Phoebe in Wonderland (2007)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Morgan S

  
  This is NOT a childrens' movies. Don't go to Red-Box see the cover and think "O how sweet! A new Alice in Wonderland with Dakota Fannings' little sister!" That is a falsehood! Bad adevertising. Let me tell you what this movie is actually about. Phoepe… More
  This is NOT a childrens' movies. Don't go to Red-Box see the cover and think "O how sweet! A new Alice in Wonderland with Dakota Fannings' little sister!" That is a falsehood! Bad adevertising. Let me tell you what this movie is actually about. Phoepe (fanning) Has always had trouble following the rules and was always told by her mother that being different is a good thing. As she enters 3rd grade (i think) she finds following the rules harder than usual. Spitting on her classmates and yelling out whatever she thinks. He Mother (Huffman) is attempting to write a book on Lewis Carol and his infamous book, but finds starting the book hard while dealing with two extremely immaginatve young girls and an unsupporting husband. Phoebe finds refuge in her class play Alice in Wonderland where she is cast in the title role. She befriends her director, wonderfully played by Patricia Clarkson. But as her parents push her farther into therapy and trying to understand their daughters unruliness, Phoebe goes further down the rabbit whole and further away from reality. This is definitely a PARENTS movie. I really enjoyed it. The performances are raw and believable. A bit long but it had good closure to the ending.

• Alexis N

  
  This wasn't the movie I wanted it to be. It's about a troubled girl who finds her school's production of Alice In Wonderland, which ends up becoming a strain on her sister and her parents. I don't know what the point of it was, it was just a tough movie with not… More
  This wasn't the movie I wanted it to be. It's about a troubled girl who finds her school's production of Alice In Wonderland, which ends up becoming a strain on her sister and her parents. I don't know what the point of it was, it was just a tough movie with not much cute.

• paul s

  
  Although at times coming off as a film version of a play, this film has a heart and soul, as well as an imagination that, like falling down the rabbit hole, isn't always a good thing. Occasionaly brilliant, it makes some of the more pedestrian scenes seem all the more two… More
  Although at times coming off as a film version of a play, this film has a heart and soul, as well as an imagination that, like falling down the rabbit hole, isn't always a good thing. Occasionaly brilliant, it makes some of the more pedestrian scenes seem all the more two dimensional (the scenes with the stiff Principal were hard to watch). Yet for all that, there are certainly magical moments and a tight story line all centered around Carrol's books. You see, Mom, brilliantly portrayed by Felicity Huffman, is trying to write a book about Alice In Wonderland, while her youngest child, who has always danced to her own drummer, becomes increasingly obsessed by all things Alicelike. Low and behold, the new drama teacher, the always wonderful Patricia Clarkson, enters Phoebe's classroom door and utters "twas brillig and the slithey toves..." before inviting one and all for tea. Phoebe, a somewhat distant child, not much adored by the rest of the students, stuggles with herself and then finally decides to try out for the play. From the rehearsals we can see that she is really much more than what she seems - her outer shell shed like a chrysalis, her butterfly soars... but back in the real world outside the auditorium, her life seems to devolve, as if the stage world is more real than the real one (a nod to Carrol once again). She starts to exhibit some alarming tendencies, making one wonder if she has OCD - but early on most of her compulsions can be explained away as the workings of a ten year old mind. Her mother wants her to be a free spirit, yet worries that somehow she is failing to give her daughters enough attention as she struggles to write her book (there's a wonderful scene about 2/3 through where Huffman is outside raking leaves and then confesses her doubts and concerns to her husband - it's a beautiful scene, but somehow seems out of step with the rest of the film). I'm not going to reveal the rest of the story, letting you jump down the proverbial rabbit hole on your own, but must mention that Elle Fanning is truly amazing in the role of Phoebe; with serious, uneffected acting chops. With all she is going through as her life twists away from her, it is all the more telling when the catapillar asks "who are you?"

• jay n

  
  Whatever the film makers were going for in this film they missed. A dreary downer with an able cast wasted.

• Curtis L

  
  I learned that kids with Tourettes are funny, and that I wish to punch some parents in the face.

• Randy T

  
  A bright little girl with a debilitating condition finds strength and solace in her school's production of "Alice in Wonderland". Director Daniel Barnz does a commendable job with an outstanding cast but, instead of engaging us (his audience), all his efforts seem… More
  A bright little girl with a debilitating condition finds strength and solace in her school's production of "Alice in Wonderland". Director Daniel Barnz does a commendable job with an outstanding cast but, instead of engaging us (his audience), all his efforts seem focused toward enlightening us. The result is a film that's pleasant but preachy.

• Leigh R

  
  Very odd, but so well done that you keep watching to see what was going to happen next. Excellent cast and well put together.

• Daniel H

  
  A wonderful performance from Fanning, an original and poetic take on the story of Alice in Wonderland. Still, the film wavers a bit clumsily between heavy-handed whimsicality and dark adult themes.... and as such, dilutes both extremes from reaching their full potential. Regardless,… More
  A wonderful performance from Fanning, an original and poetic take on the story of Alice in Wonderland. Still, the film wavers a bit clumsily between heavy-handed whimsicality and dark adult themes.... and as such, dilutes both extremes from reaching their full potential. Regardless, the story is well told, and worth watching.

• Greg S

  
  A little girl cursed with an obsessive behavior disorder (which causes her to spit on her classmates, among other things) finds she can soothe her demons by acting in the school production of "Alice in Wonderland." This feelgood/ tearjerker drama has a very predictable… More
  A little girl cursed with an obsessive behavior disorder (which causes her to spit on her classmates, among other things) finds she can soothe her demons by acting in the school production of "Alice in Wonderland." This feelgood/ tearjerker drama has a very predictable narrative arc, but it's an actor's movie with great performances by Felicity Huffman, Bill Pullman, Patricia Clarkson, and especially young Elle Fanning, whose every bit as good as her sister.

• Walter M

  
  In "Phoebe in Wonderland," Hillary(Felicity Huffman) and Peter Lichten(Bill Pullman) are married writers, with two young daughters, Phoebe(Elle Fanning) and Olivia(Bailee Madison). While Peter has just had his latest book accepted by a publisher, Hillary is stuck on hers… More
  In "Phoebe in Wonderland," Hillary(Felicity Huffman) and Peter Lichten(Bill Pullman) are married writers, with two young daughters, Phoebe(Elle Fanning) and Olivia(Bailee Madison). While Peter has just had his latest book accepted by a publisher, Hillary is stuck on hers about Alice in Wonderland which Phoebe is obsessed with but not so much with school.(Like most children, she has a favorite story, or movie, with this one lasting longer than most which speaks to the power of the source.) That's true until Miss Dodger(Patricia Clarkson) pokes her nose around, asking for tryouts for a stage production of Alice in Wonderland which Phoebe's friend Jamie(Ian Colletti) is also auditioning for. Phoebe gets the lead role but her erratic behavior so unnerves her parents that she gets sent to Dr. Miles(Peter Gerety), a child psychologist. "Phoebe in Wonderland" proves that any movie where a child dresses up as Karl Marx for Halloween cannot be all bad.(And how cool is that?) Actually, the movie is a sensitive and unconventional look into the imagination of a young child that takes her down a dangerous path farther and farther away from reality, told from her point of view, not the parents. That does not let the Lichtens off the hook as their children have to be the center of their universe. That goes for both parents, not just the mother, by the way. While the movie does a good job of bringing up the controversy of the medication of children, Phoebe's diagnosis comes out of nowhere and is a little too convenient.

• Mark A

  
  An amazing acting job by the younger Ms Fanning, proving that the gene is not confined to one sister only. Felicity Huffman and Patricia Clarkson also lived up to their reputation (with this viewer anyway) of marvelous work. Ms Huffman as the wife and mother nearly worn out by her… More
  An amazing acting job by the younger Ms Fanning, proving that the gene is not confined to one sister only. Felicity Huffman and Patricia Clarkson also lived up to their reputation (with this viewer anyway) of marvelous work. Ms Huffman as the wife and mother nearly worn out by her daughter's bizarre behavior and Ms Clarkson as the teacher who sees and nurtures the creative spark in this troubled young girl. The film deals with being different and how children and adults both seem conditioned to pressure those who do not conform into learning to hide what makes them unique. The cast was superb, the script marvelous, and the way the story unfolded, one was drawn into Phoebe's world and made to feel the pain and frustration that she felt, knowing she was somehow different from other kids, but not knowing why and feeling powerless to change. This is film-making at its powerful best.

• Dannielle A

  
  What a delightful fairy tale for adults! It was full of wonderment and surprises around every corner. It was such a sweet tale about a little girl with a beautiful imagination and a heartwrenchingly sad mental disease. There were many touching moments and many moments that made you… More
  What a delightful fairy tale for adults! It was full of wonderment and surprises around every corner. It was such a sweet tale about a little girl with a beautiful imagination and a heartwrenchingly sad mental disease. There were many touching moments and many moments that made you want to cry. Elle Fanning is an extremely wonderful actress and this movie is definitely two thumbs up. (A little hard to understand at parts, but then so is Alice in Wonderland! It's not supposed to make sense.)

• Bill C

  
  This movie is much darker and less surrealistic than the trailer and descriptions lead me to believe. The movie focus is the precocious Pheobe who has serious social and psychological issues everywhere in her life except when she is in acting class. The movie really becomes a… More
  This movie is much darker and less surrealistic than the trailer and descriptions lead me to believe. The movie focus is the precocious Pheobe who has serious social and psychological issues everywhere in her life except when she is in acting class. The movie really becomes a character study of the adults who are trying to form Pheobe's life. Patricia Clarkson her drama teacher empowers Phoebe more through inaction and allows her to seek a sense of control. Except in acting class, the precocious Pheobe is having a hard time interacting with the other children. Placed in socially stressful situations she acts inappropriately ie spitting at other children. Pheobe's mother, Felicity Huffman, is a writer and tries to protect her daughter's uniqueness (and in a way her own) in the face of her principal and her psychologist who just want her problems medicated away. This movie does not end badly.

• Leo L

  
  Absolutely brilliant! An ingenious movie that centralizes around the life of a young girl dealing with an obsessive compulsive disorder and Tourette's Syndrome. Aligning herself with that of the character Alice, young Phoebe realizes the similarities of characteristics when she… More
  Absolutely brilliant! An ingenious movie that centralizes around the life of a young girl dealing with an obsessive compulsive disorder and Tourette's Syndrome. Aligning herself with that of the character Alice, young Phoebe realizes the similarities of characteristics when she also wishes to find solace from her own world as well as from herself. Noticing the peculiar actions and responses, Phoebe's family realizes that something is going on with her. Phoebe's mother acknowledges her daughter's traits but yet slightly refuses to believe at first, whereas her father would rather approach, and address, the situation head on. This causes further discomfort for Phoebe. Remarkable performances and portrayals into the insight of those who experience OCD or Tourette's, and for those who experience both. Great cast- Elle Fanning, Felicity Huffman, Bill Pullman, Patricia Clarkson, Campbell Scott, and Peter Gerety. Definitely worthy!

• Richard F

  
  If you like melodramatic movies made for the Lifetime Channel, then go for it. As for me, I just have to pass on stories centered around an emotionally disturbed brat-child that talks back to her whiny, placating mother and her ignorant teachers, whom turn the other way to her getting… More
  If you like melodramatic movies made for the Lifetime Channel, then go for it. As for me, I just have to pass on stories centered around an emotionally disturbed brat-child that talks back to her whiny, placating mother and her ignorant teachers, whom turn the other way to her getting bullied. But then again, Fanning's character is very charming when she spits on other children during the film. This is just a really sweet, heart-warming film, can't you tell? Fanning is a great actress, but her character is just insufferable here. Patricia Clarkson's character is the only one we get to care about in this overwritten mess, a mess that should have gone straight past video and right into the Lifetime Channel's 7:00 Sunday evening "schmaltzfest".

• Nick G

  
  As a 29-year old guy, i never thought I could find a movie about a 9-year old girl that I could relate to and appreciate as much as this...As someone who grew up with OCD, and still has it to a degree, this movie is a pleasure to watch..but ithis movie isn't a pleasureable watch.… More
  As a 29-year old guy, i never thought I could find a movie about a 9-year old girl that I could relate to and appreciate as much as this...As someone who grew up with OCD, and still has it to a degree, this movie is a pleasure to watch..but ithis movie isn't a pleasureable watch. This is a rough movie, it isn't a fun movie, it isn't a kid's movie, it's definitely not a happy movie (well maybe a bit), and this certainly isn't a movie for everyone. It is definitely a movie for someone like me though, who was late for school growing up because the covers weren't on the living room chairs just right, and that had to go back up a flight of stairs because he didn't stub his toe just right. I've left behind a lot of the OCD ticks as I've gotten older, and I'm sure that I never had it to the degree that Phoebe does in the movie, but I don't want to say much more than that because I don't want to spoil the movie. Frankly, I' wouldn't recommend this movie to many, because I don't think most would understand. They'd probably roll their eyes and get frustrated with the way they think things should be, and not understand the way things may be.. Technically, it's an excellent movie from acting to production to directing. But, be warned, it's a bit like Pan's Labyrinth in the sense it probably won't turn out to be the cheery kid's fairytale you think it is, and may leave a bitter taste in your mouth as expectations change to something quite different.

Read all 16 featured audience ratings