Directors: Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland Starring: Julianna Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart Writers: Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland | 4/5 Still Alice Still Alice is a technically flawed movie about a heartbreaking topic (early-onset Alzheimers) that houses a powerhouse performance from the phenomenal Julianne Moore. That is all you need to know; but that would make for a wretched review, so let’s dive in. The directing team of Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, who directed last year’s mediocre Errol Flynn tribute The Last of Robin Hood, return a year later with a substantially better story to tell. Alice (Moore) is the model of success. She has an esteemed career as a linguistics professor, a healthy marriage to a loving husband (Alec Baldwin), and three grown kids. With a running time of 101 minutes, you suspect things to go south pretty quick. They do, as shown in a seminar scene where Alice passingly forgets a word that you can tell she would have otherwise never forgot. As the movie roles by and one slip of memory turns into a state of fright and delirium, you begin to realize that this story can only end one way. Still Alice is not full of twists, turns and surprises, which makes it all the more saddening. This is one of those stories that is so unflinchingly human and real that it can be hard to watch at times on an emotional level. The fact that this could happen to anyone at any age, no matter how rare, is a sobering thought to say the least. I do believe it is worth noting how thoroughly researched the story feels in regards to the disease and how it eats away at not only the host, but all of that person’s loved ones. This may be more to the credit of Lisa Genova, who wrote the novel on which the film is based, but Glatzer and Westmoreland still get props for bringing it to the big screen without draining any of the realism. |
I would like to turn my attention to a point I made in the last paragraph; the one about how Alzheimers eats away at loved ones. Still Alice would have been just fine to dig deep into the main character’s struggles and her’s alone, but the directors do their best to shine a light on her family. Sometimes they do not always succeed, as is the case with Alice’s petty daughter Anna (Kate Bosworth). In Alice’s other daughter Lydia (Kristen Stewart) and her husband John (Baldwin), they get it right.
John is a fellow professor with a similarly esteemed career. When Alice’s situation gets worse, he attempts to juggle both the care of his ailing wife and a burgeoning career. You may initially find him inconsiderate of Alice’s condition, but all of that fades away in a moving scene at a beach house when Alice forgets where the bathroom is. After that, I personally saw John as a fellow tragic figure who is turning to his work to cope with the pain of seeing the one he loves so sick. Baldwin, known mostly for his comedy work on 30 Rock scores big dramatic points here. You may feel differently, and that is totally fine.
The bulk of the film’s emotional pull comes from the scenes between Alice and Lydia, her wayward, struggling actress daughter who lives in LA. Their relationship is pleasant enough, but strained, with Alice wanting her daughter to attend college. The directors and Stewart never drive Lydia into annoying or insensitive territory, though. Learning to deal with living across the country from her ailing mother, as well as the all around friction there, pushes her to become the most compassionate and understanding of the kids. Stewart and Moore make a fantastic team.
Speaking of Moore, I don’t think it is too far of a stretch to name her’s as one of the best, if not the best, performances of the year. Her portrayal as an educated woman who watches her knowledge slip through her fingers like sand is emotionally intense and masterful work. She never overplays her hand and the film is all the better for it. As far as actresses go, I would gladly throw the crown to her and hope she gets the Oscar she deserves.
The filmmakers occasionally follow their actress’ lead, using certain editing techniques that feel inspired and in-line with the story and Alice’s deterioration. For example, as the disease worsens, scenes are transitioned with a slow blurring or focus. Another thing I noticed, and enjoyed, was how large spans of time would jump in between scenes without time cards; you only found that a month or more has passed by conversations or changes in the characters’ performances - one of the kids is pregnant, a storyline that seems to matter until it doesn’t. This type of time-is-irrelevant storytelling makes you feel even closer to Alice, who undoubtedly feels the same way.
Despite these notable exceptions, the directors fall into a generic style of storytelling that harkens to the kind of made-for-TV movies you would find on Lifetime or Hallmark. Too often does it feel like Moore is carrying the weight on her back alone. Glatzer and Westmoreland direct their actors with purpose and they have a knack for picking moving stories; but unless they sharpen their storytelling skills, they may have trouble in the future. They will not always have Julianne Moore to save the day.
John is a fellow professor with a similarly esteemed career. When Alice’s situation gets worse, he attempts to juggle both the care of his ailing wife and a burgeoning career. You may initially find him inconsiderate of Alice’s condition, but all of that fades away in a moving scene at a beach house when Alice forgets where the bathroom is. After that, I personally saw John as a fellow tragic figure who is turning to his work to cope with the pain of seeing the one he loves so sick. Baldwin, known mostly for his comedy work on 30 Rock scores big dramatic points here. You may feel differently, and that is totally fine.
The bulk of the film’s emotional pull comes from the scenes between Alice and Lydia, her wayward, struggling actress daughter who lives in LA. Their relationship is pleasant enough, but strained, with Alice wanting her daughter to attend college. The directors and Stewart never drive Lydia into annoying or insensitive territory, though. Learning to deal with living across the country from her ailing mother, as well as the all around friction there, pushes her to become the most compassionate and understanding of the kids. Stewart and Moore make a fantastic team.
Speaking of Moore, I don’t think it is too far of a stretch to name her’s as one of the best, if not the best, performances of the year. Her portrayal as an educated woman who watches her knowledge slip through her fingers like sand is emotionally intense and masterful work. She never overplays her hand and the film is all the better for it. As far as actresses go, I would gladly throw the crown to her and hope she gets the Oscar she deserves.
The filmmakers occasionally follow their actress’ lead, using certain editing techniques that feel inspired and in-line with the story and Alice’s deterioration. For example, as the disease worsens, scenes are transitioned with a slow blurring or focus. Another thing I noticed, and enjoyed, was how large spans of time would jump in between scenes without time cards; you only found that a month or more has passed by conversations or changes in the characters’ performances - one of the kids is pregnant, a storyline that seems to matter until it doesn’t. This type of time-is-irrelevant storytelling makes you feel even closer to Alice, who undoubtedly feels the same way.
Despite these notable exceptions, the directors fall into a generic style of storytelling that harkens to the kind of made-for-TV movies you would find on Lifetime or Hallmark. Too often does it feel like Moore is carrying the weight on her back alone. Glatzer and Westmoreland direct their actors with purpose and they have a knack for picking moving stories; but unless they sharpen their storytelling skills, they may have trouble in the future. They will not always have Julianne Moore to save the day.