Reviews of Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore 1974
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True love
shown in the form
of a mother and her son. -
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this film, especially since it is Scorsese working with a very different subject matter from his usual works, but this film is great. Ellen Burstyn completely deserved her Oscar, and Kris Kristofferson and Harvey Keitel are great as supporting actors. This is a film about characters that you learn to care for, not about a complex or unique plot. It’s simply a journey with unique, original characters that I didn’t want to end.
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Alice Doesn't Live Here lives on characters and acting. These are not your typical character experiencing tragic events that some may consider realistic and others may consider unrealistic. That's melodrama for you. But, as the film progressed I found that I was cheering for these character. Martin Scorsese put something into the ending that I feel was missed by many viewers. I won't talk about it anymore, because I think you should see it.
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Day 46 of the 365-Day Film Challenge
This is Scorsese's forgotten gem. Burstyn is terrific, and so is Alfred Lutter as her precocious son. The whole film is imbued with a cinéma vérité feel, which made me get so involved in it.
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Ellen Burstyn is what makes this film what it is. Without her, it would sort of crumple up, even with Scorsese at the helm.
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Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore follows a single mother trying to realize her dreams of being a singer, while taking care of her twelve-year-old son, Tommy. The movie explores single motherhood with a consciousness towards patriarchy. Issues of economic inequality, domestic abuse, independence and sexual objectification are handled with grace.
The relationships that Alice builds throughout the movie are realistic and engaging. The most central of these relationships is with Tommy. At times Alice seems like a terrible mother, and…
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Just great. Not the usual kind of Scorsese film, but still, it was amazing. Ellen Burnstyn gave an amazing performance as Alice in a dramatic, funny, absurd and realistic way. And the movie itself was like that. Enjoyable.
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Burstyn and Ladd are excellent. Their scene late in the film is one of the best. The kid gets on my nerves and the film has some tonal issues, but overall, it's very good.
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Martin Scorsese is one of my favorite directors ever. He's never made a film I didn't like so I was especially intrigued going into this one. For someone who made so many gritty flicks, the last thing I would expect him to do is a chick flick. I was worried this might be his first flop and it would go into Lifetime Movie of the Week territory, but this was a huge surprise. Scorsese managed to make a heartwarming and…
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An utterly typical road movie that's pulled off on the basis of really excellent acting and characterization. I have a feeling Scorsese's involvement was limited mainly to the excellent sense of color and composition that elevates it above the standard grainy 'realistic' 70's look. The acting was, I suspect, the result of Ellen Burstyn having something to prove, and everyone else responding to that. Alfred Lutter is fantastic, showing amazing skill for a child actor, and carries a great part…
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Ellen Burstyn's incredible lead performance takes what could have easily been 'Hallmark original' material, and turns it into a gripping drama. Few movies are so heavily dependant on a single performance, but luckily for Scorsese, he found the right woman for the job. This is not to say the surrounding movie doesn't have its own benefits, but Burstyn's Oscar-winning performance really is the highlight, and ultimately the deciding factor on whether or not this movie is any good -- which it is.