Review of Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) by Eric O — 07 Mar 2008

[font=Arial]Recently, I was having a discussion with my mother about The Stepford Wives (original). I saw the film as being dull (not a good thing in a thriller) and completely stupid. My mother shot back "the film is about how women felt about the onrush of suburban life". I still think there's a better way of telling those fears without the use of robots, but that's just me. With that said, I realized that I needed to recommend another film to her that talked about real women trying to escape the binds of a domestic nightmare. That film is Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.

Alice (Ellen Burstyn) is a woman who has always had big dreams, but let them go when she got married and had a child. When her husband dies, she's left trying to pick up the pieces and start to make something of herself. She moves out of town with her son Tommy (Alfred Lutter), trying to make her way back to her hometown of Monterey, California. But lack of funds lands her in New Mexico Lounge Singing as her son stays home and watches TV. She gets involved with a young man named Ben (Harvey Keitel) and immediately regrets it. Leaving town, she makes it to Tucson before stopping again and taking a job as a waitress. She is over her head her first day, not to mention that a customer named David is showing her some interest. The rest of the film plays out as Alice tries to understand her role in a new life and trying to make a future happen without giving into the temptations of finding a man to take care of her.

This film is smart and whimsical to begin with. The characters are all three-dimentional and have their own tastes. That's important because their tastes clash all the time. Alice is indeed scared of losing everything, which leads her to stay away from anything that takes her away from her plan. But Tommy is a handful (he's also a wise-cracking smartass, which is always a good trait in a child) and Alice is finding herself at wits-end trying to keep him from going astray. And then there's David, who keeps butting in, making friends with Tommy and gradually winning over Alice's approval. But this isn't like most romances. It's gritty and working-class. There are real consequences at stake and the characters make us realize that. Look at fellow waitress Flo (Diane Ladd), who make us realize that life isn't going to wait for Alice, who might be stuck doing this for the rest of her life. The film is incredibly funny and lighthearted at times (probably why the execs made a TV show concerning the diner), but isn't sitcom-ish. There is a happy ending here, but it isn't forced nor is it contrived. Decisions are made that alters people's lives and leaves to chance if it's happily ever after.

This is Ellen Burstyn's finest hour. Her Alice is a deeply complex and tormented character. She's the every-woman in a society that's not yet warmed up to women's liberation. She doesn't want a man in her life not because she wants to make a statement, but because the men she finds herself with are more destructive than the last. But my favorite character is Tommy. Lutter is the perfect choice as Tommy, who is incredibly bright with a razor tongue. He's 10 going on 30, but he's still a kid trying to make sense of things, especially with a mother coming out of her seams with frustration. I might also add that a young Jodie Foster stars as a girl who only adds more fuel to Tommy's rebellion, a girl too ahead of her time for her own good. This will be a trademark for Foster's career playing characters that are just ahead of their time.

For Martin Scorsese, this is a testament to his genius. This film feels like a gritty romance filled with lively characters who don't feel like characters. His camera is in-your-face and doesn't relent as his actors perform flawless scene after scene. These techniques will be used later in his career in Goodfellas, although more stylized. The effect in this film is to make things feel natural and realistic, which is what he does.

Back to my mother. I think she'll watch this when I send it to her. I think she'll even like it. If only I can get her to stop asking about the condition of my undergarments.....Love you, Mom[/font].