Phoebe in Wonderland

Phoebe in Wonderland

"Whether at home or at school, 9-year-old Phoebe (Elle Fanning) always seems to get in trouble for breaking the rules. When her drama teacher casts her in a production of "Alice in Wonderland," Phoebe begins to receive personal advice from the play's characters."

2 stars

Good child actors are rare, and there are a lot of children in this movie. Do the math.

Elle Fanning (Phoebe) is one of the good ones, but the material she has to work with is all over the place. We never can tell whether we are supposed to support Phoebe as free-thinker or pity her for her mental disorder. As for Phoebe's parents, Felicity Huffman just seems tortured the whole time, and Bill Pullman is about 15 years too old for the role. The kids are extra cruel. The teachers are extra ignorant. The drama teacher is extra quirky. The movie tries to be imaginative and whimsical (and what's with the two Swan Lake scenes?), but ends up playing like a made-for-TV Lifetime movie of the week.