Review of Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) by R.c. K — 15 Sep 2007

I love a movie that knows what it's doing. This one is sort of schizophrenic, when it moves from a pretty bold comedy to a hard-laced drama at the drop of a hat. But, that hat drops with precision, and those changes are just right for the movie. We have a nice slice of reality sort of story here, and the random nonsensical changes happen in real life, too, so when it happens here it feels odd, but right.

This little bit of life is that of a woman, Alice Hyatt, who finds herself suddenly able to pursue her past dreams, with a second chance at life, a second chance to do what she wanted, or change what she wants. This is what she does with those chances, with that change.

Alice is played by Ellen Burstyn, who I mostly know from her brilliant turn as Sara Goldfarb in Requiem for a Dream--now, jumping back 26 years, this was certainly a change. But, I ended up with no tarnish on my image of Burstyn, and thought, "Gee, I hope she won best actress for this,"--which might have been my shoddy memory talking, for she did, and I'd read that before. I was pleasantly surprised and nearly well enthralled by her performance--laugh out loud zingers (which are a rarity for me) were carried out with absolute perfection. The way she'd react and act physically in every situation, and the way she'd say lines, it was perfect. She can turn from tears to laughter easily and quickly and appropriately and smoothly, but by smoothly I again mean in a real way, a believable way, not necessarily an even, sliding transition.

She is living a life derailed, as so many were, it seems, by early marriage, separating her from her own desires and dreams. A radical change leaves Alice and her son Tommy on the road to Monterey, where Alice remembers being happy--as we were shown in the intro, a 1.33:1 cropped image that is an amusing homage to The Wizard of Oz. She tries a few towns along the way, dealing with her son who sounds just like a real eleven year old, as everyone sounds like the sort of person they play. Ellen sounds like a woman who never, as she herself admits, learned to live without a man in her life. She's stronger than she realizes--when a typically explosive Harvey Keitel appears as domineering husband Ben Eberhart, she reacts timidly, certainly, but that seems like the smart thing to do as the situation plays out; however, once Ben leaves the apartment, Alice knows exactly what to do and does it. When David (Kris Kristofferson, as always playing a good ol' country boy, as he himself is) does something she philosophically disagrees with, she gives him what for without ever sinking low, and she takes the strength she's not quite aware she has and she leaves.

The performances were my favourite part, with Diane Ladd as Flo, the ultimate diner waitress, flirting audaciously with the male customers, her hair up inches above her head, and a bold, sarcastic remark to any comment or action she comes across, Kris as David, the gruff ranchman who's the best--but still flawed--man in her life. But, some what more importantly, we see young "Alfred Lutter III" as Tommy Hyatt, Alice's precocious 11 year old son, who is whipsmart, sarcastic, awkward and un-selfconscious in that way a kid just coming up on puberty is. A shame he didn't do too much after this, as the performance here is completely naturalistic without seeming like it's him playing himself. As previously mentioned, Harvey Keitel is, well, Harvey--he's charming and smooth, but can turn vicious at just the wrong move, menacing, intimidating and legitimately scary. The characters all work as real people, none seeming purely good, or evil, or perfect or constantly likeable, just as normal people are--some more acceptable or more evil than others, but none inhumanly so. A testament to the solid script in addition to the acting, as well as the perfectly paced dialogue. When Tommy is irritating, as younger kids can be before they're completely aware of how they sound to others--telling the same obnoxious, unfunny joke over and over and explaining it despite being told to shut up, for instance--we see the irritation, but accept it as part of his nature as an eleven year old, and don't feel outright enmity toward him for it, because he has a peculiar sort of charm.

Scorsese is not in full show here; I see his methodic camera pans and swoops show up every now and then, but perhaps the absence of Schoonmaker and crime are what hides him, but his craft is evident even without his style. The soundtrack (I must find some Mott the Hoople, it seems--and it has Leon Russell, so you know I'm in for it) was very Marty, and played perfectly, as most of his tend to, with the action. Not perfectly cut like "Layla" in Goodfellas (the work of Thelma anyway, methinks, to perfectly synch that one) but fitting, appropriate, and just damn good music.

The final note of consequence was the appearance of Jodie Foster, who I did not, at first, even recognize. She plays the "overly mature" Audrey--"née" Doris--who Tommy meets at guitar lessons, and encourages him to enjoy copious amounts of ripple and steal. She exhibits the same amusing lack of shame that Tommy shows, but is a little less agreeable in the end than he is. I did not mention her as early because my opinion of her soured recently when I read her incoherent criticism of Sin City*. Still, I try to keep those things behind me and look at the performance I'm actually watching, and as always she is one of the most impressive actors around. Shame she's got such a nasty, critical mouth as a real person...

On a final trivial note, for my own amusement, the "production executive" for the film is Larry Cohen. Yes, that Larry Cohen--writer/director of It's Alive and Q, the Winged Serpent. Weird.

*"That was so painfully cartoonish I was offended," says Foster, the mother of two boys, Charles, 9, and Kit, 5. "I don't know how you enjoy or laugh about a child abduction and molestation. What part of that sentence is funny? I can't get beyond that. I don't know if everyone understands the impact of a movie's message.".

Huh? What is she asking about humour from? Was the child abduction in Sin City "funny" to someone? That person is on drugs. And the message of Sin City was abduct and molest children? Did we see the same--actually no, it says she turned it off halfway, so I'd say we in fact did not see the movie. And how does cartoonishness offend? That sounds pretentious and arrogant to me. Though, really, my major issue is 'I don't know how you enjoy [...] child abduction." OK, Flightplan, OK.