Review of Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) by Gavin M — 10 Feb 2015

This is definitely one of Martin Scorsese's most underrated movies. This is a movie that showed just how much potential Scorsese had as a director at such a young age coming hot after "Mean Streets" his first movie, which is also another one that made a huge impact at it's time. But this is the movie that finally allowed the Hollywood studio to allow him to go on and direct "Taxi Driver," because without this movie showing Scorsese's true potential as a director, he may have never had the chance to direct "Taxi Driver" and this movie clearly shows why Scorsese was the right person to go on and direct one of the greatest motion pictures ever made. But sticking with "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" I must say what really landed Scorsese the job to go on and direct "Taxi Driver" was the fact that Ellen Burstyn had won an Oscar for her performance in this film, and man did she more than deserve it. As she truly gives a remarkable performance as Alice, a widowed mother raising her young son Tommy played by Alfred Lutter, who does a pretty awesome job at playing the spoiled brat lol. After the death of her husband, Alice is left with pretty much nothing as she tries to launch a singing career, something she is very passionate about and displays very heavily at the end of the movie during a big confrontation scene with her new love interest Kris Kristofferson, who is absolutely wonderful in this movie as the man who owns a ranch and takes a very big interest in Alice and her son Tommy and shows very well and passionately especially in the end scene at the diner where Alice works to support Tommy and herself as he says to her he wants to be with her and Tommy and he is not taking no for an answer as he truly is telling her how much he wants to take a chance with her. The best is when Burstyn's character turns him down right after a sudden fight between the two of them over Tommy and how spoiled he can get because he believes Burstyn let's him do what ever he wants...and he is right. But big kudos to Burstyn, who delivers right back as she tells him that he has no right to tell a mother how to raise her kid and she is right in some degree. But the best part is when Kristofferson is about to walk out of the diner just as Burstyn tells him no about starting over agin as a couple and just as he is about to leave he turns around and says to her "Goodman it Alice, I said please!" It's a great moment in the film, as you can truly see just how much he cares about her and Tommy and he will do just about anything for her to say yes. I don't know how Scorsese does it getting all these great performances from his actors as he truly has the gift of delivering awesome performances from his actors no mater what their status is at the time. Especially with Harvey Keitel, who really delivers and surprises in the small role of Ben, a 27 year old who begins romancing with Burstyn only to find out later that he is married and has a very violent temper that Keitel displays very heavily in a crucial scene where his wife in the movie comes to Burstyn to tell her that Keitel's character is married and that she doesn't know what to do because since he has met Burstyn, he hasn't even been going to work. All he does is want to be around Burstyn all the time and you can the possession he has over Burstyn when he sudden;y shows up at Burstyn's place demanding that she comes to the door and let him in while demanding to tell him that his wife is in there with her and when she doesn't go to the door to let him in, Keitels busts open the window and lets himself in and goes right for his wife literally pushing her and kicking her out the door while threatening her with his switch knife that if she doesn't move her ass out the door he is going to cut her. That's when Burstyn tries to calm him down, but Keitel is not a man to be told what to do as he yells back at Burstyn to not tell him what to do and tells her that once you mess with him, you will be hurting in a clear fashion that only Keitel himself could have played in such a minor role in the film. But for me the real and true surprise of this movie as much as I thought Keitel made a big impact with his small role as Ben, was really Kris Kristofferson. He truly embodied his role and truly was a very delightful surprise in the film as he truly shows what a good actor he can be especially after I first saw him in the movie "Blade" with Wesley Snipes, but this movie shows me where he got his start and what truly made him so right for the part is the fact that he is a country singer himself, which you see in certain scenes when he's teaching Alfred Lutter how to play the guitar. but he can't stand Kristofferson's taste in.

Music lol. Kristofferson and Burstyn have such great chemistry together in this movie that you truly believe them as a couple in this movie and what's even more surprising too is that Jodie Foster is also in this movie who plays a rebel girl that befriends Tommy and gets him into a little bit of trouble when he hangs around with Foster in the movie. Even at such a young age right before she got the call from Scorsese again to do "Taxi Driver" you can see she is so talented even then at a young age. She also has a great way of saying the word "weird" in the movie like nobody else which reminded me how she used the word several times too in the diner scene with her and DeNiro in "Taxi Driver" when DeNiro is trying to help her get away from her pimp who is also played great by Harvey Keitel. Scorsese truly is a work of art, the man literally has such a passion for what he does that you see it in every scene, every frame, every performance that you can't help it, but not think that Scorsese is the greatest director that has ever lived and will always be my favorite director.