Phoebe in Wonderland
6.2 /10 1 Votes
60% Rotten Tomatoes Director Daniel Barnz Initial DVD release June 23, 2009 Duration Country United States | 7.2/10 IMDb 56% Metacritic Genre Drama Music director Christophe Beck Writer Daniel Barnz Language English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Release date January 20, 2008 (2008-01-20) (Sundance Film Festival)
March 6, 2009 (2009-03-06) (United States) Cast Felicity Huffman (Hillary Lichten), Elle Fanning (Phoebe Lichten), Patricia Clarkson (Miss Dodger), Bill Pullman (Peter Lichten)Similar movies Hard Candy , Blue Is the Warmest Color , The Voyeur , Through a Glass Darkly , Ridicule , Cracks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Young Phoebe (Elle Fanning) has Tourettes syndrome, and shes not very good at following rules. Her mother (Felicity Huffman) and father (Bill Pullman) struggle to help and understand her, even while Phoebes little sister feels neglected by her parents. Things take a turn when Phoebe lands a role in her schools theatrical version of "Alice in Wonderland." Unconventional drama teacher Miss Dodger (Patricia Clarkson) helps the girl feel more normal, but Phoebe still struggles offstage.
Contents
Phoebe in Wonderland is a 2008 independent film directed by Daniel Barnz.
It was screened in the Dramatic Competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, and received a limited theatrical release on March 6, 2009.
The fantastical tale of a little girl who won't - or can't - follow the rules. Confounded by her clashes with the rule-obsessed world around her, Phoebe seeks enlightenment from her unconventional drama teacher, even as her brilliant but anguished mother looks to Phoebe herself for inspiration.
Plot
A 9-year-old girl, Phoebe (Elle Fanning), has apparent Tourette syndrome. While she deals with being odd and insecure, her mother (Felicity Huffman) and father (Bill Pullman) are dealing with complexities in their relationship with each other and their challenging child. Her younger sister (Bailee Madison) feels neglected as Phoebe gains more attention.
Phoebe seeks a role in her schools play, Alice In Wonderland, directed by her schools off-beat drama teacher, Miss Dodger (Patricia Clarkson). Phoebe flourishes on stage, relaxing and feeling normal, but her impulsive speech and behavior persist off stage. Her parents hire a therapist for her, but after he proposes medication, Phoebes mother fires him. She does not want to accept that there is anything wrong with Phoebe; when the principal questions if Phoebe behaves oddly outside of the classroom, her mother denies it even though she has many times witnessed her daughters self-destructive rituals at home. When Phoebe is taken out of the play due to her classroom behavior, her dreams are shattered. Her mother, desperate to help her daughter feel normal, works with the drama teacher to bring Phoebe back on stage.
Although Phoebe is put back into the play, her challenges continue as she is driven to behavior she doesnt understand. She hurts herself jumping off the catwalk onto the stage, and the drama teacher is fired. Phoebes fellow-actors descend into chaos, but Phoebe alone clings to a sense of purpose. She urges her classmates to continue their rehearsals on their own, and they do. Her mother, who has resisted efforts to label Phoebe, tells Phoebe that she has Tourette syndrome, and Phoebe helps her classmates understand her by explaining the condition to them.
Cast
Production
Awards and nominations
On January 14, 2010, the film was nominated for Outstanding Film – Wide Release – at the 21st GLAAD Media Awards.
References
Phoebe in Wonderland WikipediaPhoebe in Wonderland IMDbPhoebe in Wonderland Rotten TomatoesPhoebe in Wonderland MetacriticPhoebe in Wonderland themoviedb.org