Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

Juggling the moods of Robert Getchell’s script with the brilliance of Godard in his prime, Scorsese flips scenes over to reveal the other side of the coin, then balances them on edge with both sides on view.

There are a few moments when it borders close enough on soap opera that a couple of bubbles squish around some bare toes, but the bulk of Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore is a solid motion picture.

"Alice" has been put together in so obvious an attempt to answer the womanless or woman-hating films of today, that I only wish I could have liked it more than I do.

Ellen Burstyn, giving an Oscar-oriented performance, confirms her status as a remarkably fine actress in Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore... She offers a full portrait of the human personality slowly finding courage for self-assertion.

What makes it especially appealing is the presence of Ellen Burstyn, who, thanks to Scorsese, has finally been given her due, a role that fully realizes her potential as an actress.

Too much reality might have risked being a real downer, too little compromises the power of Miss Burstyn's odyssey. Still her performance, and Miss Ladd's are high among the year's best work

A more volatile movie than you’d expect from a story like this, with scenes suddenly exploding into laughter or tears as befitting an exhausted mom’s mood swings.

The cumulative effect of Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore is one of openness and warmth.

Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore stands as a remarkable chapter in the Scorsese canon.

It works even though it shouldn't, because of Scorsese's innate vitality and the breakneck momentum he can generate. "Alice" doesn't match the fury of Mean Streets, but its very superficiality allows it to be lively and likable.