Phoebe in Wonderland

Rating

Director

Daniel Barnz

Screenplay

Daniel Barnz

Length

96 min.

Starring

Felicity Huffman, Elle Fanning, Patricia Clarkson, Bill Pullman, Campbell Scott

MPAA Rating

PG-13 for thematic material and brief strong language

Review

What kid wouldn’t have had fun living in Wonderland for a while? For one little girl, Wonderland is more than just a place to enjoy herself, it’s a place to escape herself.

Phoebe (Elle Fanning) has a problem. She suffers from Tourette’s syndrome, a psychological disorder often joked about but seldom recognized as the debilitating and humiliating problem it is. Phoebe in Wonderland explores that frightening ailment with patience, comprehension and a desire to inform.

The story is fairly straightforward and while we’re never at a loss of what to expect next, the journey is fascinating nonetheless. Phoebe’s issues cause problems for her friends, her classmates, her family and her school superiors. No one escapes from the film unscathed by the attacks this little girl unleashes even if she can’t help herself.

Her mother Hillary (Felicity Huffman) struggles to reconcile these issues as her literary career is put on hold so she can constantly keep an eye on Phoebe and run interference every time she does something disastrous. Meanwhile, her husband Peter (Bill Pullman) tries the understanding approach and tries to treat his daughter’s condition as an inconvenience but an obstacle simply to be overcome. Phoebe’s parents spend much of the film at odds over how to handle the situation, Hillary panicking that she cannot provide and Peter telling her that things will be all right.

Enter Miss Dodger (Patricia Clarkson). She’s an unusual school teacher who treats kids more like adults than like children. In Phoebe’s mental world, Alice in Wonderland is the central theme and vision; and Miss Dodger’s decision to put on a stage play about Alice in Wonderland immediately piques Phoebe’s attention. Unsure if she wants to get involved at first, her tryout is magical…she performs the lines as if they were words she herself had spoken. And while performing, her disorder subsides, providing welcome relief.

However, everything can’t always be resolved with a simple play; Phoebe’s disorder inflames as various disasters befall her as she’s trying to get prepared for the play. The incidents only serve to further distance her from her family and the school officials who threaten to take away her one chance at normalcy all because they simply don’t understand her.

Fanning is revelatory. With such a strong grasp of emotional presence, character identity and presentation, she continues to prove that she is the true talent of the Fanning family and not her more noteworthy sister Dakota. And that’s probably why she has stayed working in smaller films, ones that don’t get mainstream attention. It’s where she fits best. It’s where she belongs. I hope only that she can carry this talent into adulthood. Phoebe is at times charming and desperate. Her pain and discomfort is as real as her joy and excitement. I can’t imagine anyone more perfectly suited for this role.

Sadly, Fanning’s on-screen parents cannot match her strength. Huffman drags her feet through much of the film relying too frequently on hysterics and stereotype to carry her character forward. She has a few exemplary scenes, but the rest is fairly weak for her measurable talent. Pullman has never been better, but has seldom been worse. This is his typical performance, something we can’t really fault him for, but wish he would improve upon.

Her nearest equal is the wonderful Patricia Clarkson who, like Fanning, has stayed mostly with indie productions and shied away from big budget films that aren’t nearly as challenging for actors. Miss Dodger is a wonderful character who understands Phoebe better than anyone else. And although we are never fully shown that she too suffers from Phoebe’s disorder, there are a few scenes throughout the film that suggest that perhaps she has learned to control herself. Miss Dodger is the kind of teacher every kid remembers long after they have entered adulthood.

Phoebe in Wonderland isn’t a great film and suffers from minor technical and editing decisions that make it feel far too long and, at times, like it’s avoiding its own theme, but it’s a sweet film that doesn’t overly sympathize its subjects. Minus a few scenes at the end and perhaps a shoring up of concepts carried through to conclusion, the film might have been more successful with the mainstream. However, it’s still a pleasant film that should at least be considered by anyone looking for a strong child’s performance and exploration of delicate situations with far too limited exposure.

Review Written

November 10, 2009