Review of Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) by Matt P — 04 Jun 2011

"Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" is a rather different kind of film for legendary mob director, Martin Scorsese. He quoted in an interview that it was his take on the western lifestyle, for what he perceived as a stereotype of America down in the New Mexico-California territory.

I don't think his vision could be anymore glorious. From the very beginning we get a full screen shot of a Kansas looking farm that has that old classic sepia tone look to it. One we'd remembered fondly from the beginning of "The Wizard of Oz.

" To me this was the heart of the picture, and the rest of it is driven from that point. What we saw in the beginning was only the past dreams of Alice, a mother in her middle ages trying to make ends meet and put food on the table for her 12 year old son.

Defeated after her male partner is killed in a car accident, she flees to Arizona. What follows next is a series of escapades between mother and son, and the interaction between the two I found genuine and realistic.

The kid tells jokes in the car, annoys the hell out of his mother, and then the scene changes. Gags like that follow for the rest of the time, and in the end I thought the story was very touching. Ellen Burstyn (Alice)'s performance was courageous and motherly, and helped the film get it's feet wet.

With some creative music and carefully placed angles Scorsese's early film "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" is an enjoyable movie for the whole family.