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PHOEBE IN WONDERLANDMovie Reviews
Drama about a young girl who, perplexed by her inability to get along in the rule-obsessed world, seeks enlightenment and comfort from her unconventional drama teacher. Cast:Elle Fanning, Felicity Huffman, Patricia Clarkson, Bill Pullman, Campbell ScottDirector:Daniel BarnzRelease Date:March 6, 2009DVD Release:June 23, 2009From:ThinkFilmRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 36 min
Phoebe in Wonderland played to good not great reviews. • Moira Macdonald wrote in the Seattle Times, "...a wistful and enchanting trip down the rabbit hole of childhood.... Elle Fanning, her blue eyes enormous and wondering, gives a performance without a false note." • And Tom Meek wrote in the Boston Phoenix, "...an awkward yet rewarding wonderment." More Reviews Below...
Phoebe in Wonderland Positive Reviews (22 Reviews, reviews below)
Leah Rozen, People: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "With much heart but mixed success, the film shifts repeatedly between viewpoints of mother and daughter... Huffman gives a marvelous, complex performance."(See all of Leah Rozen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 110 words, 03/05/09
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the film is so intent on celebrating Phoebe as 'special' that it quirks up the trauma of her issues.... Patricia Clarkson makes high theatrical solemnity funny."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 88 words, 03/06/09
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...feels like a well-intentioned, made-for-Lifetime movie -- the Lifetime Network is among the film's distributors -- albeit one with an artsier visual aesthetic."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 508 words, 03/05/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Elle Fanning is wondrous... But the movie is an uneven, unfocused amalgamation of ideas and moods that is at times deeply moving nonetheless."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 483 words, 03/06/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (6 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: FAIR "...tremblingly sensitive... at a certain point 'Phoebe in Wonderland' throws up its hands as though at a loss of where to go next or what to say."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 671 words, 03/06/09
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "...like a junior-league version of 'A Beautiful Mind' only without mathematics... troubles start with its title and move on from there."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 449 words, 03/06/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...delivers telling moments filled with sadness and poignancy... [but] its childlike whimsy doesn't always fit with its very grown-up themes."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 465 words, 03/06/09
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...greatly abetted by a terrific ensemble... happens to be at least partly a Lifetime movie, but this special little film is no disease-of-the-week tear-jerker."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 380 words, 03/06/09
Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "...the performances are transcendent -- especially Fanning's, as the little girl who wants to get better... as she slowly disappears through the Looking Glass."(See all of Robert Wilonsky's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 212 words, 03/04/09
KEY CITIES (5 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: FAIR(cg) "The 'awful normals,' as Miss Dodger calls people like the school's principal and the rest of its drudgelike staff, just don't understand what it means to be... me."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 624 words, 03/06/09
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a delicate, intelligent movie... features a cast of talented actors who were clearly committed to the movie's message."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 455 words, 03/06/09
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "So realistic are Phoebe's quicksilver emotions that at first it doesn't seem Fanning is acting at all. That helps to ground the film..."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 516 words, 03/06/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an alternately inspired and awkward domestic drama that agonizes over the difference between a 'special' child and one who may need actual professional help."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 474 words, 03/06/09
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a wistful and enchanting trip down the rabbit hole of childhood.... Elle Fanning, her blue eyes enormous and wondering, gives a performance without a false note."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 450 words, 03/06/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "...the performances are transcendent -- especially Fanning's, as the little girl who wants to get better... as she slowly disappears through the Looking Glass."(See all of Robert Wilonsky's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 212 words, 03/04/09
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: VERY GOOD(cg) "Let Clarkson and Fanning take you to the rabbit hole of seductive enchantment that defines this movie. And don't ask what to do -- jump."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 365 words, 03/06/09
Tom Meek, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...writer/director Daniel Barnz endows Phoebe with enough tenderness and wit... an awkward yet rewarding wonderment."(See all of Tom Meek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 135 words, 03/12/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: FAIR "...tremblingly sensitive... at a certain point 'Phoebe in Wonderland' throws up its hands as though at a loss of where to go next or what to say."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 671 words, 03/06/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: WEAK "...any movie with Patricia Clarkson has my attention from her very first scene.... Not even she, however, can save a movie that suffers from terminal self-enchantment."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 257 words, 03/06/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...delivers telling moments filled with sadness and poignancy... [but] its childlike whimsy doesn't always fit with its very grown-up themes."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 465 words, 03/06/09
Duane Byrge, Hollywood Reporter: EXCELLENT "...tech contributions are masterful. Christophe Beck's score is aptly whimsical and fearsome... Bobby Bukowski's smart visual compositions are similarly succinct."(See all of Duane Byrge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 282 words, 01/22/08
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...delivers telling moments filled with sadness and poignancy... [but] its childlike whimsy doesn't always fit with its very grown-up themes."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 465 words, 03/06/09
Stephen Holden, New York Times: FAIR "...tremblingly sensitive... at a certain point 'Phoebe in Wonderland' throws up its hands as though at a loss of where to go next or what to say."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 671 words, 03/06/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: WEAK "...any movie with Patricia Clarkson has my attention from her very first scene.... Not even she, however, can save a movie that suffers from terminal self-enchantment."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 257 words, 03/06/09
19.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Phoebe in Wonderland's reviews are separated by an average 19.0 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Phoebe in Wonderland (22 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Phoebe in Wonderland's reviews cover 57.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 8,052 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 366 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 27.4 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Phoebe in Wonderland's reviews on average broke 27.4 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Phoebe in Wonderland's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Phoebe in Wonderland (22 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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