Best movie of this year hands down!

A lot of fun.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

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.

Widowed mother Alice Hyatt (Ellen Burstyn) sets off on the road to find a living for her and her son, 11 year old Tommy (Alfred Lutter). She ends up in Tucson AZ and gets a job as a waitress in a diner. There she meets David (Kris Kristofferson) and falls in love with him. But is he what she wants or needs? An excellent comedy drama about a woman trying to find herself and what to do after her husband dies. Burstyn (in an Oscar winning performance) is just perfect in the role. You see her struggling and wondering what she wants. Also Lutter is her son and he's not ignored. You also see him struggling to fit in and fall in with the wrong person--Audrey (played by a VERY young Jodie Foster). The script is fantastic full of sharp observations on love, life and sex. There are also plenty of genuinely funny one-liners to lighten the mood. All the acting is great too. I never thought Kristofferson was much of an actor but I like him here. Also Diane Ladd is great (and also Oscar nominated) as Flo--another waitress. There's also a ridiculously youthful-looking Harvey Kietel in a small role. This is a great film. It does end rather conventionally (it seems Alice and David will end up together) but that's a small complaint.This led to the long-running sitcom "Alice" which was MUCH different in tone. Only Vic Tayback recreated his role for the series and later Ladd came back as Flo also. It's still hard to believe that Martin Scorsese did this. Recommended.

'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!

Alice is a pearl … she's the kind of everyday heroine the world needs today … in French, they call them "mere courage" meaning literally "mother bravery" and God, I respect this woman, and I respect Martin Scorsese, the one who made the ultimate guy movies, for having dedicated such a great film for women, those misunderstood wonders of the world that we, men, use, to make ourselves feel like men … God bless you, Marty ! and Bravo, for Ellen Burstyn, for having portrayed such a character! Alice, what a wonderful name, she reminds me of a poor little girl plunged in a surrealistic world where everything seems against her … I don't know if it's an homage to Lewis Carrol's titular heroine, the fact is that this film is a psychological road movie in the soul of a fragile creature that has a bad day, a long bad day, that tunnels us in the deepest fears and sentimental problems that a woman in the middle of the 70's could encounter ... and I sincerely hoped, all through the film, that this tunnel would end in a light of hope … Light is not something this movie lacked, Ellen Burstyn's smile is the sunshine that enlightened my heart, and made me wish that her dream to become a singer would finally be true … but this is a dream, and she's Alice. Marty, I know you're smart enough, and I didn't expect a happy ending, nor a cynical one, this is a movie about women, about mothers, and I'm glad that you handled it with the respect we all owe to our mothers, our women … Not that I'm surprised, but I was worried, and I'm glad that all ended that ended well for her … The story of Alice started with a homage to the "Wizard of Oz", a nice touch to remind us that sometimes our dreams are part of a sort of surrealistic world that doesn't take today's harshness into consideration … not surprising though, that 27 years later, we find Alice as a devoted mother trying to balance between an annoying but harmless little brat and a dominating husband figure … from the beginning, we understand one thing, that dear Alice needs a break, but need in Scorsese's movies are not necessarily fulfilled, not without the touch of fate anyway, the same touch that decided to precociously make Alice, a widow ...But a widow is not the character that suits her, she basically can't live without a man, why? Because despite everything, this is not a feminist movie, it's about reality, idealization leads to disappointment while realism provides hope, the same hope that guided Alice to look for a better future for her, and her child … "mere courage" again. Crisis and opportunity are almost synonyms in the world of Alice, she's always about to breakdown BUT never does. That's the very aspect of her personality, she's so fragile that she needs a man, but not enough to become dependent.Marty, you were a precocious genius, because even though you probably didn't understand women … who did and who will, anyway? … You directed a movie with all the humility in your heart and let women guide you, to make us understand the truths that lie beneath the beauty … they can be singers, wives, widows, or waitresses, these poor little souls are the greatest thing God ever created. And WE, we, men, don't deserve them.Indeed, what I learned from Alice, Bea, or Flo is that there's a whole universe inhabiting these hearts, and we try to gain self-respect, we try to affirm our masculinity in the most cowardly way, by reducing to dominated objects those creatures who just want to be protected, understood, loved, and we're too weak to admit how needy we are … We all need women … and I'm glad, you Marty, didn't caricature the purpose of the film, by making all the men equal to Donald, a decent but rude guy, or Ben, Harvey Keitel, a brief but powerful performance. We have something in common with them, but there's an inner David in us, Kris Kristofferson as the man who redeemed us all.David is the good guy, with a living and a need of love, no surprise he immediately felt for Alice … but there was the boy, the product of a spoiled education worsened by the absence of a fatherly figure, this could have lead to the worst clashes, but Marty's film is more lighthearted than what I'd thought, and it's better this way. It's not a female version of Taxi Driver, despite the presence of a superb Jodie Foster, in a promising performance. It's an inspiring film where Alice will finally have the break she always dreamed of.Alice, after facing so much brutality, and others expressions of masculine weakness, will finally find the strength in its most honest and even clumsy way, but clumsy for a man almost means sincere … and I was glad that despite everything, she ended up, with David … will she become a singer? Will she fulfill her dreams ? At least she's with a man ... but this is not a male victory, the real winner is Alice and no one else.This is a movie about women, but made by a man and it couldn't have been more honest and sincere about the way we treat our wives and mothers … we're bad, we're flawed, but God knows we need them … the movie is like a humble cinematic apology, from one of the greatest directors of his generation, and allow me to be among those who say : "Sorry for the way we treat you". I love your films, Marty, I loved Alice and God knows how I love women … and Mom, especially