Still Alice-2014

Directors Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland

Starring Julianne Moore

Scott’s Review #224

Reviewed February 26, 2015

Grade: B+

Still Alice (2014) tells the story of a highly educated college professor who, at the young age of fifty, is afflicted with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

She wrestles with not only the gloomy diagnosis but also the emotional effects of the disease and what effects it will have on her husband and three grown children.

The film also explores the hereditary aspects of the illness and its effects on the afflicted person’s offspring.

The film has a calm demeanor but is heartbreaking and a downer.

Alice Howland has always succeeded; she is a linguistics professor at the esteemed Columbia University in Manhattan and leads a seemingly idyllic life. She lives an affluent lifestyle and has three grown, well-adjusted children.

Alec Baldwin plays John Howland, and Kristen Stewart plays the most prominent daughter, Lydia.

These points of perfection make the story and her gradual decline all the more tragic to watch. We root for Alice because she is an ideal character- kind, loving, and the perfect mother and wife.

How could a thing like this happen to her? When she goes for a jog near her campus and suddenly doesn’t recognize her surroundings or where she is, the audience shares Alice’s confusion.

The main reason to watch the film is Julianne Moore’s astounding performance as Alice.

The film borders on a good Lifetime television movie, albeit much better than that and arguably in the same vein.

The acting sets this one above the mediocre, largely due to Moore; with a lesser actress, I wonder how the film would have succeeded.

The tender scenes are wonderful. When Alice wets her pants, the audience feels her humiliation, too. When she breaks down in fear and anxiety, we do the same with her.

The supporting cast also deserves praise, specifically Baldwin and Stewart. While not fully fleshed out, their support for their wife and mother, respectively, makes them sympathetic and likable.

An important scene in an ice-cream parlor late in the film, when John asks Alice if she “really wants to be here,” is misunderstood by Alice, making what he is asking even more profound.

A scene where a coherent Alice, early in her diagnosis, leaves instructions for herself via video to be seen when she is further along in her illness is suspenseful and left me rooting for one outcome, which could be interpreted as drastic, and left me conflicted.

Masterfully done.

My only criticism is that despite the subject matter of Alzheimer’s disease, which is devastating and life-altering not only for the victim but for the family, the film has a safe feel to it.

I would have liked darker, grittier moments throughout the film to make it even more effective.

Not a happily-ever-after story, bleaker moments might have prevailed. And, centered on Moore, it might also have been interesting to explore more of the effects the family has, and will go through, especially on Baldwin’s John.

The film could have explored his character and Lydia more deeply instead of merely supporting and comforting Alice.

Still Alice (2014) is worth seeing, if only for Julianne Moore’s performance, a talented actress doing a brilliant job in the title role.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Actress-Julianne Moore (won)

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 1 win-Best Female Lead-Julianne Moore (won)