Alice
1990 Directed by Woody Allen
Synopsis
Alice Tate, mother of two, with a marriage of 16 years, finds herself falling for the handsome sax player, Joe. Stricken with a backache, she consults Dr. Yang, an oriental herbalist who realizes that her problems are not related to her back, but in her mind and heart. Dr. Yang's magical herbs give Alice wondrous powers, taking her out of well-established rut.
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Part of **No ReWatch November 2012**.
A slow-moving meditation on happiness and fulfillment. It's gorgeous, of course, filled with lovely colors and New York street scenes and a jazz soundtrack.
Mia Farrow can definitely deliver Woody's dialogue in the classic "Woody Allen" style -- although the insecurity and self-deprecating commentary sounds especially sad-sacky coming from a beautiful, impeccably dressed woman.
I think I might come to really like this one after another watch or two.
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I just can't help it...I absolutely love this film. Probably my second favorite Woody Allen film.
Mia Farrow impresses me with almost everything she has ever done and her performance in this film is fantastic. I'm not saying this is her best role in Allen's films but it's my second favorite after Broadway Danny Rose. I especially love the scene when she's talking to Joe Mantegna at the school and she's talking in a very seductive sexy manner. If any woman talked to me that way I would cease to be solid matter. She's just perfect in every scene and it's so fulfilling to see her finally come out of her shell and stand up for herself at the end…
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Woody Allen had dealt with combining the fantastical with the real world before in the magnificent Purple Rose of Cairo, but with Alice he employs the technique towards one of his more somber overall pictures. Once again starring his former muse Mia Farrow, the film centers on an upper-class Manhattan housewife as she considers having an affair with a handsome man (Joe Mantegna) she encounters when picking her children up from school. Motivated by friends to go and see a faith healer named Dr. Yang (Keye Luke, in what would be his last film appearance), she is given herbs which give her the motivation to strike up a romance with this man and begin to reconsider her life at large.…
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What begins as a typical neurotic high class Woody Allen fable, transcends into a whacky and silly ode to Woody's early 70s full blown comedies. It doesn't mix perfectly well at times, but Mia Farrow's first class performance keeps it watchable and hugely entertaining. I felt conflicted by the message. Is Woody saying women aren't strong enough for self-discovery on their own?
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Absolutely adored this. So funny, imaginative, sad, romantic, and human.
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Alice follows a young upper class woman who has grown bored with her life and contemplates having an affair. Woody Allen's satire of upper class New Yorkers is well done and interesting, the film has some amusing moments, a good cast, and a well done ending. And yet at the same time, I wasn't too enthralled with this film. I ultimately found it difficult to relate to these characters or their problems and I find the work as a whole to be forgettable. I still liked Alice well enough, but it's definitely one of Allen's weaker efforts that I've seen.
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I've just started to fully explore Woody Allen and Alice is the third film i've watched of his.
It started off really great and witty but I felt the overall fantastical nature of it let it down and with a dull middle.
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Woody, I love you to pieces, but sometimes you just lose me.
ALICE is one of those times.
I’ve never been a huge fan of Woody’s propensity to play around in the hoitiest and toitiest of New York’s upper crust. He’s hit or miss in that area for me. Often enough he finds a way to get an incredibly compelling story out of it like Crimes and Misdemeanors, but it’s also lead to some real stinkers like the dramatic half of Melinda and Melinda.
That’s what ALICE felt like to me, and no amount of hypnotic acupuncturists or adorable Mia Farrow hats could save it.
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I just can't help it...I absolutely love this film. Probably my second favorite Woody Allen film.
Mia Farrow impresses me with almost everything she has ever done and her performance in this film is fantastic. I'm not saying this is her best role in Allen's films but it's my second favorite after Broadway Danny Rose. I especially love the scene when she's talking to Joe Mantegna at the school and she's talking in a very seductive sexy manner. If any woman talked to me that way I would cease to be solid matter. She's just perfect in every scene and it's so fulfilling to see her finally come out of her shell and stand up for herself at the end…
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Mia Farrow is quite good here, in a minor work by Allen.
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Similar ideas explored later in "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger." Not a failure, but far from a triumph. Strong focus on Mia Farrow nudges supporting characters out of focus, leaving her as the only complex role in the film. Pretty good ending.
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Woody Allen had dealt with combining the fantastical with the real world before in the magnificent Purple Rose of Cairo, but with Alice he employs the technique towards one of his more somber overall pictures. Once again starring his former muse Mia Farrow, the film centers on an upper-class Manhattan housewife as she considers having an affair with a handsome man (Joe Mantegna) she encounters when picking her children up from school. Motivated by friends to go and see a faith healer named Dr. Yang (Keye Luke, in what would be his last film appearance), she is given herbs which give her the motivation to strike up a romance with this man and begin to reconsider her life at large.…