Actor Sean Penn displays another facet of his versatility as the title character of this inspirational tearjerker–a mentally handicapped father fighting for custody of his young daughter (Dakota Fanning). The child welfare board of his native Santa Monica has taken her from him, worried that at eight years old she has already begun to pass him in intellectual development. Sam’s argument is that it’s not brains but love that counts, and his case is taken by a stressed-out hot shot lawyer named Rita (Michelle Pfeiffer) who has her own problems dealing with her rebellious son. Anchored by his infectious love of the Beatles, the ceaselessly enthusiastic Sam becomes a positive influence on Rita as he raises a lot of questions about what’s most important as a parent. Though it’s Penn’s show, Pfeiffer is so good she practically steals the film from him, and the startlingly precocious Fanning is not far behind. A warm soundtrack of Beatles covers and clever, fast-cut editing help the message of love and forgiveness shine through.

It’s the early 1960s, and new Brit in town Michael Carrington (Maxwell Caulfield) has just arrived at Rydell High School. Michael, a bookish, sappy milquetoast, immediately becomes smitten with Stephanie Zinone (Michelle Pfeiffer), the gorgeous leader of the Pink Ladies, the hippest clique of chicks at Rydell — who only date the way-cool T-Birds. So if Michael wants to win Stephanie’s heart, he’ll have to transform himself from a geek to a greaser. Will his plan work

This movie follows a mother (Pfeiffer) who falls for a younger man (Rudd) while her daughter (Ronan) falls in love for the first time. Ullman plays Mother Nature, who messes with their fates.

WHITE OLEANDER, is the tale of an intense and toxic mother-daughter relationship, coupled with a look at the fundamentally skewed U.S. foster care system. When the beautiful photographer Ingrid Magnusson (Michelle Pfeiffer) is imprisoned for allegedly murdering a philandering boyfriend, her daughter Astrid (Alison Lohman) does her best to survive a string of foster homes where natural adolescent mistakes turn into land mines. Her first stop is the home of a born-again Christian, Starr (Robin Wright Penn, who is so good in this part she’s physically unrecognisable.) Next, she is sent to the home of a clinically depressed actress, Claire Richards (Renee Zellweger, whose natural effervescence is delightfully disturbing here.) Claire uses Astrid to fill the void left by a roaming husband (Noah Wyle). Astrid juggles her list of changing homes with visits to Mummy Dearest in prison, while suffering flashbacks of the alleged murder.

Pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad teaches 1962 Baltimore a thing or two about integration after landing a spot on a local TV dance show.