Waitresses have more fun (or do they?)

Yesterday, CineVerse took a trip in the wayback machine to the mid 1970s, a time of maturation in Hollywood movies and daring new visions from bold young filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese. His "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" provoked an absorbing discussion among our members. Here's a recap:

WHAT IS CURIOUS, DIFFERENT AND DISTINCTIVE ABOUT THIS PICTURE?

It’s a departure for director Martin Scorsese, well known for making tough guy movies and mob films; this film showcases his versatility and sensitivity in bringing out good drama, comedy and strong performances from females, kids and a well-written script.

The film is an interesting blend of different genres, including drama, romantic comedy, road movie, and woman’s picture.

The story and characters are not easy to predict: the film doesn’t necessarily conclude the way most would expect, and the ending is unresolved and ambiguous, although emotionally you could argue there is some closure by the finish.

The movie is well cast, including heavyweights like Ellyn Burstyn (who won Best Actress Oscar), Diane Ladd (nominated for her role), Kris Kristofferson (in a role that put him on the map), Harvey Keitel, and future stars in Jodie Foster and even Diane Ladd’s daughter Laura Dern. Alfred Lutter, who plays the son, is also impressive as a precocious 12-year-old.

THE MOVIE HAS HAILED AS A FEMINIST PICTURE BY SOME, AND CRITICIZED AS NOT ENOUGH OF A FEMINIST STATEMENT BY OTHERS. HOW DOES THIS MOVIE SUCCEED AND FAIL AS A FEMINIST FILM?

It has the appearance of a feminist film, with a strong female protagonist, yet it depicts her as needing the love and attention of a man and possibly failing in her dream of becoming a singer/entertainer.

The film was interestingly timed, as it was released at the height of the women’s rights movement, when feminist issues seeped into politics and culture.

While some have viewed the film as a feminist film that is positive and supportive in showcasing a woman’s transformation from a symbol of domesticity to a figure of autonomy, others have criticized it for being a glorified melodrama/romcom wherein the female lead can only find happiness and fulfillment by having a man.

As Roger Ebert put it: “The movie has been both attacked and defended on feminist grounds, but I think it belongs somewhere outside ideology, maybe in the area of contemporary myth and romance. There are times, indeed, when the movie seems less about Alice than it does about the speculations and daydreams of a lot of women about her age, who identify with the liberation of other women but are unsure on the subject of themselves.”

Consider that Alice doesn’t necessarily realize her dreams of becoming a singer by the end, and that she pours on the tears in an earlier scene to evoke pity from a bar owner; this not some Betty Friedan, bra-burning feminist icon. Instead, Alice has faults and flaws just like any woman or man. And she decides to remain in Tucson and near David instead of pursuing her dream of going to Monterey and becoming established as a singer there.

Consider, as well, the opening scene, with its sepia tones and iconic images we’ve seen in classic Hollywood films. This appears to be a spoof of the Hollywood dream vision that many young girls are fed and led to believe can happen to them.

WHAT ARE THE THEMES EXAMINED IN “ALICE”?

The complex differences between women and men, as exemplified in Alice’s relationships with the opposite sex.

Arguably, the most important of these relationships is not between Alice and her boyfriends but between Alice and her pre-teen boy, who stands alone with her at the end of the film, as if suggesting that they’ve come to some sort of an agreement and reached a bond, despite facing a fork in the road ahead.

Interestingly, she admits later in the movie that she cannot live without a man. It’s telling that, in the last shot, the only male she’s left standing with is her son, which underscores his importance in her life as the only real male that matters.

Scorsese told one interviewer: “It was a film about self-responsibility and also about how people make the same mistakes again and again.”

In another interview, Scorsese said the film is not about Alice and her career, but instead is concerned with particular real characters living in confusion. Essayist Russell Davis posited: “For this reason, the picture ends with Alice and Tommy on the verge of a total mutual understanding, a necessary preliminary to their successful coping with the world’s chaos.”

DOES THIS MOVIE REMIND YOU OF ANY OTHERS?

An Unmarried Woman

The Courtship of Eddie’s Father

Gas Food Lodging

Tumbleweeds

Waitress