User Reviews

Ellen Burstyn could play a tree stump and make it interesting. She's one of the unsung heroes of post-studio cinema. At a time when meaty women's roles were becoming more and more scarce, Burstyn was fighting for and winning one great part after another. She's probably never been better than she is here, though she showed tremendous range in "Same Time, Next Year" and gave one of the most heartbreakingly harrowing performances I've ever seen as recently as 2000, in "Requiem for a Dream." Women's picture and Martin Scorsese are not two phrases that would seem to be tailor made for each other, but a terrific women's picture is exactly what Scorsese gives us with "Alice..." Though I hate using the term women's picture, as if men can't enjoy stories about women, or as if women's pictures are isolated from the rest of "real" movies. Actually and ironically, maybe it was Scorsese's penchant for the tough-guy milieu that made him so right for this film, because "Alice" doesn't suffer from the burn-your-bra self-righteousness of other women's lib movies of its era, like "Un Unmarried Woman." These other films ultimately feel phony, because they were created for the most part by men, who, however noble their intentions, simply didn't have an understanding for the material. But Scorsese gets the character of Alice, and Burstyn knows exactly what she's doing. So the conflict isn't between Alice and the male world, but between the Alice who doesn't have the confidence to be anything other than a doormat and the Alice who wants to make a life for herself on her own terms.

There are some hilarious scenes between Alice and her son in this film, most particularly the scenes of them driving to California (like when Alice calls him Hellen Keller because he keeps asking "what?" to everything she says). Also, a subplot about the evolving friendship between Alice and Flo (played by Diane Ladd) becomes one of the film's highlights, not in the least because both actresses handle it expertly.

This is a winner, and must be seen by anyone who thinks Scorses is out of his element anywhere but the mean streets of NYC.

Grade: A

Starring the incomparable Ellen Burstyn, giving an Oscar-winning performance (one of the finest of the 1970s), this comedy-drama is gritty and tough, but never off-putting. After her husband dies, 35-year-old Alice Hyatt from New Mexico and her smart-mouthed 11-year-old son (Alfred Lutter) take to the road, chasing her girlhood dream of finding songbird success in Monterey, CA. They get stuck in Phoenix, where she meets up with a frightening working-stiff in a cowboy hat (Harvey Keitel). Later, waitressing at Mel & Ruby's Cafe in Tucson, she meets a gentle farmer (Kris Kristofferson) who's had his share of heartbreak. Perceptive, amusing, knockabout film regarding ordinary people trying to make it, episodes in their lives that enrich or derail them. Alice and her son have a wonderfully natural give-and-take, and the oddballs they meet on their odyssey (like Jodie Foster's shoplifting tomboy or the sweet, overweight cowboy who gives Alice a singing job) are deliciously silly, yet incredibly real. Burstyn is a joy cutting up with her neighbor in the backyard, having a Coke fight with her kid in a seedy motel, trading quips with Diane Ladd's salty Flo in the diner. Some critics complained that the happy ending felt tacked on, but you come to respect Alice and her choices, and most of the film's little faults are camouflaged by director Martin Scorsese's bittersweet framing and Robert Getchell's vivid screenplay. Far superior to the TV sitcom, "Alice", which quickly followed.

I loved this movie when I saw it in its initial release - after "The Exorcist", I thought Ellen Burstyn ruled the world. This movie is still good today, has many interesting and funny characters. There are touches that suggest director Martin Scorsese was still getting familiar with actors and camera movement - when Alice cries at an audition in a bar, and goes to another bar because they have a piano..its Marty all the way. Harvey Keitel & Jodie Foster are in the movie in small parts; maybe they were having their own audition - for "Taxi Driver". Diane Ladd is very funny as filthy-mouthed Flo, but Ellen Burstyn is fantastic in the part that won her an Oscar against some pretty stiff competition - Faye Dunaway in "Chinatown" among them - and she holds the movie together.

People forget that "ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE" is a Scorsese film. Look at it again and you'll see it is one hundred percent Scorsese. Totally focused on a female character. I read somewhere that Ellen Burstyn asked Scorsese "How well do you know women" and Scorsese replayed "Not well at all, but I'm willing to learn" The portrait of Alice adds something to film female characters that had never been present on the screen before. All those Joan Crawford fighting working class women seem like a joke compared to Ellen Burstyn's Alice. Jodie Foster steps into the screen with a funny, touching BANG. If you've never seen this film, hurry up! If you've seen it, see it again.

This has to be one of Martin Scorses's most enjoyable films. The film follows Alice (Ellen Burstyn) on a journey back to happier times after a tragedy forces her to make important decisions about her life. Needing a job to raise cash for this journey takes her and her son (the remarkably cheeky Alfred Lutter) on a journey of self discovery. Having a small talent for singing she eventually secures a job as a singer in a bar but flees town after meeting psychopathic Harvey Keitel. Eventually working as a waitress in Mel's Diner she becomes involved with the strangely uncharismatic Kris Kristofferson and realises she has finally met someone who really cares for her. The performances make this a remarkable film, Burstyn & Lutter are a great double act as mother and son, Harvey Keitel frighteningly plausible as a mentally unbalanced suitor and Jodie Foster sexually ambiguous as Lutters playmate. Diane Ladd excels as hard-bitten fellow waitress Flo and Jane Curtin and Billy Green Bush make an impact with barely half a dozen lines between them. Add to this a terrific musical score and inspiring cinematography and you have a timeless classic that is just crying out for a DVD release.

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore is the film that brought director Martin Scorsese into the commercial limelight; and even though he's had many bigger successes since, this simple and easily accessible story of a woman and her son is well worked and interesting; and personally, I prefer it to a number of his more famous gangster films. The plot is very simple, thus making the film easy to follow and therefore light viewing; and it could also be called a 'chick flick'. However, Scorsese directs with his usual verve and manages to implement a number of memorable characters along the way; some of which are played by the stars of future Scorsese films. The film starts when we are introduced to a young girl named Alice, who has aspirations of being a singer. Several years later, and after the death of her husband, she and her son set off across the country in order for her to pursue her dream career. After her first job and choice of boyfriend go awry, she travels on and ends up meeting a man named David.

This film provides an acting credit for Ellen Burstyn who, just as she would go on to do in the likes of The Exorcist, delivers a well worked and believable performance. Kris Kristofferson is her opposite number, although he doesn't get to flex his acting muscles much - while Taxi Driver co-stars Jodie Fosters and Harvey Keitel deliver memorable portrayals in small roles. The film benefits from a very well written script, which manages to give credence to all of its lead characters, which elevate the film above similar material in its class. The locations are well used, and the director does well in implementing a gritty country style; as well as the central theme of ordinary people trying to make something out of themselves. The main problem with the film is that sometimes it can be a little too light-hearted, and some of the heavier plot ideas aren't allowed to shine through as they should. Overall, this film may be disliked by fans of Scorsese films such as Goodfellas and Casino, and it definitely is a chick flick; but personally, I have no qualms with naming it as one of the better films on Scorsese's list of film credits.

I actually prefer this film to Mean Streets or Raging Bull. Ellen Burstyn was always a personal favorite and she is absolutely brilliant as Alice. This film bears no resemblance to the sitcom that would spin off from it. This is a textured, touching and humorous look at a woman's journey BACK towards independence. It is far superior and a much more mature film than, say, Thelma & Louise. If you're looking for female "empowerment" movies. Alice is reality. The fine cast also includes, Harvey Keitel and Diane Ladd. Both in fantastic performances. This is just a great movie and very overlooked. If you're getting into Scorsese, don't miss this one!

Martin Scorsese's reputation as the director of some of the best gangster movies of all time often obscures his enormous sensitivity to the nuances of every-day modern life. Despite being his first commercial success, 'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore' is probably Scorsese's most overlooked film, which is shameful, because it is arguably his best, and in any analysis, deserves acknowledgment as one of the most honest and, ultimately, uplifting portraits of working-class womanhood written and directed by men.

The scenario is familiar to anyone with a vague awareness of late 1970s American pop culture, as it was adapted into a successful TV sit-com, 'Alice,' starring Linda Lavin in the title role originated by the great Ellen Burstyn: a former lounge singer who traded a dicey future for the stability of blue-collar married life in suburban New Mexico, Alice Hyatt finds herself suddenly widowed, with little to no money, no career possibilities or job experience, and a precocious (and frequently obnoxious) twelve year-old son (Alfred Lutter, who went on to make 'The Bad News Bears' before growing up and disappearing) to provide for. With few other options on hand, Alice determines to restart her singing career back in Monterrey, California, the last place she remembered feeling truly happy and optimistic about the future. She packs her life and her son into the family station wagon and makes her way west, stopping off first in Phoenix (where the sit-com is set) and then in Tucson, trying to save enough cash to get to Monterrey. En route, she suffers defeat, humiliation, and a continuation of her serial attraction to abusive men, until finally she finds herself reduced to a job as a waitress in a roadside café, the now-ubiquitous 'Mel's Diner,' a dive dominated by the profane banter between saucy head waitress Flo (Diane Ladd) and cook/owner Mel (Vic Tayback). Alice finds herself living in an extended-stay fleabag motel, pinching pennies and praying for a bit of luck, which dubiously arrives in the form of David (Kris Kristofferson), a local rancher whom Alice feels herself falling for but is unable to trust, thanks to her history of abuse at the hands of formerly charming men.

Scorsese's innovative, trademark camera work is on ample display here, along with his art-house director's penchant for the unusual (the film opens with an homage to 'The Wizard of Oz,' in which Dorothy is replaced by the young but already brassy and foul-mouthed Alice). But this is a story about humanity, and Scorsese knows enough to step back and let his brilliant lead actress fill up the screen with her honesty and emotional range.

Ellen Burstyn won the 1976 Best Actress Oscar for this film, and it's easy to see why. Scorsese clearly knew what he had on his hands: Burstyn's Alice is both tough and vulnerable, desperate and determined. Burstyn lets the camera linger on her aging face (she was 42 when the film was released), which, strangely enough, is more beautiful and alluring than the polished appearances of most of today's actresses. Alice faces countless hardships, and Burstyn makes them feel as true as any we face in our own lives. She tries to keep up a bright face for Tommy, her quirky, quizzical son, but has moments of naked, gut-wrenching despair as she tries to fathom how she'll ever be able to support herself. Burstyn was herself a singer and a waitress before finding success as a film actress, and her vocal performances are powerfully affecting--pitch-perfect, but shaky enough to reveal her inner vulnerability. She is a brilliant vehicle for this portrait of the life of a hard-luck woman with no one to trust. The film is full of fine, heartbreakingly memorable moments--Alice weeps in bed next to her husband Donald (Billy Green Bush) after another silent, loveless dinner, and the two clutch each other, unable to speak, Alice's disappointment outweighed only by her desperate need; after a long day of rejections, Alice breaks down into tears before a gentle bar manager, who ultimately caves in allows her to audition for him, whereupon she performs a heartbreaking medley of standards for a stunned crowd of average joes in a dingy piano bar; Alice gets a rare moment of joy, drunkenly sitting up from the kitchen table to show David her first dance routine after making love for the first time. These moments feel so real and honest that you almost forget you're watching a movie.

The supporting performances are all easily above par, especially Diane Ladd as Flo, a role made famous for the sanitized 'Kiss my grits' line immortalized by Ladd's TV counterpart, Polly Holliday (interestingly, Ladd briefly succeeded Holliday on the TV 'Alice' in the role of 'Belle' after Flo got her own short-lived spin-off). Alice and Flo initially clash, but eventually form a sisterly bond, revealing that in many ways they are opposite sides of the same coin (curiously, Diane Ladd and Ellen Burstyn were born within a month of each other, Burstyn in Detroit and Ladd in Mississippi). Alfred Lutter's Tommy is perfectly exasperating but also lovable. Kris Kristofferson's David manages to be 'too good to be true' without being unbelievable as the first good man in Alice's life. Harvey Keitel (as a rakish suitor), Jodie Foster (as a spunky ne'er-do-well who befriends Tommy), and, of course, Vic Tayback, are all perfect in their smaller, supporting roles.

'Alice . . .' deserves to be revisited again and again. It's so close to the experience of single mothers in the 1970s that it could be considered a documentary. It's also frequently very funny, capturing the small bits of laughter and silliness in normal life with pitch-perfect accuracy. I doubt that there has ever been another film that has made fictional characters feel so real and true. Alice is a true heroine--a survivor--and sharing her travails and triumphs, you feel the empathy and involvement that only appear in transcendent art.

In what may be his most unusual movie, Martin Scorsese tells the story of Alice Hyatt (Ellen Burstyn), a woman who is looking for a new direction in life. So, she and her son Tommy move to Phoenix, where she feels that she may have a shot at greatness. As a singing waitress, she struggles to make something of herself.

Ellen Burstyn won a well-deserved Best Actress Oscar for this role (it was especially interesting seeing her in this kind of a role, given that she'd most recently starred in "The Exorcist"), and Kris Kristofferson, Harvey Keitel, Alfred Lutter and an androgynous Jodie Foster offer good supporting roles. I recommend "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" to everyone.

This was a lighter film than I am used to seeing from director Martin Scorsese, known for his movies with gangsters and other blighters. Of course, there are some such characters in this movie--mostly malevolent men. At first, Scorsese showcases some of his directorial ingenuity; the film opens with an old-fashioned credits screen, with Mack Gordon and Harry Warren's "You'll Never Know" playing in the background. The opening scene was in homage to "The Wizard of Oz". (The fences also reminded me of "Gone with the Wind".) But then, Alice, as a child (played by Mia Bendixsen), says "if anybody doesn't like it, they can blow it out their ass."

"All the Way from Memphis," by Ian Hunter, carries us to Alice, 27 years older (played by Ellen Burstyn in her Oscar-winning performance). Foul language and wisecracks are the brighter part of Alice's life; the other part is hopping from one abusive relationship to the next, while searching for employment. Alice eventually becomes a waitress at a diner (the scenario was revived in the lousy sitcom "Alice" (1976-1985)).

Diane Ladd earned an Oscar nomination for her performance as smart aleck waitress Flo. Jodie Foster does well as an assertive child. Ellen Burstyn and Alfred Lutter, who plays Alice's kid, carry the movie most of the way, though. When done right, teaming an adult and a child together for the majority of conversation in a film results in an enjoyable, light movie (which this one is). This was Scorsese's first commercial success; with editing and a moving camera among other tricks, his presence is revealed throughout.

Alice has a 11 year old boy and a loveless marriage. When her husband dies she up sticks and leaves town to pursue her last job as a singer. Getting a job in a piano bar she gets into more trouble with men and move town again. Settling into a waitressing job she hates, Alice continues to search for something better.

Those of us who only see Scorsese as `the guy who does gangster movies' should check out one of his earlier films and then realise why they are wrong. Also they should check out `King of Comedy' easily one of his better films but criminally undervalued and years ahead of it's time. Ahem, anyway, back to this movie. Scorsese has managed to make a film from a female point of view. Whereas many of his more successful films were male orientated, this takes the female side well. The story manages to be both funny but also touching and real. The story may be a little rambling and quite melodramatic but it works well. The gentle comedy is of the type between friends as opposed to elaborate sketches – this helps keep it feeling real.

Scorsese cuts back on the heavily stylised direction evident in later films but this does help the content work. As always he uses music to good effect, even if there is a bit too much in the way of C&W. Burstyn does very well as Alice and carries the film well without letting it become a grind. Lutter III is great for a child, his irreverent humour prevents him being a `cute kid' type. Kristofferson is good value in a small part, his character is just about a good enough mix of hot and cold to be real. Ladd is great in support and very funny. Keitel and Foster are both good and indicate why Scorsese came back to them for more in later films.

Overall, I imagine that those looking for more F-words, gangsters and De Niro will feel that this isn't a good Scorsese film. However it is proof of his talent that he is able to deliver a very good `house wife melodrama'. Of course looking over his work the focus will be on other films but here he turns a TVM weepy into an involving and amusing melodrama.

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore at times might not look it to those who don't check (or care to check) the director credit, but Martin Scorsese- in the interim between Mean Streets and Taxi Driver- took on a film where he could prove to his detractors wrong. Indeed, Scorsese can direct anyone well, man, woman, child (just look at Kundun if you don't believe his knack for directing non-professional along with pros, besides the point). In this story, Ellen Burstyn plays the title character, left abandoned with her son after her husband dies. She has to make ends meet as a waitress in Phoenix in order to make her dream for her and her son come true- getting to Monterey. Enter in that cool presence that is Kris Kristofferson, and the film goes into not-so-conventional territory (some would argue up till the end).

For acting students, this is one of those kinds of films one has to check out- Burstyn, in her Oscar winning role, plays between kind, angry, frightened, scared, and strong in her role, trying to break past other female types that had been around in films at the time. There is also ample room for a small role for Harvey Keitel, as a smooth talker with a bad temper. Scenes between the two of them are like method acting staples of 70's movie-making (not to downplay Kristofferson or Diane Ladd's performances either). And then there's Scorsese, injecting his style sometimes without much of a trace, and sometimes so forcefully that one who knows his work well can sit up and take notice. The improvisation he lets the actors have in scenes is so delicate and precise that it adds to the reality- or the illusions- of most scenes. There is also a very funny (in a weird way) beginning to the film as a parody of farm-girl good times goes on.

A recommended treat- those who are die-hards for the Scorsese crime films may be perplexed, but for the Lifetime TV crowd who usually wouldn't go near a Scorsese film at the video store will likely be more pleased than I was (or maybe not- this film has as much detractors as defenders for its feminist themes).

I had never seen Alice Doesn't Live Here Any More, but I had seen the Alice TV series which was taken from this film. If you think you're going to see a lot of situation comedy here, disabuse yourself of that notion. This original film is as serious as a crutch about a recently widowed woman Ellen Burstyn trying to both raise her adolescent son and find her own fulfillment.

Part of Burstyn's identification is that she was named after her mother's favorite film star Alice Faye and has aspirations as a singer. But when we meet her she's settled down in her marriage to probably not the greatest catch in the world in Billy Green Bush and their son Alfred Lutter,III. They live pretty much paycheck to paycheck.

But when Bush is killed in an automobile accident, Burstyn wants to move from Socorro, New Mexico back to Monterey, California where she grew up and where she felt truly happy. So they take to the road and the story really starts from there.

Ellen Burstyn got her career role and a Best Actress Oscar for this film. It's one multi-layered performance, especially in her scenes with Lutter whose hormones are starting to kick in and he's a handful. She gets into a bad relationship while lingering in Phoenix with a married man whom she didn't know was married. Her scenes with Lane Bradbury as the wife and the psychotic Harvey Keitel when she learns what a violent psychotic he is are devoid of dialog for the most part on Burstyn's part. But her expressions contain so much meaning. Keitel should be commended for his performance here also.

In fact after both Bush and Keitel, Burstyn's understandably gun shy when she meets rancher Kris Kristofferson. Is Kristofferson the real deal or is Burstyn just afraid? And how will young Mr. Lutter factor in? For that you need and should watch Alice Doesn't Live Her Any More.

The film also got Oscar nominations for Robert Getchell's original story and screenplay and for Diane Ladd as her fellow server at Mel's Diner in Tucson. Ladd's is not the comic performance from the Alice TV series that Polly Holiday was. But she's been around the block a few times and has some sage advice for all who listen. Vic Tayback is the only member of the film cast to repeat his role in the TV series. His Melvin Sharples is subdued here, he really gets to shine on the small screen.

Alice Doesn't Live Here Any More was directed by Martin Scorsese and is a timeless film. Absolutely could be remade today and try to figure out who could play these parts with today's players.

When I was younger, my sister and I would spend countless hours each day watching television. One of the programs we found ourselves glued to was Alice. For those who may not remember the show too clearly, one phrase may help jog your memory... "Kiss my grits!" If that didn't help, you probably have never seen the show (or as some folks may say... "it was before my time.")

Anyway... last night I saw a film titled Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. Upon starting the movie, all I knew about it was that it was directed by the great Martin Scorsese, and that it was about a widowed wife and her son who drive across the country. To my great surprise, the character Alice is the same character from the TV sitcom. I didn't put two and two together until halfway through the film when it showed the diner with Mel and the other two waitresses. It was fun to see the other characters like Flo, Vera and Mel (the movie's Mel was the same actor as the TV show's Mel). Many of the elements were similar between television and movie; the only noticeable difference was the tone. On television, the show was a sitcom comedy made to get a good laugh every few minutes.

The film, however, was a bit more serious because of various real life situations (relationships, child upbringing, death).

This coincidence made things much more interesting as the film continued. Don't get me wrong, the movie was pretty damn good already; I just seemed to enjoy it a bit more when I started putting the pieces together. Scorsese, once again, showed his incredible directing skills. He was able to bring the viewer into the extreme pain and desperation of the main character, while at the same time, show the positive things in Alice's life through his use of color and cinematography.

Overall, the film was enjoyable because it was quite heart warming (in contrast to the more famous gangster type films by Scorsese). It made me wish that either the television show were still on syndication, or that I get to chance to see this film sometime again.

For those of you who thought Martin Scorsese only made gangster movies, here's a real surprise: not only did he make a housewife melodrama somewhere in the seventies, but he made the best one around for miles. Ellen Burstyn is fantastic as middle-aging wife and mother Alice, whose life is torn apart when her neglectful husband is killed in a car accident and she is left with nothing to take care of her fast growing son (Alfred Lutter III). The two find themselves on a road trip across the country to Tucson where she plans to start all over again, but not before various stops along the way keep them from achieving their goal too soon. Diane Ladd is brilliant as Flo, the nasty-mouthed waitress at the diner where Alice gets a job to stay afloat (Polly Holliday made a name for herself playing the role on the hit television show "Alice" that was based on this film). Look for little Laura Dern eating an ice cream cone at the diner counter, and a twelve year-old Jodie Foster as a precocious little thief who hilariously refers to her prostitute mother as "Ramada Rose". Excellent stuff.

Ellen Burstyn gives a superb, Oscar-winning performance in this underrated film by Martin Scorsese. A joy. I've seen it ten times and still love it. Great performances all round, especially by Burstyn, Diane Ladd, Harvey Keitel, Lane Bradbury, Kris Kristofferson, Alfred Lutter, Jodie Foster, Valerie Curtin, and Lelia Goldoni. Picaresque tale of sudden widow who decides to follow her dream--with a 12-year-old-boy in tow. Episodic film has high moments and low and the acting is so good. Burstyn gives a career-defining turn here. Can't even imagine another actress who could have done this part. And in 1974 we still had a bevy of star actresses. The character of Alice is so appealing. No one writes parts like this now. And skanks like Jennifer Lopez can only DREAM of turning in the performance Burstyn does. Funny and sad and thoroughly engrossing, this film is a winner by an underrated master of American film. In the 70s Burstyn was, with Jane Fonda, the best actress in films. No one could put over an emotional performance like Burstyn. In this film and films like Resurrection, Ellen Burstyn was able to wear her emotions on the her skin. Just remarkable. Ladd and Curtin are also terrific and funnier than hell.

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)

This is a weird, oddly moving time trip. If you can't quite connect to the characters, or the country wholesome slightly offbeat lower class middle America circa 1973 you won't enjoy it. Because it's about absorbing the mood as a two young people fall in love and find that being in love is hard.

Which it is. Ellen Burstyn as a single mom is pretty amazing, very convincing, avoiding glamorous clichés (not that she isn't beautiful in some Hollywood sense, but she's real). Her counterpart is played by Kris Kristofferson, who isn't really much of an actor, he holds his own most of the time, but in general he drags the movie down. Everyone, including Kristofferson, survives partly because it's about being normal, about the mundane, about being an average American.

It's filmed with a surprising beauty--but not the kind that draws attention to itself. There are parts where the camera moves with surprising fluidity, quickly following the characters. Other times, it's just the light that is so beautiful, and the color. Let's give Scorsese credit. He makes it affecting without making it false. A beautiful film. It's modest, somehow, not sensational, but thankfully not. Heartfelt above all.

Early On, in His Illustrious Career Director Martin Scorsese Made this Timely Female Move, Ironically Fitted Between Two of His Most Macho, Mean Streets (1973) and Taxi Driver (1976). What will be Known Later is No Surprise that He Nailed it, Because Scorsese is a Great Filmmaker.

His Love for Cinema is Evident from the Opening Homages to Hollywood's Dream Factory Past and Continues with Personal Flourishes Throughout, Popular Rock Tunes on the Soundtrack and a Neatly Nervous Camera Moving About.

Yes, it is Ellen Burstyn's Film but it is Framed in Scorsese's Artsy Way and the Two Combined for an Unforgettable and Timeless Movie. Burstyn Won the Oscar and Scorsese was a Voice to be Reckoned With.

Along with a Great Supporting Cast, Diane Ladd Also Took Home a Statue, the Film Today Does Not Feel a Bit Dated. It is an Amusing, Heartfelt, and Dramatic Movie that Can Inspire and Entertain. Highly Recommended for Scorsese Fans to See What the Director Could Do in His Youth Against Type and for Anyone with a Feel for Women and Their Struggle in a Man's World.

Note...Inspired the TV Sitcom Alice.

'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore' is A Great Human Story! Maverick Filmmaker Martin Scorsese delivers one of his finest films in here. His handling of this emotional subject, is absolutely remarkable. Also, Ellen Burstyn delivers a fabulous performance in the central role.

'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore' Synopsis: A recently widowed woman on the road with her precocious young son, determined to make a new life for herself as a singer.

'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore' is among the Great Efforts in Cinema. It's a human-story, that beautifully translates into an engaging & moving cinematic experience. The protagonist, Alice Hyatt, is as Human as it gets. Her ambition & responsibilities are relatable & very true. Her journey is emotionally challenging, psychically taxing & mentally broken. Yet, her journey engages & moves you.

Scorsese's handling of this emotional journey, is absolutely remarkable. In each & every frame, the Oscar-winner shows his attachment & understanding to this story. Robert Getchell's Screenplay is brilliantly moving. Cinematography, Editing & Art Design, are appropriate.

Performance-Wise: Ellen Burstyn delivers a fabulous performance as Alice Hyatt. She embodies Alice with unimaginable ease. She gives Alice the respect she deserves. A Hallmark Performance! Alfred Lutter is superb as Alice's preteen son. Kris Kristofferson does well. Diane Ladd is lovable. Harvey Keitel is in excellent form. A really young Jodie Foster, leaves a mark. Others lend support.

On the whole, 'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore' is an emotional triumph! One of Scorsese's Finest Films!

The beginning of the movie starts off with a bang. Martin Scorsese sees to that with his brilliant directing ability. I laughed out loud within the first minute. Even the opening credits and song were perfect for the intro. Harvey Keitel was great in his performance as well. He played his character to a T. But Ellen Burstyn completely takes the cake as far as performances go in this wonderfully realistic film. I want to rush and see every movie she's ever been in!!

In Socorro (which means 'Help', in Portuguese), Alice Hyatt (Ellen Burstyn) is a married woman, living with her eleven years old son Tommy Hyatt (Alfred Lutter), and being suffocated by her loveless marriage. Her husband dies in an accident with his delivery truck and the widowed woman leaves the city with her son with just a few bucks due to a garage sale, trying to reach Monteray, where she was a singer before her marriage, hoping to continue her former interrupted career. Along their journey, Alice gets minor jobs and has some love deceptions and desperate situations.

This movie has great dialogs, an outstanding performance of Ellen Burstyn and an excellent camera work. The screenplay is unconventional and intriguing, but I did not like its conclusion. It is very difficult to identify the teenager Jodie Foster looking like a boy. Great participation of the boy Alfred Lutter in the role of the rebel Tommy. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): 'Alice Não Mora Mais Aqui' ('Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore')