Plantiana Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

SnoopyStyle 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.

npl80 Once again we have another movie that uses imagery from the classic Alice in Wonderland tale. Do not be confused and think that this is a retelling of the story because it most definitely is not. It is a movie that tells its own story but it uses the elements of the dreamy Lewis Carroll land and the characters he created to explain the world of a troubled little girl, Phoebe.From the beginning of the movie it is clear that Phoebe has some sort of psychological disorder. Aside from the OCD (which the mother was willing to accept because it was virtually indisputable), she obviously exhibited signs of Tourette's Syndrome (and although it went unstated in the movie, it seems she exhibited signs of schizophrenia as well). Her OCD is exhibited by her compulsion to count her paces and steps in repetition sometimes even to the point of physically hurting herself. Her Tourette's is shown through her inability to control her spitting and inappropriate comments when faced with stressful situations. The schizophrenia (although never stated in the movie) is highlighted by the visions and voices that she hears (characters from the Lewis Carroll tale) throughout the movie. She connects people in her real life to these characters.Of course, to add an obvious connection to Alice in Wonderland to the viewers, Phoebe happens to be cast as Alice in a play at her school. This is the girl's only retreat because she can feel free to to let her "imagination" run wild and express herself through acting. She even has an eccentric teacher who accepts and encourages her. The problem really is that even this teacher doesn't see that Phoebe actually has a condition. Even as happy as Phoebe is in the theater, she still jumps off the catwalk (the rabbit hole) and falls causing the teacher to be fired.The worst part is that the real problem isn't even with Phoebe who is merely attempting to cope with her mental disorders in any way that she possibly can, the problem lies with her mother who obviously has problems of her own and spends most of the movie in denial. She puts her child's health at risk and also alienates her husband and other daughter so that she can actually live in her own "Wonderland". The mother, in fact, is writing a book inspired by Alice in Wonderland. In the mother's world, everything is fine with her daughter, Phoebe, and she martyrs herself by taking the blame for Phoebe's disruptive behavior and the mother repents for her guilt my mentally flogging herself. She does this by telling herself that she has been neglectful and too preoccupied with her book and that Phoebe's behavior is a cry for attention. The mother seems more concerned with her own inadequacies than with actually trying to help her daughter. Not only does she lash out at the teacher who actually helps Phoebe more than she does but she goes so far as to withhold information that Phoebe's psychiatrist informed her of about Phoebe's mental disorder from her own husband. Some may view this as a parent who cares so much that they don't want their child labeled so early without a second opinion. This would be an acceptable assumption if the mother actually attempted to get a second opinion. Her pride would not allow her to admit that her daughter was suffering and needed actual help.Overall, Phoebe in Wonderland is an interesting story in and of itself but be prepared to view a movie in which Phoebe floats along demonstrating obvious signs of OCD, Tourette's Syndrome, and schizophrenia while all authoritative figures take a backseat and watch as a little girl unravels so that they can serve a purpose all their own. In the final scene, Phoebe makes this ridiculous speech to her class about having Tourette's in an attempt to explain her previous inappropriate behavior. The speech, and scene itself, seems forced and too easily wraps up the complexity of the issues that the film portrayed throughout its entirety.

dianak1106 *First I would like to start by saying that this is not a movie for children. I've seen in displayed in the children's section at many video stores. The subject matter is a little too intense for young kids.* Elle Fanning is wonderful as Phoebe Lichten, a disturbed little girl simply trying to find her way in a confusing world. Her harried mother Hillary (perfectly portrayed by Felicity Huffman) tries to find a way to relate to her daughter so that she can help her overcome her inner struggles. She knows Phoebe is special but, has a hard time coming to terms with her daughter's psychological issues and like many mothers, she blames herself. It's a story we've seen before many times, yet it's told in a way that it brings whimsy and hope and even a few laughs.I don't want to spoil the movie so I can only say, go into it with an open mind. You need to be able to see past "Wonderland" in order to truly enjoy what this movie brings to the table.

pogostiks 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.