Astrid Magnussen (Alison Lohman) is a sweet sensitive Californian girl with her dominating artistic unconventional mother Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer). It's a reasonable life until her mother is arrested for her boyfriend Barry Kolker (Billy Connolly)'s murder. Astrid is taken by Children's Services and shuttled from one disaster after another. Her mother is convicted for life in prison. Her first foster mother is the religious Starr (Robin Wright) who was a former stripper. She gets involved with Starr's boyfriend and Starr ends up shooting her. Then she goes to the group home where she is picked on. There she finds a soulmate in Paul Trout (Patrick Fugit). Then she goes with the fragile Clare (Renée Zellweger),and finally with the money scheming Rena (Svetlana Efremova).

Alison Lohman has her big breakthrough performance as the sensitive Astrid. She does a fragile person quite well. And she can show her character grow just as well. However her reserved nature limits the tension. She really needs to break down and cry in the group home. Michelle Pfeiffer is given a complex character to play in this one. She does an admirable job. Although I wonder if Robin Wright would do a better job. Pfeiffer has a streak of nice sweetness in her that she can't quite shake. The movie needs her to have a meaner spirit. Overall it is a big vast personal melodrama. The acting is done well. The story is compelling.

Astrid Magnussen (Alison Lohman) is the daughter of the independent artist and dominative single mother Ingrid Mahnussen (Michelle Pfeiffer). They live together in a beautiful uphill house. Her life changes when Ingrid poisons her boyfriend Barry Kolker (Billy Connolly),killing him. She is sent to the prison, for a thirty-five years sentence, and Astrid is sent to a foster house. She starts living with Starr Thomas (Robin Wright Penn),a former stripper and alcoholic woman, who embraced Jesus in the church Assembly of God, keeping the fosters in a kind of redemption penalty. Astrid learns religion, but Starr becomes jealous of the beauty of the teenager Astrid, who is becoming a woman, and they have a serious problem. Then, Astrid is sent to a horrible orphanage, where she learns how to fight for survival and she meets the orphan, artist and friend Paul Trout (Patrick Fugit). Later, she is sent to the mansion of the unsecured and problematic actress Claire Richards (Renée Zellweger),where she finally finds love. Last but not the least, she moves to live with the Russian trader Rena (Svetlana Efremova),where she learns how to negotiate. Astrid grows up and sees how dominant and manipulative her mother is, and in the end she is able to release her bonds with Ingrid. This movie is a wonderful story of a teenager, very dominated by her mother, who has a painful growing up. The stunning actress Alison Lohman has a magnificent performance as the teenager Astrid, changing her personality and appearance like a chameleon in accordance with the environment where she is living. I have never paid attention in this fantastic and bright actress, who is able to highlight in a movie with Michelle Pfeiffer, Robin Wright Penn and Renée Zellweger in the cast. Another point that called my attention was the American system of adoption, which seems that does not work well (unless the character of Astrid is very unlucky). A great movie and screenplay, with an excellent direction and an outstanding cast. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): `Deixe-me Viver!' (`Let Me Live!')

I might have heard the title somewhere, I think what appealed to me more was a good cast list and a good sounding plot. Basically fifteen year old Astrid Magnussen (Big Fish's Alison Lohman) has her life changed when her free-spirited poet and artist mother Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) sent to prison for murdering Barry Kolker (Billy Connolly) with the deadly poison of her favourite flower, the White Oleander. Astrid has to go through foster home after foster home with three different women, all with their good sides, but ultimately all ending badly. First with trailer-park Christian Starr (Forrest Gumps' Robin Wright Penn) who turns out to be an alcoholic and loses it with Astrid. Second with struggling actress Claire Richards (Renée Zellweger) who seemed the perfect, ideal guardian, but after being told by her husband Ray (Pitch Black's Cole Hauser) she overdoses on some pills. Third and last is wily hustler Rena Gruschenka (Svetlana Efremova),not a very long stay, and not as interesting as the other two. While Astrid goes through all these experiences, she keeps in contact with her mother with letters and a couple of prison visits. Going through forbidden love, religion, a near-death experience, drugs and starvation, Astrid learns to think for herself, and in the end, her mother decides not to ask her to give her statement in her court case, and lets her go to live her own life. Also starring Patrick Fugit as Paul Trout and Noah Wyle as Mark Richards. Lohman is a fantastic young leading actress, Pfeiffer as her over-opinionated mother does well, and Zellweger is most appealing as the second guardian, you feel sympathetic for her, especially when she's dead, a very watchable drama. Good!