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera (as Ted Calaroso)
Jeff Caples	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Bruce Chimerofsky	....	best boy grip
James F. Cornick	....	rigging gaffer
Cary Fisher	....	camera operator: "b" camera (as Cary A. Fisher)
David Galbraith	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Dayton Nietert	....	chief lighting technician
Bruce Robinson	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Barnaby Shapiro	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Cricket Sloat	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Cleo Terrio	....	dolly grip
Vivian Zink	....	still photographer
Paul Arnold	....	lighting technician (uncredited)
Richard Clark	....	video playback supervisor (uncredited)
Andrae Crawford	....	film loader (uncredited)
Jim Duggan	....	company grip (uncredited)
Lamarr Gray	....	rigging best boy (uncredited)
Julie Helton	....	film loader: second unit (uncredited)
David Scott	....	electrician (uncredited)
Christopher A. Zwirner	....	electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Ellen Lewis	....	casting
Alysson Marcus	....	casting assistant
Chad Darnell	....	extras casting (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lynda Foote	....	costume supervisor
Jennifer Morrison Holyfield	....	costumer: Ms. Pfeiffer (as Jennifer Holyfield)
Jo Kissack	....	costumer
Susan Kistler	....	key costumer
Dennis McCarthy	....	costumer

Editorial Department
P.J. Harling	....	assistant editor (as PJ Harling)
Mo Henry	....	negative cutter
Randy Jon Morgan	....	additional editor
David Orr	....	color timer
Sharidan Sotelo	....	first assistant editor (as Sharidan Williams-Sotelo)
Oliver Griffin	....	second assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Debra Baum	....	music supervisor (as Debra A. Baum)
Bill Bernstein	....	music consultant
Tim Easton	....	musician: "Black Hearted Ways"
Joel Iwataki	....	music scoring mixer
Ann Kline	....	music supervisor
Leslie Mills	....	musician: "The Good Life"
Thomas Pasatieri	....	orchestrator

Transportation Department
William Ballard	....	transportation coordinator (as Bill Ballard)
Larry Shephard	....	transportation captain
Gary 'Little G' Williams	....	driver: Ms. Lohman (uncredited)

Other crew
Eyal Axelrod	....	assistant: Mr. Lowry
Ralph Bertelle	....	production office coordinator
Matthew Billingsly	....	assistant: Ms. Harms
Kayce Brown	....	assistant: Ms. Pfeiffer
Damon E. Burke	....	staff assistant (as Damon Burke)
Joan Eisenberg	....	unit publicist
Jessica Fragale	....	production secretary
Charles W. Francis	....	production accountant (as Charles Francis)
Tyler W. Gaisford	....	assistant: Mr. Markey (as Tyler Gaisford)
Jane Goldsmith	....	script supervisor
Wes Hagan	....	assistant location manager
Kim Henkel	....	film clips: "Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre" courtesy of
Reeva Hunter Mandelbaum	....	researcher
Johnel Hyde	....	staff assistant
Caren Kaplow	....	assistant: Ms. Pfeiffer
Aileen Kiernan	....	assistant: Mr. Lowry
Robert Kuhn	....	film clips: "Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre" courtesy of
Robert Lane	....	first assistant accountant
Jodi Leininger	....	assistant location manager
Heather Marks	....	assistant: Mr. Wells
J.P. McIntosh	....	staff assistant
Molly Newton	....	assistant: Mr. Kosminsky
Shelagh O'Brien	....	assistant: Mr. Wells
Brian M. O'Neill	....	location manager (as Brian O'Neill)
Wesley Rowe	....	assistant: Ms. Cohen
Michelle Schrauwers	....	staff assistant
Steven E. Simon	....	staff assistant
Jim Smith	....	craft service
Sharon Smith	....	assistant location manager
Ray Utarnachitt	....	assistant production office coordinator
Alex Van Fleet	....	staff assistant
Daniel Villarreal	....	staff assistant
Gary 'Little G' Williams	....	staff assistant (as Gary Williams)
Deje Zhoga	....	staff assistant
Kaiser Clark	....	assistant to cast (uncredited)
Elaine Curtis	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Angelica Hayden	....	photo double: Inmate and Michelle Pfeiffer (uncredited)
Afnahn Khan	....	assistant production office coordinator: re-shoots (uncredited)
Mindy Miller	....	stand-in: Ms. Wright-Penn (uncredited)
Lucas Moore	....	studio teacher (uncredited)
Joseph Kelly Padovich	....	mechanic (uncredited)
Joanie Selden	....	payroll accountant (uncredited)
Burton Sharp	....	adr group coordinator (uncredited)
Collin Smith	....	location scout: New York (uncredited)
Bill Vergos	....	assistant to cast (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Gaylord Films
• John Wells Productions
• Oleandor Productions
• Pandora Filmproduktion (presents) (as Pandora) (a Gaylord Films company)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (in association with) (as Warner Bros. Pictures)

Distributors

• Columbia TriStar Nordisk Film Distributors (2003) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Helkon SK (2002-2003) (UK) (theatrical)
• Paradiso Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Egmont Film (2002) (Sweden) (all media)
• GAGA
• GAGA (2002) (Japan) (all media)
• Gaylord Pictures
• Humax Pictures
• Manga Films (Spain)
• Mediafilm
• Medyavizyon (2002) (Turkey) (all media)
• Metropolitan Filmexport
• Nordisk Film (2003) (Finland) (DVD)
• Nu Visión de Argentina (Argentina)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (200?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• RTL Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing)
• Redbus Film Distribution (2003-) (UK) (all media)
• Tobis StudioCanal (Germany)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (USA) (as Warner Bros. Pictures) (an AOL Time Warner company)

Special Effects

• Custom Film Effects (digital effects)
• Hammerhead Productions (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Avon Studio Transport  transportation
• Cartoon Network  clip courtesy: "Dexter's Laboratory"
• Central Casting  extras casting
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies
• Custom Film Effects  titles and opticals
• In Motion Catering  catering (as In Motion)
• Inter Video  24 frame video playback
• Transportation Resources  transportation equipment
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack published by

Also Known As:

Weißer Oleander (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements concerning dysfunctional relationships, drug content, language, sexuality and violence.

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:16 | Canada:PG | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:12A (original rating) | UK:12 (video rating) (2004) | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Airport Courthouse - 11701 S. La Cienega Blvd., Ladera Heights, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Gaylord Films

Trivia:

In the film, Astrid's mom is an artist, while in the book her mom is a writer - showing an artist working would make the movie more interesting then showing a writer write.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Starr shoots Astrid by the window she gets shot in her right shoulder. When then have her on the gurney her left shoulder is injured.

Quotes:

Claire Richards: What was the best day of your life?
Astrid: Today.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

Why'd They Make Me Bang

Alison Lohman stands out in subtle coming-of-age drama

Based on the same-titled novel by Janet Fitch, White Oleander tells the story of a teenage girl (Alison Lohman) struggling to survive in foster homes while her free-spirited mother (Michelle Phieffer) is in prison for having murdered her lover with the poisonous flower 'White Oleander'. It is a complex story of the relationship between a powerless girl and a loveless mother that, in spite of its cheesy sounding premise, manages to avoid all clichéd Hallmark moments and project quite a lot of heart in doing so.

White Oleander sees Alison Lohman in a superbly bruised and fragile performance as Astrid Magnussen and we follow her through her struggles, both to bond with her mother and to survive in foster cares. All developments in her life feel natural and genuine, for example seeking the affirmation of an older man (Cole Hauser) in one of her foster homes, and putting herself into a strangely Lolita-like situation -- and this part is viciously well-handled and more effective than any other teen girl/older man jail bait situation I have ever seen.

The film stars a wide variety of blondes, Michelle Phieffer, Alison Lohman, Robin Wright Penn and Renée Zellweger in different parts and they all feel appropriate. Phieiffer is proud, cold and heartless and this is juxtapositioned with Lohman's mildness and loving ways. White Oleander is a film that is indeed very sad, but does not purposely pull at the human race's collective heartstrings in every emotional scene and set-up. This way, in spite of its content, it never becomes sappy. It's not a film I would watch again however, and I would never recommend it to male viewers because it is very chick-oriented.

7/10