Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

Although the ending is a bit of a cop out from a feminist point of view, Scorsese's warm and witty blending of the road movie with the conventions of the women's weepie is a delight. Burstyn is excellent as the eponymous heroine who, following the death of a husband she barely loved, sets off for the Monterey of her childhood with hopes of reviving her abandoned singing career. Her encounters, and those of her precociously witty 12-year old son, are observed with great generosity and a raw realism, while Scorsese typically makes wonderful use of music to underline character and situation. Bitter-sweet and very charming.