Alison Lohman plays a teenage girl bounced around foster parents in a drama that is kept "from sinking into a lather" by her impressive performance amidst a glittering cast of Hollywood stars. Interviewed on the DVD, Lohman proves that, for now, she still has her feet firmly on the ground.

Talking Heads

The short cast and crew interviews were clearly used to promote the film, and these conversations are kept trite and dull, with only the aforementioned Lohman not in full gushing mode.

From Novel To Screen

Better is the audio commentary with director Peter Kosminsky, producer Julia Walls, and writer of the novel Janet Fitch. It's rare to find the writer of a book collaborating at any level with a film director, and even rarer to hear them both talk in a commentary but quickly it's clear that Fitch approves of Kosminsky's work.

They both cover the differences between the novel and the movie, and why certain changes were made. Of greatest interest though is Fitch discussing the research that went into her book, which does help lend some needed weight to what goes on in the film.

EXTRA FEATURES

This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-N5 DVD player.