Still Alice
3/4
Starring: Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth, Hunter Parrish, Stephen Kunken
Rated PG-13 for Mature Thematic Material, and Brief Language including a Sexual Reference
It's the little things that signal to Alice that something isn't right. A slip of the tongue, the inability to recall a random word. Alone, they're nothing to worry about. We all have them. But when the highly respected linguistics professor gets lost on her own campus, she begins to worry.
"Still Alice," the film about a woman with early-onset Alzheimer's, has enough problems that I'd be on the fence about recommending it, except for the fact that it has Julianne Moore playing the lead role. Moore, after three previous nominations, finally got to take home a statue for playing Alice Howland, and she deserves it. The film as a whole is heavily flawed but shows flashes of brilliance, but it's Moore that holds it together. In a way, I was reminded of last year's "Blue Jasmine." Both are heavily flawed movies about mentally challenged women that are saved by their lead performers (and incidentally, both won the Oscar for Best Actress).
The film occasionally takes a unique look at Alzheimer's, mainly from it's point-of-view. Directors Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland present the film from Alice's perspective. For example, we suddenly learn that things they've talked about happened previously, or many times previously, even though we are seeing them for the first time. It's very effective and gets us into her mindset, but unfortunately, it doesn't happen enough and the directors do too little with it. A potentially crucial bit of information, which regards the possibility of Alice passing on the gene for her disease to one, or all, of her three children (Stewart, Bosworth and Parrish) is raised but closed up with no mention after it. Surely its revelation, which I will not reveal here, would be more important to the Howland family.
The film's plot trajectory, which echoes the progression of Alice's illness, is also clunky. I understand that Alzheimer's doesn't progress at a set pace, but there are times when Alice is clearly affected, but in the next scene she's still talking like a linguistics professor. It's more than a little jarring and hurts the film's fragile flow.
Moore is supported by an able supporting cast. The two with the most screentime are Alec Baldwin, who does a solid job with an undeveloped character. John is determined to help his wife, but the script doesn't offer him the chance to really do something with his character. He's mainly someone for Moore to play off of. Kristen Stewart, who plays their black sheep daughter Lydia, has a juicier character, and does a solid job. But the film focuses a little too much on her and not enough on John. Bosworth and Parrish are also good, but they have little to do.
For those who think that this movie is a complete downer, it's really not. It's more thoughtful and perceptive than depressing. There are also some moments of dark humor early on, most of which (I think) are intentional.
Aside from Moore, who is a revelation, the film doesn't have quite enough to recommend seeing it in the theater, but performances like these should be savored. Moore has never been a risk-averse actress. She chooses her projects carefully (not to mention reads every script that she receives) and is choosy about the films she takes part in. She's always a good actress, and to see her at the top of her game is always worth it. Even if the movie is flawed.
Starring: Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth, Hunter Parrish, Stephen Kunken
Rated PG-13 for Mature Thematic Material, and Brief Language including a Sexual Reference
It's the little things that signal to Alice that something isn't right. A slip of the tongue, the inability to recall a random word. Alone, they're nothing to worry about. We all have them. But when the highly respected linguistics professor gets lost on her own campus, she begins to worry.
"Still Alice," the film about a woman with early-onset Alzheimer's, has enough problems that I'd be on the fence about recommending it, except for the fact that it has Julianne Moore playing the lead role. Moore, after three previous nominations, finally got to take home a statue for playing Alice Howland, and she deserves it. The film as a whole is heavily flawed but shows flashes of brilliance, but it's Moore that holds it together. In a way, I was reminded of last year's "Blue Jasmine." Both are heavily flawed movies about mentally challenged women that are saved by their lead performers (and incidentally, both won the Oscar for Best Actress).
The film occasionally takes a unique look at Alzheimer's, mainly from it's point-of-view. Directors Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland present the film from Alice's perspective. For example, we suddenly learn that things they've talked about happened previously, or many times previously, even though we are seeing them for the first time. It's very effective and gets us into her mindset, but unfortunately, it doesn't happen enough and the directors do too little with it. A potentially crucial bit of information, which regards the possibility of Alice passing on the gene for her disease to one, or all, of her three children (Stewart, Bosworth and Parrish) is raised but closed up with no mention after it. Surely its revelation, which I will not reveal here, would be more important to the Howland family.
The film's plot trajectory, which echoes the progression of Alice's illness, is also clunky. I understand that Alzheimer's doesn't progress at a set pace, but there are times when Alice is clearly affected, but in the next scene she's still talking like a linguistics professor. It's more than a little jarring and hurts the film's fragile flow.
Moore is supported by an able supporting cast. The two with the most screentime are Alec Baldwin, who does a solid job with an undeveloped character. John is determined to help his wife, but the script doesn't offer him the chance to really do something with his character. He's mainly someone for Moore to play off of. Kristen Stewart, who plays their black sheep daughter Lydia, has a juicier character, and does a solid job. But the film focuses a little too much on her and not enough on John. Bosworth and Parrish are also good, but they have little to do.
For those who think that this movie is a complete downer, it's really not. It's more thoughtful and perceptive than depressing. There are also some moments of dark humor early on, most of which (I think) are intentional.
Aside from Moore, who is a revelation, the film doesn't have quite enough to recommend seeing it in the theater, but performances like these should be savored. Moore has never been a risk-averse actress. She chooses her projects carefully (not to mention reads every script that she receives) and is choosy about the films she takes part in. She's always a good actress, and to see her at the top of her game is always worth it. Even if the movie is flawed.
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