Alice (1990)

Just perfect...

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Available on Blu-ray Disc (Region B)USA 1990 English (Colour); Comedy/Romance/Fantasy (Orion); 106 minutes (15 certificate)Crew includes: Woody Allen (Director/Screenwriter); Robert Greenhut (Producer); Jack Rollins, Charles H. Joffe (Executive Producers); Carlo Di Palma (Cinematographer); Santo Loquasto (Production Designer); Susan E. Morse (Editor)Cast includes: Alec Baldwin (Eddie), Blythe Danner (Dorothy), Judy Davis (Vicki), Mia Farrow (Alice Tait), William Hurt (Doug Tait), Keye Luke (Dr Yang), Joe Mantegna (Joe Ruffalo), Bernadette Peters (Muse), Cybill Shepherd (Nancy Brill), Gwen Verdon (Alice's Mother)Academy Award nomination: Original Screenplay; Golden Globe nomination: Actress - Musical/Comedy (Farrow)"A younger man and a bolder woman."A neglected, unfulfilled housewife (Farrow) fantasises about having an affair with a divorced musician (Mantegna), when she is made to reappraise her life on visiting a Chinese acupuncturist (Luke, in his final film) for a bad back, and is instead prescribed magic herbs that allow her to lose her inhibitions, turn invisible, and communicate with a dead ex-boyfriend (Baldwin).Overfamiliar elements - Farrow (back then), jazz soundtrack (plus, in this case, subject matter), very Allen-esque dialogue (though without the man himself appearing) - combine with a gentle romance demonstrating a nice change of pace for normally tough-guy Mantegna.Important lesson - disregard trivialities in favour of what's important - emerges from this lightweight Allen.Blu-ray Extras: Trailer. * (2/10)

Full disclosure, I did not expect to enjoy Woody Allen's 1990 film, Alice, at all. Not only did the concept of an upscale housewife seeking the council of an alternative healer sound like an unlikely premise for a film, but I had also been told my many a film fan that the 90's represented a slog in the career of Woody Allen. I was pleasantly surprised, however, by Alice. The innovative film techniques and tight narrative ensured I was invested in the film until the final credits rolled. One thing I especially love about Woody Allen films is that even in his films that the majority of audiences don't view as highly, there is always something unique to the director within the film, making even a "lower tier" Woody Allen film feel very "Woody-ish".Alice (Mia Farrow) has been married to her husband Doug (William Hurt) for nearly 16 years. In that time span, Alice has given up her life and career in exchange for manicures and massages and a life that otherwise revolves around her and Doug's two children. There is not an aspect of Alice's home life overlooked, she has a full-time maid, nanny, personal trainer, and decorator. Alice's days are expected to be filled with shopping and personal beautification appointments. This life may be heavenly for some but for Alice, a woman with ambitions and a drive to find a purpose for her life, her life has become a personal hell. When Alice continues to experience back problems, she is referred by many to a Dr. Yang (Keye Luke) an acupuncturist and natural healer. After a brief hypnosis, Dr. Yang diagnosis Alice as being so dissatisfied with her personal life that she has manifested this unfulfillment into physical pain. Dr. Yang prescribes an herbal treatment for Alice which helps her mend her relationship with her sister, find out truths about her husband, and come to a difficult realization about a man that she has been considering pursuing despite her marriage. Dr. Yang's treatment eventually helps Alice come to terms with aspects of her life that she has willfully ignored, aiding her towards finally giving her life purpose. This is an odd film to note this particular observation, but, I realize that I have never remarked on how aesthetically pleasing Woody Allen's opening credits are. The same font has been used on each of his features that I have seen so far, driving home the idea that Woody Allen really is this ordered being reluctant to change that I've always heard he was. Another aspect of Woody's films that I always enjoy, especially so in Alice, is the fantastic music. The largely instrumental score is lovely and aids greatly by its simplicity in advancing and adding to the plot. He sets the mood of New York in the look of his films as well as their sound. Of course Woody Allen likes jazz music so much, the genre itself was born out of heartbreak. Now that I'm nearly halfway through Woody Allen's filmography, I can better attest to the similarity of themes in each of his films. One thing that has struck me is just how often infidelity shows up in his films. Almost always, there is not infidelity alone but a loveless marriage, as well. It seems that this may come from a fear of inadequacy and negative view of long- term commitment. If this is so, it again becomes crystal clear why I have always been drawn to Woody Allen films. One particular innovative film technique I particularly enjoyed in Alice were the flashbacks. I truly love the way Woody films flashbacks with the person in the room, or the person in their current state experiencing the flashbacks. Filming quirks like nontraditional flashbacks are just another reason why I adore Woody Allen films so much. I can only hope the rest of Woody Allen's "career slog" I've heard about is as fruitful as Alice.

With a poll being held on IMDb's Classic Film board for the best titles of 1990,I decided to take a look at Woody Allen's IMDb page.Discovering that Allen had made a film which appears to have become almost forgotten about,I decided that it would be a good time to find out if Alice did live here anymore.The plot:Taking her kids to school, socialite Alice Tate runs into a handsome man dropping his kid off at the school.With having been married to Doug for 16 years,Alice's life has become one that is focused on material possessions,partly related to the spark in her marriage having burnt out long ago.Talking to her friends about feeling attracted to someone other than Doug,Alice's friends advise her to a herbalist doctor called Yang.Meeting Yang,Alice starts to tell Yang about the sudden feeling that are developing.After getting Alice to reveal her inner feeling via hypnosis,Yang gives Alice a packet of herbs,which he claims will make her act on her impulsive feelings.Taking all the herbs,Alice soon enters a new & exciting wonderland.View on the film:Staying behind the camera,writer/director Woody Allen and cinematographer Carlo Di Palma use superbly-handled tracking shots to show all of the material possessions being at a distance from the "real" Alice.Sliding the movie into wonderful flights of fantasy,Allen dips into Alice's mind by startling infer red flashbacks,and a visit from a Ghost of Christmas Past-style character.Despite filming not being the easiest experience, (with Allen checking himself into hospital,shortly after finishing the films multiple re-shoots) the screenplay by Allen expertly cracks the shell of Alice's high-end,shallow life,thanks to Allen showing the riches to have drained any excitement from Alice's life.Enchanting Alice (and the audience) with the appearance of Dr.Yang,Allen reveals a real joy in taking advantage of the fantasy opportunity,as Allen uses Yang's herbs to take Alice from being invisible,to flying across a vast city.Made just before he passed away, Keye Luke gives a splendid performance as Yang,with Luke giving Yang a real sense of excitement,over helping Alice to peel away to her true self.Whilst her performance does contain some hints of being twee,Mia Farrow does very well at keeping Alice largely on the charming side,with Farrow giving Alice an excellent nervous energy,as Alice starts to turn away from her closed-in life,and begins to look into the looking glass.

Alice (Mia Farrow) is a guileless rich New York housewife who shops looks beautiful for her husband Doug (William Hurt) and takes care of her kids from time to time.She encounter Joe Mantenga at her children's school and is smitten...through the help of a Chinese acupuncturist herbalist hypnotist she embarks on a magical odyssey and discovers what her real values are.It is a unique and creative movie where by Alice appears invisible is able to fly with ghosts and other things much like Alice in Wonderland.There are a couple funny lines but this is not a comedy...it treats with a light touch matters such as fidelity in a far more palatable manner (in my opinion) than the contemporary dreadfully serious (and lousy) film by Allen entitled: Another Woman.Prepare to be entertained and left also with feelings a drama might leave as well... perfect.About the only reservations I have is Allen's constant dated use of upper middle class pseudo intellectual (for want of a better phrase) New Yorkers...you get the opinion he takes them as important social markers for his own prestige. But then one must remember that Allen was born in 1935 he is essentially of another generation one where divorce fidelity and upper middle class props were boiler plate and serious frameworks.