Alice

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Jeff M While not the cinematic feast of such crowning achievements as HANNAH AND HER SISTERS or CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS, this is still a tasty appetizer or maybe a delicious side dish on Allen's movie menu, and it remains one of his more underrated and overlooked films. It is also possibly the best vehicle he ever provided for one-time muse Farrow, who is pretty much in every scene. She is slyly funny in a rather subtle performance, and this is a reminder that she was the perfect actor to recite Allen's dialogue. As always, Woody fills the movie with a brilliant array of actors, many of whom only have a brief scene or two. There is no standout supporting performance like in most of his films, but I'd like to highlight Keye Luke as the doctor who supplies Alice with the mystical herbs that provide a great deal of laughs, particuarly toward the end of the film at a dinner party. The titular character's name is surely not coincidental as similarities to ALICE IN WONDERLAND abound throughout. If you're not a Woody Allen fan, this movie most likely won't convert you; however, if you appreciate his films as much as I do, you'll find much to enjoy. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/24 Full Review ross w I keep coming back to this movie for some reason. Have watched it three or four times and still like it. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Daniel N Nice, funny and well-taken story with a beautiful performance by Mia Farrow. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/06/20 Full Review andres s Mia Farrow is so cute and pretty. She has this innocence and charm. Woody is so good with turning on the charm factor in his movies but also doesn't neglect the real and dark side of things like affairs and lost love and relationship/marital problems. It must be tough living in the whole rich expensive yuppy world. That's sarcasm by the way. Oh my god that was so funny. She almost said something to the guy but her plans were foiled immediately when the teacher came by and started talking to her. I can't but feel like this is a nod to Alice in Wonderland especially when Dr. Yang brought out the hypnotizing spiral machine. Pretty cool how he was able to diagnose her and have her open up under hypnotization. It's so weird seeing her flirt with the guy that she likes. It's almost like she's a completely different person. No more shyness. William Hurt is a great actor. He can be funny without trying. So funny to see how she chickened out of meeting up with Joe at the penguin exhibit. It's so cool how the whole Eastern medicine aspect of the movie kind of made it into somewhat of a fairytale. I can't help but think that Alec Baldwin as a ghost in this movie is a callback and shoutout to his role in Beetlejuice. I really liked how Woody put that in there and I liked his role in the movie. The aerial shots of New York City and the beach were beautiful. Really smooth camerawork. Colors play a big part in this movie. When she feels stressed or out of place or even is acting like not her true self, she usually is wearing red. "You know, throw her down on the couch. For old times sake?" That line coming from Mia was so funny. That delivery was brilliant. Seeing Mia frantically try to piece together her outfit was pretty funny. I loved how Bernadette was Mia's muse. Oh s**t! Her husband was having an affair the whole time! It must be pretty hard trying to figure yourself out late in the game amidst being trapped in a marriage with kids and being in your 40's. I feel for Alice. The whole love herb in the eggnog bit was fu***ng hilarious. That's some classic Woody Allen comedy right there. How all the guys at the party are head over heels for her but they don't even know her. I'm glad Alice made the right choice and left all the pretentious and fake life behind for a more real one with a focus on doing what she truly loves and spending time with her kids. Woody never disappoints, never. I've loved all of his movies. He's so creative and imaginative creating almost dreamlike and fantasy-like scenes. This one has a class and elegance to it like none of his other movies. I honestly went into this movie not thinking much of it and in the end left pleasantly surprised by how great it was and how deep its messages are. Important things to take from this movie: Eastern medicine is the way to go, sometimes we get stuck in a rut but someone or something can come into our lives and get us moving in the right direction, and don't pursue a life that's fake. I really enjoyed this movie. I thought it was really funny at times and I think its messages are timeless. I can't help but think that Woody himself probably went through some of these things in his life which then inspired him to make this movie. I definitely have to own this one. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review steve d Incredibly boring from beginning to end. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member This could hardly be considered one of Woody Allen's best films as it does not deal with the weighty themes of Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) or have the wit of Annie Hall (1977) yet it is an engaging character study with an astonishing central performance from Mia Farrow. Like many films he made during this period it focuses on the troubles of the idle rich who have all of the issues that a normal person would contend with removed from their lives and so live a somewhat passionless, removed existence. This is more successful than the later Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993) however because it focuses on the evolution of just one character and gets so many specific details correct. Wealthy New York City housewife Alice Tate, Mia Farrow, is dissatisfied with her sixteen year marriage to the dull and uncaring Doug, William Hurt, and the lack of substance in her life of shopping and socializing with shallow friends. She is attracted to saxophonist Joe Ruffalo, Joe Mantegna, whom she meets when she picks her children up from school but she struggles to talk to him due to her nerves. A friend recommends that she visit herbalist Dr. Yang, Keye Luke, who provides with her herbs that allow her to successfully flirt with Ruffalo. Due to her strict Catholic upbringing she feels guilt for flirting with another man while married and backs out of meeting with him. Despite this they continue their flirtation and eventually sleep together as her experiences cause her to question why she feels empty and what she needs to make her feel whole again. After she discovers that Doug has been having affairs she asks for a divorce and announces to Ruffalo that she would like to have a serious relationship with him but he has returned to his ex-wife. Eventually she discovers that what she really wants is to throw away the materialism in her life and return to her Catholic roots. The opening scenes of the film take on a satirical bent as the biggest problems that our central couple have are whether their various employees within the home will purchase a certain type of chicken. As Tate is driven through New York City in a limousine with an inordinate amount of free time on her hands and a seemingly endless amount of money to spend on whatever her heart desires it would be easy to hate her. Fortunately the film is aware of this fact and has other characters in the film, including Yang, mock Tate's pointless ennui as she has everything a person could possibly want. Her affair could seem selfish and silly but when see how stultifyingly dull Doug is it is easy to see why a whimsical jazz musician would seem thrilling. The fact that we are also aware of her upbringing in a small town without a great deal of money and with an alcoholic, failed actress mother builds up our sympathy for her and causes us to accept the idea that she has dealt with the struggles of regular people. The film moves seamlessly from satire that would appear to mock Tate to introspective character study that wants us to take her problems serious as inconsequential as they may be in the grand scheme of things. Then there is the pleasure of seeing Yang administer her with various herbs that let her become invisible and spy on Ruffalo while he has passionate sex with his ex-wife or sneak up on Doug as he has an affair in his office. Few fantasy films have used the idea of magical potions that give the characters abilities that they would not otherwise have had as Tate is just the sort of woman who needs some magic in her safe and boring life. There is also the fact that Farrow, with her big expressive eyes, makes all of this believable and forces us to suspend our belief because we have so much fun watching her move from skilled seductress to neurotic, nervous young woman plagued by guilt. She expertly plays Tate as she moves through each phase of her transformation and in each she is completely lovable as she is not the whiny Farrow found in some of Allen's lesser works but a wholly realized woman contending with her own lack of fulfillment. I am shocked that Farrow did not receive an Academy Award nomination for her work in this film as she carries the entire affair and the lineup in 1990 was fairly weak with Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman (1990) making her way into it. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Alice

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