Ellen Foster

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Ellen Foster ★★½ 1997 (PG-13)

Coming-of-age TV drama concerns 10-year-old Ellen (Malone), who lives with her abusive, drunken dad (Levine) and her gentle mom (O'Connor). After mom dies, Ellen is shuffled between uncaring relatives, including a nasty grandma, Leonora (Harris), while trying to draw strength from the few friends and teachers who do care about her. Based on the book by Kaye Gibbons. 97m/C VHS . Jena Malone, Julie Harris, Ted Levine, Glynnis O'Connor, Debra Monk, Barbara Garrick, Kate Burton, Zeljko Ivanek, Lynne Moody, Bill Nunn, Amanda Peet, Allison Jones, Timothy Olyphant; D: John Erman; W: Maria Nation, William Hanley; C: Brian West; M: John Morris. TV