What Alice Found (2003)

A poor young woman is recruited by a friendly couple traveling in an RV into becoming part of the dark world of truck stop prostitution.

Director:

A. Dean Bell

Writer:

A. Dean Bell

Stars:

Judith Ivey, Bill Raymond, Emily Grace

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Judith Ivey	...	Sandra
Bill Raymond	...	Bill
Emily Grace	...	Alice
Jane Lincoln Taylor	...	Sally
Justin Parkinson	...	Sam
Katheryn Winnick	...	Julie
Lucas Papaelias	...	Alex
David Rose	...	Rough Trucker
John Kennedy Connors	...	Creepy Guy
John Knox	...	Trooper
Tim Hayes	...	Danny
Tom Tumminello	...	Pete
Rita Fredricks	...	Judge
Clint Jordan	...	Lot Trucker
Michael C. Maronna	...	Alice's Boyfriend

Storyline

Young Alice has hit the road in her beat-up Ford Escort, escaping from her dead end life in small town New England. She's off to Florida, following her friend Julie who's gone to college in Miami. But Alice gets into trouble on the road, and she's saved by Sandra and Bill, an older couple in an RV. They take Alice under their wing, but are they really good samaritans, or did they have something else in mind? And is Alice telling the truth to them about herself?

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Plot Keywords:

prostitution | small town | new england | friend | florida | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality, nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

Factory Films Inc. [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 January 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Case départ

Filming Locations:

Danbury, Connecticut, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Factory Films, Highland Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

After they cross into Alabama, they take an exit marked "Exit 11 Imlaystown/Cox Corner". This exit is actually off I-195 in central NJ.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Alice: [to clerk] Got maps?

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Connections

References The X-Files (1993)

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Soundtracks

"On and On"
Written by Chris Miskiewicz, Christopher Medrano, Ozzie Martinez / Swinger Eight
Performed by Swinger Eight

User Reviews

What Alice Found is a really good movie about growing up in America without the all too common clichés.

Until I did a Web search on "What Alice Found", I didn't realize that the name of the film is embedded in the title of one of Lewis Carroll's books. The book's complete title is "Through the Looking-Glass (And What Alice Found There)".

The Alice of the film comes from a background quite different from that of Lewis Carroll's Alice. Her fresh and assertive character, however, is similar. The movie Alice begins as a young woman in New Hampshire who steals money from her ass-patting boss and takes off for Miami, vaguely planning to study marine biology and play with dolphins. She encounters a middle-aged couple in a motor home (the husband's retired from the military) who rescue her from a strange man at a roadside stop and from her car's breakdown (perhaps caused by their mechanizations).

As it turns out, the couple is heavily involved in truck stop prostitution and see sweet, young Alice as a promising recruit. The wife (played by Judith Ivey in a performance worthy of some big award) buys Alice sexy clothing and shows her how to apply hot makeup. Initially, Alice passively accepts her ministrations and, with the couple's instructions, does several tricks. The encounter shown in the most detail is quite different from most cinematic sex but may be typical of what most often happens in real life. The man is shy and deferential and apologizes for "finishing" too fast.

What's wonderful about Alice (and different from her prototypes from Clarissa to Sister Carrie) is that she learns from her experiences and asserts herself. This is how things really are. Prostitution is everywhere. People are neither all good or all bad. Alice leaves the motor home with her well-earned money and a feeling of mutual respect.