Alice *** (1990, Mia Farrow, William Hurt, Joe Mantegna, Keye Luke, Alec Baldwin, Blythe Danner, Judy Davis, Bernadette Peters, Cybill Shepherd, Julie Kavner, Gwen Verdon, Patrick O’Neal) – Classic Movie Review 8687

Writer-director Woody Allen’s enjoyable 1990 romantic comedy Alice once again stars Mia Farrow, as Alice Tate, an uptight rich New York City housewife who meets and falls for handsome sax player Joe Ruffalo (Joe Mantegna), finds her husband Doug (William Hurt) is unfaithful, and tries to sort out her life, love and career after consulting oriental herbalist Dr Yang (Keye Luke) for crippling backache.

It also stars Alec Baldwin, Blythe Danner, Judy Davis, Bernadette Peters, Cybill Shepherd, Julie Kavner, Gwen Verdon (as Alice’s Mother) and Patrick O’Neal (as Alice’s Father).

Farrow is extremely good in an uneven comedy, with strong scenes, dull stretches and funny jokes in about equal quantities. Where is Woody though?

Esteemed veteran character actor Keye Luke, in his final movie, enjoys the film’s best moments, but Allen also writes great roles for women: Farrow is remarkable as the troubled female protagonist and Gwen Vernon and Bernadette Peters stand out in the special cast as Alice’s old-time movie star Mother and the wise-cracking Muse.

Allen was Oscar nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen and Farrow was Golden Globe nominated for  Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical.

Also in the cast are Caroline Aaron, Holland Taylor, Robin Bartlett, David Spielberg, Bob Balaban, Elle Macpherson, June Squibb, Marceline Hugot, Dylan O’Sullivan Farrow, Matthew H Williamson, Billy Taylor, Michael-Vaughn Sullivan, Linda Wallem, Gina Gallagher, Patience Moore, James Toback, Diane Salinger, Lisa Marie and Judith Ivey.

Alice is directed by Woody Allen, is made by Jack Rollins and Charles H Joffe Productions and Orion Pictures, released by Orion, is written by Woody Allen, is shot by Carlo di Palma, is produced by Jack Rollins and Charles H Joffe and is designed by Santo Loquasto and Speed Hopkins.

Alice was not among Allen’s more popular movies. It cost $12,000,000 and grossed only $7,331,647 in the US.

Allen conceived the film when he had alternative treatment for a stye in his eye, mixing that idea with a reworking of Federico Fellini’s Juliet of the Spirits (1965). Originally titled The Magical Herbs of Dr Yang, Alice was filmed in late 1989. Farrow was raising her young children while filming and Allen was obsessing over the film’s details, reshooting certain scenes. After the shoot, Allen went into hospital for stress.

Keye Luke (1904–1991) is remembered as Lee Chan in Charlie Chan at the Race Track (1936) and Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo (1937), Detective James Lee ‘Jimmy’ Wong in Phantom of Chinatown (1940) and Grandfather (Mr Wing) in Gremlins (1984) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990).

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8687

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