Costume and makeup nicely reflect the looks of the adult women back onto the impressionable teen, until she veers from Rena's wild style into a dark, bohemian goth look that's the opposite of her mother's pastel beauty. Astrid finally gains her independence and finds her true self with Rena (Svetlana Efremova, "K-19: The Widowmaker"), a Russian in love with capitalism, even though she doesn't want what Rena offers.Įach stop exposes Astrid to not only a completely different lifestyle set against the varying landscapes of L.A., but to character traits she can pick and choose from as she attempts to shape herself. But Astrid turns out to be a Band-Aid for Claire's troubled marriage and shaky mental health and another tragedy ensues. This time she finds another kind of love with Claire (Renee Zellweger), a lonely, out-of-work actress who becomes a best girlfriend. She also meets Paul Trout (Patrick Fugit, "Almost Famous"), an aspiring artist who offers love at a deeper level, but she's whisked way to another foster house before he becomes home. She chops off her hair with a knife and threatens the girl who jumped her with it. Starr's jealousy leads her back to the bottle, her makeshift family crumbling apart and Astrid is ejected in a surprising manner.Īn interlude at a state run boarding school further toughens up Astrid. Confused, Astrid listens to mother, and in so doing, unwittingly slides into a seduction of Ray (Cole Hauser, "Hart's War"). Soon Astrid's dressing cheaply and sporting a crucifix, which mama mocks during a prison visit. Ingrid's dragged from her home by police, Astrid's picked up by children's services, then sees her mother sentenced to life in prison - whoa! What happened and how did it happen so fast? (We'll learn in flashbacks, but the transitions are unrealistic and the pre-prison mother-daughter relationship is mostly told via Lohman's clipped narration.)įirst stop is born again, ex-stripper Starr (Robin Wright Penn) who takes in foster kids for the extra income and God points. Brown," in a role that barely allows us to even see his face). We're given the hint of Ingrid playing hard to get, then capitulating to Barry (Billy Connolly, "Mrs.
We meet Ingrid when her daughter finds her sitting on the edge of a roof, insisting Astrid join her. The major points are made, but one's never given enough time to respond or know the characters to become emotionally involved. Janet Fitch's novel became a phenomenon after it became an Oprah book club choice, but the richly textured, densely characterized novel is given the Cliff Notes treatment by screenwriter Mary Agnes Donoghue ("Beaches").
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