Phoebe in Wonderland

I have to start off by saying that Elle Fanning is Incredible!! OK. Now that the facts have been stated… Throughout the entire film we feel along with Phoebe's suspicions that she is in fact different from other children. Something seems off and a bit odd for a child. OCD is rather obvious but there's something more. We struggle along with her parents in trying to discover what really is going on with our adorable heroine. The camera work was impressive. In one scene in particular, as the parents are fighting, phoebe and her sister are above them far off watching. The camera shows them in between the parents while they are fighting. We know their marital troubles involve the children and their priorities differ. They never seem to see eye to eye when it comes to their children, especially Phoebe. Besides Phoebe's family issues, I appreciated that we witness the discrimination Phoebe and her best friend, Jamie go through on a daily basis at school. Children attacking other children verbally, at times physically, and even out casting them is a real issue and I'm glad they made this movie as realistic as possible. Children go through a lot too and they really let us see that. All of the emotion was well portrayed through the actors. Realistically portrayed, the struggles of a family especially if the family has a child with special needs. The strain on parents and on the sibling was made quite obvious and rang true to reality. Among the incredible acting, plot, script, and camera work, the music was also impressive. It really backed up each and every moment with the desired feeling of the scene. It successfully strengthened the emotion in the scene. Patricia Clarkson and felicity Hoffman are just jaw dropping. They are well-respected actresses for a reason and Phoebe in Wonderland proves that. With an absolutely brilliant cast, Phoebe in Wonderland was nothing short of phenomenal. It is a sweet, inspiring drama. Complete with humor, a bit of mystery, and family dramas; Phoebe in Wonderland accomplished the ever sought after, 'whole package' film. It was a new twist on an old tale. It was risky, but quite successful.

When it's good, it's terrific, including an amazing performance by a very young Elle Fanning as a mentally troubled 8 year old, and good work by Felicity Huffman, and the always wonderful Patricia Clarkson. On the other hand, the very talented Campbell Scott is reduced to playing a one note joke, and the tone of the film is all over the place; odd quirky comedy one moment, a child contemplating suicide the next. But the real problems are when the film's Lifetime network roots show through, and suddenly there's that warm, fuzzy, phony feeling that being a kid with severe emotional problems isn't all that bad, and everything will be just fine. It undermines the film's interesting attempts to really get inside a struggling kid's head. None-the-less, the film gets real points for trying, and about 80% of the time, this is a very good, and very original film.

I collect cinematic experiences based on Alice in Wonderland, which is why I came to this. Most folks find it too much trouble to go to for the unsatisfying resolution. But what interests me is the number of inversions. We have the movie, essentially a coming of age story of a prepubescent girl, focused on her damaged parents and an influential teacher. Folded into that is a play (of "Alice in Wonderland"), a book about "Alice" by the Mom, another book, a children's book by the Dad, a mental illness of obsessive compulsive disorder mashed together with Tourette's, a cinematic magical visualization technique, a parallel magical reality with a visitor from the other side, and finally a set of embodied anxieties in the Mom and the marriage. All this is is mixed in a way that makes sense, and though it is not particularly strong as an experience, the mix of these folds is impressive. It probably could only have been pulled off using something as deep as "Alice." Each of these inner stories becomes in turn the anchor for the others in a sort of round robin, with a very regular period, precisely equal to the periodicity of the Alioce story itself. Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Watched 21 minutes of this 71 minute flick. All I could handle. Really wanted to like it but here's the problems: a) So far the mom has just cried or been on verge of tears in every scene. Really? In front of dinner guests at a "party"? Man that'd be fun! Oh and way to take out your failed writing career on your 8 year old daughter. b) Didn't take Hollywood long to ruin the entire movie by adding sexual deviancy to the mix. Really? An 8 year old boy playing the Queen of hearts. Director is clearly a pedophile. Let's just groom them young. Congrats pervert. Do not let your children watch this movie for any reason, unless of course you want them to be homosexual.

Back in 1998, Kate Beckinsale played the title character in a modern adaptation of Lewis Carroll's "Alice Through the Looking Glass". The adult Beckinsale went into the reverse world behind the looking glass in a confusingly marketed children's film that many potential viewers believed was for mature audiences. Ten years later "Phoebe In Wonderland" provides another visit to the looking glass world. The title character is played by a child (Elle Fanning) and thanks to more confusing marketing, this time potential viewers think that it is a children's movie. I've even seen the DVD of this PG-13 film proudly on display in the children's sections of video rental stores. It's not a children's film although there are sequences in the film that would appeal to many children. It is a strange blend of "Girl, Interrupted" and Jena Malone's 1997 film "Hope"; with the same thematic structure as "The Dust Factory". Writer/Director Daniel Barnz has crafted a puzzling little film that seems to have a lot to say but doesn't do a very clear job of saying it. I suspect that much of the story is autobiographical. The story is told from the point of view of the title character and Barnz does an excellent job of acting for the camera direction with all members of his film's strong cast. Which means that the confusion seems to lie not in the execution but in the construction. Branz apparently intends the story to be more allegorical than real; with general themes about freedom, individualism, conformity, and expectations. The only clear message is the importance of having the courage to live life to the fullest, to not let fear or the need for acceptance keep you from letting go of security and "jumping" (like Alice jumping down the rabbit hole although technically that is a different story). The Tourett's Syndrome stuff is inserted as a literary device. Everyone spends much of their interaction time suppressing the impulse to "spit" out a few assorted truths and unkind comments. These things are better left unsaid and the task of leaving them unsaid is more difficult for those who tend to resist conformity and have the least need for the approval of others. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

I have not yet watched the entire film, and I suspect that I won't. After about twenty minutes I was already bored, irritated, and angry. Angry? Mainly because this film is so much of a sop to "childhood"... especially when it is an upper-middle class variety (as if Hollywood couldn't interest itself in any thing less except once a decade....) The opening is pretty much stolen from To Kill A Mockingbird, exhibiting the "magical" toys of childhood... except that in Mockingbird the toys had more significance to the plot and the music was haunting and set a perfect mood for the story. Here, all it is is filler... it's supposed to be "magical" (yes, that word again... ho hum.) Then we have Elle Fanning... who the camera loves and unfortunately the director does too... which is OK if you aren't being asked to play every cliché in the book. The ideas are telescoped, the "suspense" is unwarranted because we KNOW (SPOILER? Ya gotta be kidding...) that Phoebe will get the part (after all look at the title) and even something like walking in front of the sign-up list, wondering whether or not to do it, is drawn out, like many other sequences, more than it needs to be. And Patricia Clarkson, in the first twenty minutes, seems to playing everything on one note. Miss Zen for the the decade. One child asks "Are you asleep?"... She may not be, but she certainly is putting me in Slumberland. The only surprise to me so far is that it was written by a guy... it seems to be so female-oriented and chick-flick-ish that it really IS a surprise that the director/writer is a guy; hmmm maybe he's gay? That might explain it...and a few other things in the film which I won't give away. (Ha! Just looked him up and I was bang on... not that his being gay is a problem in any way - I am too - but it explains a few things immediately.) I guess what irritates the most is that it is playing too much to the PC crowd...he is almost certainly going to hit on every acceptable liberal theme. Again, this isn't a problem in itself - hell, I'm on the left too - but it is too formulaic. Where's the edge? Imagine if the script had been written by someone with real imagination like John Cameron Mitchell (of Shortbus). Need I go on? No, because the people who will like this film are exactly the ones it was made for. It isn't challenging us. At least not for the first 25 minutes. I guess I'll go back and see if it makes me eat my words, but I doubt that I'll need Kleenex, except to perhaps wipe up after I've up-chucked.

I love this movie. I watched it twice in one night. I am not so much one to comment on these things but this film deserves many nods. I will be very surprised if it doesn't win multiple awards. The acting is phenomenal and adds to the film's story by allowing it to be believable despite the setting of a world of enchantment. This film is not pretentious or self- effacing. It does not look down on the viewer; making one feel 'dumb' or confused, as many of these Sundance film festival type films succeed in doing. Rather, it sets a straightforward storyline that is easy to follow yet complicated in its intricacies. Each of the characters faces a plethora of obstacles; making it easy for the viewer to relate to them. Despite the fact that the exact circumstances which occur in the film may not apply directly to the viewer's life, I think most people can find at least some part of the film to relate to personally and internalize; I know I did. This movie had a profound impact on me emotionally, which is more than I can say for most of today's movies- It is not soppy (I cannot stand soppy) nor is it too raw and gritty. I would recommend this film to anybody who can appreciate an amazing piece of art.

Despite great efforts from the cast (excluding most of the child actors) and having it's heart in the right place, I can't help but feel like this little indie film is pushing buttons that don't necessarily need to be pushed. The inconsistency with certain elements kind of let me down and confused me. There were just so many open doors that were never closed or explored. Whether this is intentional or not it's still nevertheless unsatisfying. This isn't a bad film and it features a good performance by Elle Fanning (which surprised me because I can't stand her sister Dakota). I'd say to give this a chance, but don't buy it without viewing it first.

Spoiler Alert- I am a fifty year old woman with OCD and Tourette's. My daughter called and excitedly told me, "Mom! I'm watching a movie about your childhood!" With a few small exceptions, Daniel Barnz managed to capture the personalities of many people in my life. The situations were almost identical. I even wound up going into acting and directing. There is no spot on earth that I find more magical and peaceful than an empty theater and a blank stage. Although my life did not have a happy Hollywood ending, the vast majority of the movie was spot on. Elle Fanning is proving to be as talented as her sister. This is a wonderful representation of a little girl struggling with behaviors that she doesn't understand, and cannot stop with sheer force of will, and all the people around her are just as confused. I had to stop the video to read the line about "All characters are fictional...". I think Daniel Barnz was peeking in my window when I was nine.

"Phoebe In Wonderland" is about a troubled young girl who needs to follow rituals compulsively to achieve good luck, even if the ritual consists of hurting herself. Acting is amazing in "Phoebe In Wonderland". Elle Fanning is such a star, she is able to portray the troubled state of mind perfectly, ranging from obsession, dullness, fear, stubbornness to happiness. I just wonder, how can a young girl play such a troubled soul when she has not encountered such atrocities. Felicity Huffman is unbelievably good as the weird drama teacher. She may be different from the usual teacher, but she cultivates the pupils to believe in themselves, bring out out the talent and hidden abilities in them. Furthermore, she emanates regal elegance, every move and every word is almost out of this world. Such a heavenly quality is rarely encountered. "Phoebe In Wonderland"is probably not a film to be enjoyed due to the dark and disturbing plot, but to be admired for its artistic merits.