An optical compensation film composition is disclosed herein having a polymer film and a substrate, wherein the polymer film has a positive birefringence greater than 0.005 throughout the wavelength range of 400 nm<.lamda.<800 nm, the film having been cast from a polymer solution comprising a solvent and a polymer having a moiety of ##STR00001## wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 are each independently hydrogen atoms, alkyl groups, substituted alkyl groups, or halogens, wherein at least one of R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 is a fluorine atom, and wherein R is hydrogen or a substituent on the styrenic ring.