Alice (1990)

A spoiled Manhattan housewife re-evaluates her life after visiting a Chinatown healer.

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen

Stars:

Mia Farrow, William Hurt, Joe Mantegna

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joe Mantegna	...	Joe
Mia Farrow	...	Alice
William Hurt	...	Doug
June Squibb	...	Hilda
Marceline Hugot	...	Monica
Dylan O'Sullivan Farrow	...	Kate
Matthew H. Williamson	...	Dennis (as Matt Williamson)
Julie Kavner	...	Decorator
Billy Taylor	...	Trainer
Holland Taylor	...	Helen
Michael-Vaughn Sullivan	...	Hairstylist
Robin Bartlett	...	Nina
Linda Wallem	...	Penny
Gina Gallagher	...	Joe's Daughter
Patience Moore	...	School Teacher

Storyline

Alice Tate, mother of two, with a marriage of 16 years, finds herself falling for the handsome sax player, Joe. Stricken with a backache, she consults Dr. Yang, an oriental herbalist who realizes that her problems are not related to her back, but in her mind and heart. Dr. Yang's magical herbs give Alice wondrous powers, taking her out of well-established rut.

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Plot Keywords:

female protagonist | invisible man | bored housewife | socialite | gossip | 

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Taglines:

A younger man and a bolder woman

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Cantonese

Release Date:

10 January 1991 (Argentina)

Also Known As:

Alice - Apisti i apatimeni?

Filming Locations:

64 Perry Street, Manhattan, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$7,331,647

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions,Orion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR (Mono)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

William Hurt and Alec Baldwin later appeared in The Good Shepherd (2006).

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Goofs

When Thelonious Monk's version of "Darn That Dream" appears on the soundtrack, the LP sleeve of "Monk's Dream" is shown, implying that Alice and Joe are listening to it. However the tune is not featured on that album.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Doug: Hey, where are you now?
Alice: Nowhere.
Doug: It's late, I have to go.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Green Card/Almost an Angel/Hamlet/Come See the Paradise/Alice (1990)

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Soundtracks

Southern Comfort
(1949)
Written by Danny Alguirre (as Danny Alguire), Frank Thomas & Ward Kimball
Performed by Firehouse Five Plus Two (as The Firehouse Five Plus Two)
Courtesy of Contemporary Music and Fantasy, Inc.

User Reviews

One of Woody's best

I think Woody Allen's 'Alice' is one of his most under-rated creations. This movie comes from his glory days before the scandal with his adopted daughter eclipsed his U.S. career.

Here is vintage Woody. A fecund imagination married to a masterful story-telling talent.

Like 'The Purple Rose of Cairo' (his masterpiece in my estimation) this is pure fantasy and it is delightful. Mia Farrow has done nothing finer, equal to her portrayal in Polanski's 'Rosemary's Baby' though of a completely different genre.

The little socio-political messages do not interfere with what is otherwise a nifty little love story between Alice and Joe Mantagna. Things don't quite work out in the end, as is usual in a Woody movie, but they are on the border of real-life possibility and add the bittersweet note that he is so good at.

I love this movie. It is not one of his rocking comedies like 'Broadway Danny Rose' but is a sweet vignette. It has overtones of 'Diary of Mad Housewife' but with a happier ending, for the housewife anyway.

The scenes with Keye Luke, Alice's magical Eastern physician are subtle and funny. The fantasy scenes with Alec Baldwin's dead lover and the wonderful Bernadette Peters' muse are enchanting. Peters' Bronx-like muse is especially funny.

Don't miss it.