Phoebe in Wonderland

I walked into the theater during a special screening through Boston's International Film Festival only seeing the trailer and hearing bits and pieces of the plot.

Let me be the first to say on the IMDb that the ensemble acting, plot development, and art direction is simply fantastic! In a word, the film was awesome! While a drama, there were many comedic moments through the talents of Elle Fanning and other characters, and stay tuned to a tear-jerking moment near the end that caused many of us in the theater to sniffle.

I recommend this to everyone once it hits mainstream theaters this fall.

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 saw this movie at the Provincetown International Film Festival, and teared-up multiple times throughout it. Elle is an amazing little actress, who captures the spirit of Phoebe beautifully, and both Felicity Hoffman and Bill Pullman do an excellent job portraying pained and conflicted parents, trying to understand their young daughter. Daniel does an amazing job here, both as the creator of the story, and as the director, allowing the audience to see through both the eyes of the child and the eyes of the parent. He demonstrates a great deal of creative potential, and I can't wait to see what he does next.

Everyone should see this movie.

Phoebe Lichten (Elle Fanning) suffers OCD and other behavior problems. She has trouble coping with other kids. Her mother Hillary (Felicity Huffman) is defensive. She takes Phoebe and younger sister Olivia (Bailee Madison) to the ballet. Phoebe is so enchanted that she signs up for 'Alice in Wonderland' with teacher Miss Dodger (Patricia Clarkson). Her male friend Jamie gets the Queen of Hearts role while she gets Alice. Hillary is writing her dissertation on Alice and Phoebe often daydreams as Alice. As she deteriorates, her parents send her to see psychiatrist Dr. Miles. Olivia is sick of her sister. There is disruption in class as the kids fight.

Elle shows her acting ability. She is able to hold the screen while doing some difficult work as the unstable character. The movie has a few issues. Miss Dodger explaining the meaning of the word faggot is wrong-headed. It's also literally the wrong use in a deliberate way that is false. There is one scene where all the kids start attacking her verbally and the teacher does nothing. It seems unlikely even with the evil teacher trope. The only way I can see that work is if Phoebe imagined most of it. It's possible but awkward story telling. There are other little issues that keep the movie from being its best although Elle Fanning is undeniable.

I remember childhood as a time of striving to fit in, or despair at not fitting in, or being in limbo between the two. Sometimes a book, like Alice in Wonderland, captured my imagination, and, for a while, it didn't matter that I was different.

This movie accompanies us on a journey of discovery; showing us the bad places, the hurtful places, the thoughtless places, and the beautiful, magical, touching places that make up a life's geography. The impeccable Patricia Clarkson gently pulls our grimy, jammed-in- hands out of our pocket hiding places and shows us the beautiful truth at the center of our uniqueness.... that is, if we can identify with delightful, difficult Phoebe.

A wonderful ensemble cast of actors, notably diverse in age, experience and ethnicity, tell the story of this "misfit child" and the way such a personality churns up the water within her family. There is no escape for her loving, conflicted, and anguished mother, so beautifully portrayed by Felicity Huffman in what I believe to be her best performance to date. In large part, she and Phoebe play hide and seek throughout the journey, each fearing to hurt the other, each loving the other too much and understanding too little the myths and mysteries each must negotiate.

Bill Pullman, (does he get tired of the Everyman reference I wonder?), no less concerned about the condition of his daughter(s), or his wife, sensitively struggles to find his way to support and care for his family. It is my hope that his performance will inform fathers everywhere: be involved with your children, know them, insist on your important role and, resist letting mothers be the only experts.

Whew! I'm telling you, this movie got me thinking!

If a writer writes words on a page to move people, to touch their emotions...Danial Barnz did a wonderful job of work with me and the other people in the audience at the L.A. Film Festival. I wasn't the only one gasping at the intricate and amazing sets, laughing at the ironies and juxtapositions, or sniffling (it was a 5 tissue movie for me!) when the charming Elle Fanning bravely faced her obstacles and challenges as she wound her way through her daily rabbit hole in the crucible of grade school.

We all remember that one, but here with a principal-- played by Campbell Scott--almost sinister in his devotion to decorum and conformity. Manipulative and slightly malevolent, he sees only the problems and none of the gifts of the children in his care.

I have had "Phoebe flashbacks" daily since seeing this movie. Maybe the wonderful, fanciful costumes, or the austere demeanor and dress of Miss Dodger, or the pain on a child's face when a grown-up says something innocuous that isn't to a child, or the ballet that brings both joy and anxiety to a sensitive little girl, Dad and Mom struggling separately to achieve unity and discovering that no one can do it alone. To me, these are rich gifts and the reason I so love the movies.

It might be called a little movie, but I don't think so. It is a huge and mythic movie dressed up in a small, soft rabbit costume which you will love.

A personal thank you to everyone concerned with making this touching, big, little movie. Work well done! And, I hope it goes into wide distribution so that I can take my own family and friends on this charming, poignant journey.