Still Alice is a realistic and emotional story of a woman living with Alzheimer's disease. Julianne Moore successfully shows the struggle, confusion, anger, pain and isolation of having such a disease through her incredible performance. She allows the audience to see what having Alzheimer's could possibly be like. This film also has an amazing screenplay, a screenplay that is raw and honest. There is also a great ensemble performance from the cast, featuring Alec Baldwin as the supportive and loving husband. The movie definitely makes the viewer think deeply about aspects of life such as memories, family, loss and bewilderment which are all addressed in Still Alice. See this film for a moving story, but mostly for Moore's miraculous performance. It wouldn't be a surprise if she won Best Actress in the upcoming Academy Awards.
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potter982 December 2014
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estebangonzalez1013 December 2014"So live in the moment I tell myself, it really is all I can do, live in the moment."
Still Alice is a film that touches delicate subject matters, which sometimes don't make for a compelling watch. It's hard to sit down and watch someone suffering from Alzheimer's Disease and witness their slow deterioration as they gradually lose their mind. Somehow, Julianne Moore gives such a powerful performance that makes this delicate theme worth your while. She carries this film, and elevates it from your standard mental illness movie. Julianne Moore is on the top of her game and following her strong performance in Maps to the Stars, she delivers an authentic portrayal of a woman trying to come to grips with her terrible diagnosis. The film intelligently centers on her in a very authentic way instead of focusing on the rest of her family, like so many films tend to do when the character has hit rock bottom with their mental disease. As the title suggests, the focus is on Alice and her character is fully developed even when she is at her lowest. As an audience we sometimes tend to look away or find ways to ignore people with mental illness, and many films do so by focusing on the reaction of the rest of the family or on the loved ones as if the main character has lost his or her personality. But we are reminded in this film that Alice is still Alice, and Julianne Moore makes sure we come to grips with this. Julianne Moore will probably be nominated for her lead performance here and it wouldn't surprise me if she wins her first Oscar after her fifth nomination. She is long overdue.
It's no surprise that this film was delivered in such an authentic way when you take into consideration that the co-director, Richard Glatzer, suffers from ASL and can't speak himself. If a film wants to deliver a powerful and empathetic film about mental illness, then there is no better way to do so than having someone who is experiencing this first hand. Glatzer, who has co-directed his previous films with Wash Westmoreland, reunites with him once again co-writing the adapted screenplay from Lisa Genova's novel. I know the issue has been explored many times before and one could assume it enters familiar territory, but Moore's portrayal of the character makes this film stand out from others. For people who have gone through similar issues with a family member or close friend, Still Alice hits home, but it does so in a compassionate way. It reminds us how fragile our minds and life can be. Having Moore play a highly intelligent linguistic professor makes this all the more shocking as we see how she struggles with the disease. The most emotional moment of the film comes when Moore's character is giving a touching speech about how she is dealing with the disease. It was a powerful moment in the movie and Moore deserves all the recognition she's been getting for her performance. Alec Baldwin and Kristen Stewart both give strong supporting performances as well. The entire film rings true in its exploration of mental illness, and the performances never go over the top. Everything about this film rings true despite the delicate themes that are touched. The subject matter might not be appealing for most audiences and they may find the film tedious, but for me it hits home and I found it to be a compelling drama. -
ClaytonDavis9 November 2014Read more @ The Awards Circuit (http://www.awardscircuit.com)
It's hard to put into words why "Still Alice" from writer/directors Richard Glatzer and Wash Westermoreland is as effective as it is. A cinematic experience that will pull you through the ringer, similar to other tearjerking efforts like "Terms of Endearment" or "Stepmom," the film is a heartbreaking measurement of storytelling that is one of the surprising gems of the year. Helmed by a magnificent performance by Julianne Moore, "Still Alice" dodges most of the cliché tropes of disease-ridden dramas with spunk and warmth. It's not just about the struggle of Alice (Moore), it's also an in- depth and informative medical drama that not only breaks your heart, but provide valuable information and sensitivity to anyone who may know or will know someone in the future.
The film tells the story of Alice, a brilliant professor that is diagnosed with early on-set Alzheimer's disease at the age of 50. Terrified of the future, and the fear of forgetting the life she's created, "Still Alice" reflects not only on the ramifications of knowing such knowledge of your eventual demise, but how it affects those who know and love you. If your loved one was stricken with such an illness, would you, rather could you stand by their side no matter what? It's easy to answer with the socially acceptable response until you're faced with such a question.
"Alice" inhabits a simplicity that almost feels too uncomplicated and transparent to warrant a positive take but alas, here we are. Glatzer and Westermoreland create a sensitive, well-intentioned examination of a woman struggling with early on-set Alzheimer's disease. May sound like shameless, factory-standard Oscar bait, but its unlike any movie you'll see this year, dealing with delicate subject matter in a tender way. They cover different angles of the topic at hand without getting too preachy. Of course, this is mostly due to the brilliance of four-time Academy Award nominee Moore, but she's not the only one on her A-game. Co-star Alec Baldwin, who plays Alice's husband John, showcases one of his most layered portrayals yet. Internalized, disturbed, but very compelling in the way he chooses to execute his feelings. Baldwin's mannerisms and antics have not been put to better use in quite sometime.
Kristen Stewart continues to revitalize her image as an actress. "Clouds and Sils Maria" and "Camp X-Ray" are terrific examples of her talents put to great use but what she achieves as Lydia, Alice's youngest daughter is nothing short of spectacular. Glatzer and Westermoreland understand her abilities and limitations but heighten them to stunning results. If Stewart continues on this path, she could easily become one of our greatest working actresses. She's certainly one of the most exciting at the moment. Stewart is a gift.
After struggling to find her voice in the movies, Kate Bosworth hits on all cylinders as Anna. As does Hunter Parrish, fondly remembered from "It's Complicated." He's aching for his big, breakout role.
I guess it's time to worship the aura of Julianne Moore. It's easy to dismiss my take on her work since I'm unapologetically a Moore enthusiast (loud and proud). Three of her Oscar nominations for "Boogie Nights," "Far from Heaven," and "The Hours" are all worthy citations, arguably winning performances that Oscar passed over. I've been able to separate her overall brilliance from some of the choices she's made in roles over the years. "The English Teacher" is an attempt to be change it up, "The Forgotten" is a horror/mystery that lacks either of those words, and "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio" is well that movie from 2005. Julianne Moore is a revelation of epic proportions. Bold, provocative, and emotionally gripping, she delivers one of her strongest performances to date. She's takes a daring stand to be vulnerable, and hits an amazing high. A destined winner of Best Actress.
The film can feel like a factory-standard creation passed over by the TV networks at times, mostly due to the style in which its shot. Cinematographer Denis Lenior keeps things straightforward but isn't adventurous enough to stand out in the crowd. Film Editor Nicolas Chaudeurge should also take a few cues from the playbook of Pietro Scalia, Stephen Mirrione, and Richard Marks, editors that know how to milk a scene for everything its worth. There are moments that will surely create a weep-a-thon in your seat, but there are missed opportunities to really push the audience over the edge. Composer Ilan Eshkeri however, takes his cues from famed musicians like John Williams and Howard Shore to swell the tearducts to maximum capacity.
Overall, "Still Alice" is a very rewarding experience, wrapped in a blanket of emotions held by Julianne Moore and Co.. It's one of those rare films that makes you think and gives you a debate to have with your loved ones. A deep, human movie that doesn't shy away from baring its soul and the vast complexities that come with it. Just plain great. -
I have a sister in law at age 66 with end stage ALZ and I myself have stage 4 terminal brain cancer at age 62. I haven't been able to adequately and satisfactorily articulate the effect of loss of memory as well as this movie did. I have lost everything, but I have memories that bubble to the surface that keep me going. Life is not about stuff. Life is animating memories.
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Julianne Moore's character of Alice Howland has to face that eventuality in the wonderful, heart-breaking movie "Still Alice.". Alice is a 50-year-old woman with a charmed life. She is happily married to Dr. John Howland, played by Alec Baldwin. Their son, Tom is training to be a doctor, daughter, Anna is married, pregnant with twins, and a lawyer, youngest daughter, Lydia played by Kristen Stewart who has matured as an actress since the "Twilight" series, is an aspiring actress. All of the performers are great, but Kristen Stewart surprised me the most and she broke the Bella Swan type-cast trap. In her job as a language professor, Alice needs her brain in order to give lectures and write books. When her brain basically craps out on her during a lecture at the college, Alice is confused by why her sharp mind has suddenly failed her. Alice's memory lapses have her confused and upset. She goes to a neurologist who tests her memory. After much testing, the doctor says Alice has an inherited form of Alzheimer's disease she got from her late father. He tells her to have her children tested to see if their late grandfather gave them the faulty gene. Anna tests positive for the gene, Tom tests negative, and stubborn Lydia refuses to take the test. In the end, Alice gets worse and worse. Her twin grandson and granddaughter are healthy, but it is heart-breaking their grandmother won't remember them. Lydia takes up the reins as her mother's caregiver and the most heart-wrenching thing about the movie is how much this horrible disease takes away so much from its victims.
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MattBrady09919 December 2014Forgetting something has to be the most annoying and stressful thing that a person could have, but losing your memory by a disease and becoming coming pretty much brain dead is even worse and this movie plays it out very well, because the movie feels real and not fake like other movies that try to do that.
The story is about a Linguistics professor in a loving marriage with three grown children starts to forget certain words. After meeting with a doctor, she receives a devastating diagnosis, one that will test the bonds between her family.
I always love it when a movie that I never know existed could make me glad I saw it and happy that it exists. I'm always looking forward to the big blockbusters that everybody's talking about and wouldn't shut up about. I always look past those kind of movies that are actually pretty than the entertaining blockbuster's and like always I feel like moron for skipping them.
Still Alice has to be the most extraordinary film that I watched this year, in a way that the movie could had scenes where it would have dragged out or slowed down extremely, but that all was over shadowed by the amazing performance from a Oscar worthy Julianne Moore and the fantastic writing.
Julianne Moore takes this role has a mother who slowly losing her memory by Alzheimer's disease, and Moore knocked it out of the park as she makes a beautifully crafted performance that just boosted up her career as a actress.
The cast members like Kristen Stewart, Alec Baldwin and Kate Bosworth all did fantastic performance as well. Overall the performance were good in the film.
The writing was just spot on great and realistic as well, the directing was good and the film almost had me in tears at parts.
My only problems with the movie has to be the other character's, and I'm not talking about Moore's character I'm actually talking about the background character's that for some reason always get in the way of the story and don't really do anything. The movie to me isn't like the best movie of the year or of all time, the movie falls into the great, not into the brilliant.
Overall "Still Alice" has fantastic acting from Moore and from the other cast, great directing and writing. If you every got a chance to see it I say go ahead. -
I know that a lot of the criticism is that this movie didn't get down and dirty enough. Alzheimers is a horrible thing for the survivors to deal with. Perhaps it can only truly by dealt with in documentary form. Julianne Moore is utterly amazing and anyone who says this film isn't well researched did not read about her approach. Yes, there are things that could have been shown to make it even more frightening. We could have seen specific bodily functions affected. We could have seen more irrationality and pain. But it needs to be accessible. I believe if we are watching a fictional account, this is very well done.
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TheLittleSongbird1 February 2018Saw 'Still Alice' to see how Julianne Moore's universally praised performance would fare and also to see how the film would do portraying an illness as cruel as Alzheimers. Having seen myself what it does to people from singing Christmas carols recently at a care home, and having had a family friend who succumbed to it a few years ago.
Finally getting round to see it, there was a good deal to admire about 'Still Alice', and there is more to it than an award-sweeping performance. On the other hand, a large part of me expected something much more, it is a brave attempt but doesn't explore the illness and how it affects loved ones as well as the sufferer enough. Which is a really big shame because the potential and ingredients are all there, the execution was inconsistent.
Can say absolutely nothing wrong about Julianne Moore, whose magnificent performance, one of heart-wrenching subtlety and dignity delivered with incredible intelligence, is what especially elevates 'Still Alice' to a higher level. As to whether she deserved the Oscar, my answer is yes for one of the overall best performances that year and she is tied with Rosamund Pike in 'Gone Girl' as my win for the Best Actress category that year.
It is not just Moore who gives a quality performance. Alec Baldwin is just as powerful and Kristen Stewart proves that she is capable of a good (great even) performance when she has a character and material that are halfway decent (not the case with the 'Twilight' films and 'Snow White and the Huntsman', but the case here).
The film looks good visually, while the music is hauntingly beautiful and there is an honesty and poignancy to the writing, effectively chilling early premonitions and some interesting, illuminating facts.
However, most of the characters are cardboard cut-outs, particularly those of the children. Of Stewart, Hunter Parrish and Kate Bosworth's characters, the only one to have any kind of meat is Stewart's. Can barely remember those for the other two, especially Bosworth's who is also rather shallow.
Too much of the script is under-baked, too coy and lacks subtlety, some of it almost like a sermon. There is not much new to what is already known about Alzheimers and how it's portrayed in other films to much better and more consistent effect.
Much more could have been done with the too bland and trivialised portrayal of Alzheimers (even though there is emotional impact), we know already how cruel it is but we don't properly get to see how devastating the illness is. Largely because the family relationships and how it affects them, as well as the full effects of the illness itself (far more complex and devastating than the film shows), are under-explored. When there are attempts at these, they do vary in how much they ring true or whether they're contrived). And the daily struggles glossed over completely, it's not just the sufferer who suffers and the carers deserve better than that.
Overall, decent and worth watching but should have been much more. 6/10 Bethany Cox -
drakula200510 December 2014It probably goes without saying, but in my opinion "Still Alice" is right up there among this year's best pictures.
And what ultimately makes author Lisa Genova's debut bestselling novel so personal, yet so universal and identifiable in it's messages, are the performances. Alec Baldwin and Kristen Stewart are a part of a strong supporting cast, that will leave a lasting impression in your mind and it will be more than deserved. Both of their characters were so real - warm, supportive and earthly. And while both Baldwin and Stewart have taken the occasional misstep in their respective pasts, both of them once again showed without a doubt their acting abilities and scope, a word linguistics professor Dr. Alice Howland used, albeit with great difficulties, to describe her daughter Lydia (played by Stewart) in one point of the film.
And what a performance by Julianne Moore that was! She essentially made an already rich character in Alice, a frankly too young Alzheimer's disease patient, who also happens to be a renown linguistics professor, even more dimensional and rich. Moore's Alice is a strong, intelligent woman when we first meet her at her birthday at the beginning of the film. At that moment, Moore is confident and full of purpose. As she gets diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease, that her children might have inherited from her, and time goes by, Alice becomes a shadow of herself, whose mental health deteriorates at an alarmingly fast rate. And that is the part that Moore portrayed with such skill and graceful pain, that the viewer can't help but get irreversibly emotionally involved with her character. We feel for her, we cry with her, we wish she would get better, although it is clear that is sadly not going to happen. And Moore's Alice knows it as well. And that makes the journey through her story even more challenging, difficult and painful for the viewer. Or as Beverly Beckham of The Boston Globe put it "This is Alice Howland's story, for as long as she can tell it".
The film was directed and adapted by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, who share both the writing and directing duties on almost all of their projects to date. The two somehow complete each other and find the balance, that is needed to tell such a delicate story in a manner, which can do it proper justice.
I will probably be the only one saying this, but I thought the score was tremendous as well. Kudos goes to composer Ilan Eshkeri, who did an amazing job on the film. The music is often intense and minimalistic, it feels like it is just an addition to the already rich environment the characters find themselves in and I would love to see at least a nomination at the Oscars for Eshkeri, although I highly doubt it.
So, to wrap it up in a nutshell: Still Alice is a wonderful film, an intimate and fascinating study in the field of family drama, and one of the year's best. I definitely hope to see some awards buzz mainly around the cast - both Alec Baldwin and Kristen Stewart deserve it for their delicate and supportive portrayal of husband John and youngest daughter Lydia, respectively, who never gave up on Moore's Alice. And Julianne Moore - well, what can I say - her brutally sad and honest portrayal of Alice deserves to go down in the books of top-notch acting and she will reap the fruits of her work a long time from now (well, mostly, at the end of February, I hope).
So it is a nine out of ten stars from me, only because I felt there could have been more screen time for the other children in the Howland family, and therefore the film could have been at least 10-15 minutes longer.
But solely on Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin and Kristen Stewart's impeccable acting, I say this film is among the very best in the subject and also among the best titles this year.
My grade: 9/10 -
Okay, let me just say, Julianne Moore's performance is brilliant in the film; she captures the fear, sadness, helplessness and perseverance of an Alzheimer's patient with tact.
Other than Moore's acting, 'Still Alice' felt quite bland and underwhelming to me. It failed to give us more insight into the lead protagonist, and gave us almost no insight into the lives and minds of her loved ones. When someone is afflicted by Alzheimer's, it's his/her loved ones who suffer more. I mean, the person exists, but all the memories connecting him/her to others ultimately vanishes, and that is torturous to the people around. The film is too linear and paper-thin; the theme had so much potential, but it's completely squandered. All of the characters just merely exist that you almost feel nothing for any of the characters. Other than Alice's speech in the second half ,there wasn't a single moment or aspect which made me connect to the characters.
With much more needed depth, the movie could have been as terrifying as the disease itself, and may have given us some idea as to how people cope with it. Now, it's just one of those disease-movies which will be easily forgotten (except of course, for the fact that Moore finally won her Oscar for this). -
richard-19677 December 2014I had already marked this movie down as a "no" when the cinema preview club we attend showed it this morning. And I'm very glad they did.
Few movies about Alzheimer's show things almost entirely from the perspective of the victim, and even fewer try to grapple with her internal thoughts and feelings as the disease progresses. Still Alice does just that.
Taking an exceptionally verbal and smart person and giving her early onset Alzheimer's and watching how she deals with it and how she feels about it made this an exceptional film. So does the always-excellent Julianne Moore, who outdoes herself in an Oscar-worthy performance.
The movie's full of highlights: the Skypeing between mom and daughter Kristin Stewart, the relatively healthy Julianne leaving a video for her much sicker self to discover; the question only one person asks: "How does it make you feel?" And extra credit for the double use of Lyle Lovett's "If I Had a Boat." -
gsygsy6 February 2015Julianne Moore's performance is the prime reason for watching this movie. As a film about Alzheimer's Disease, it is a lot less interesting and involving than Sarah Polley's AWAY FROM HER (2006), which featured Julie Christie depicting the onslaught of the condition, and like Ms Moore gaining an Oscar nomination for her work.
STILL ALICE, though well-meaning, is a lot more ponderous than Polley's movie. All the characters, including Moore's, are written so schematically that it's difficult to feel they really exist. Moore, superb actress that she is, rises above the writing. Of the supporting cast, only Stephen Kunken, as Alice's doctor, is able to match her. Alec Baldwin does his very best, but he doesn't manage to overcome the functionality of his brilliant-but-sensitive husband character. The others similarly flail around, but at least they try. What Kirsten Stewart is doing is impossible to understand. Her character is meant to be a struggling young actress. We finally see her on stage in a usually infallibly moving speech from Chekhov, which she recites as flatly as she does everything else in the movie. Impossible to take seriously, rendering a key relationship in the story lifeless.
The photography has some interesting moments depicting Alice's disorientation, but this is offset by some deadly montages of leaves on trees to represent time passing. The music is sentimental. The feeling is of the directors not having enough faith in their material.
None of this, not even Ms Stewart, submerges the amazing Ms Moore, who is never anything less than compelling. -
santiagocosme29 March 2015Last year, the Oscars had Philomena as one of the outsider movies at the Oscars. This year, clearly the outsider was Still Alice. A movie about a woman who is hit by Alzheimer a lot earlier than people normally do.
And I only watched it because I was curious about what Julian Moore had done to win the Oscar this year. And when the movie started, the disappointment kicked in. Why? because, I realized that once again they had given the Oscar to an actor who was playing the role of an ill person.
Don't misunderstand me, I think that Julian Moore does a good job, but I don't think her interpretation is worth an Oscar. Now that said, I have already seen Oscars given for a lot less (Penelope Cruz - I jest, Gwyneth Paltrow - I'm still in shock). Still, what is it about playing an ill/crippled person that always gets you the favor at the Oscars? Pacino needed 7 nominations and only won the Oscar when he played a blind guy. Daniel Day Lewis with my left foot, Matthew MConaughey and Tom Hanks - AIDS, Stephen Hawking this year, I don't get it!
Back to the movie, honestly, it's a little better than a TV movie. A very simple script and not much going on apart from seeing this lady deteriorating at a very fast pace. I doubt anyone will put this movie in their top 100 of all time. And the acting, Oscar or not, won't make it to a top 100 list either! -
juliasf12 September 2014This movie was a great boost to my psyche as someone who has watched my own mother lose her ability to be the fascinating and clever woman she once was. The performances of Alec Baldwin and Ms. Stewart really impressed me. Julianne Moore is always good.
If you have lived with the loneliness and the torture of watching someone you love lose his or her mind this movie may just give you the strength to go on.
Julianne Moore's performance is particularly compassionate. This movie depicts an excruciating illness, but also illuminates the heroes who emerge and the grace which is possible despite loss. -
namashi_130 November 2014Based on Lisa Genova's 2007 bestselling novel of the same name, 'Still Alice' is a saddening, but beautifully made film, that stays on your mind even after it concludes. Its A Well-Made Film with Strong Performances!
'Still Alice' Synopsis: Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children, is a renowned linguistics professor who starts to forget words. When she receives a devastating diagnosis, Alice and her family find their bonds tested.
'Still Alice' is about a women's journey coming to an abrupt end. Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland's Adapted Screenplay is consistently engaging, although difficult to watch, at most times. The protagonist's journey with her family offers moments of pure love & sadness. You feel for the characters & particularly, for Alice. Glatzer & Westmoreland's Direction is under-stated, but impressive. Cinematography captures the bleakness, exceedingly well. Editing is just perfect.
Performance-Wise: Julianne Moore brings Alice to life, with a splendid performance. She becomes Alice & completes her tale, magnificently. Alec Baldwin, as Alice's supportive husband, redefines "control" in performance. He's restrained & patient all through. Kristen Stewart, as Alice's rebellious younger daughter, is natural. Kate Bosworth, as Alice's older daughter, is in true form, as well.
On the whole, 'Still Alice' is an experience, that demands to be felt. Two Thumbs up! -
annepetrie15014 February 2015Still Alice is a troubling film. Not because it's about Alzheimers, but because it isn't. Not really.
Still Alice is based on a novel of the same name about a 50 year woman who is struck with early onset Alzheimers. That happens of course. And it is tragic. But a novel is fiction. In this case, the author has created an extraordinarily successful academic whose speciality is linguistics . She begins to lose the 'words' that have defined her life, and so begins her inevitable decline. I have only read summaries of the novel, but as in the movie, author Lisa Genova has given her an equally successful academic husband, three talented grown children, a brownstone in New York, and another rustic ocean-side home at the Cape. It's a perfect life , as the character admits, but she is still a fictional character.
And the movie based on the novel is even more of a fiction. Alice and her husband Johnare Julianne Moore and Alec Baldwin,—-both fine actors —-but that's not the point. They are Hollywood stars who come with celluloid glamour by definition. Our identification with those impossibly beautiful people is not with any commonly known reality . And this doesn't even begin to describe their three perfect children. The only only one who might not fit the mould is Lydia, the slightly rebellious ('I don't want to go to college to study acting; I'm going to follow my dream in LA') youngest daughter—- played by Twilight's 'it' girl of the day Kristen Stewart. Of course, one can make this criticism about any film 'story', but the point here is that Alzheimer's by now is a known reality for most of us in some way or another, and casting beautiful, famous stars detaches us from the true horrors of losing those we love to this horrible disease.
Alice and her family 'have it all' in the novel and more than everything in the movie. The story that this movie tells about Alzheimer's is not even close to what, by now, most of us have experienced in some form. True, this film deals with early onset; but that is still a fairly rare form of this most devastating disease. The Alzheimer's that those of us who live in the real world experience is not a tragic attack on the relatively youthful and still beautiful . Let's be frank: the Alzheimer's that most of us know strikes old people —spouses, parents , relatives , friends . We may love them but once struck they are not often very attractive or vital. They can't take care of themselves, they swear and shout, they are often a danger to others and themselves and , frankly, they can drive us crazy. Plus we often have complex past relationships with them that can make care-taking anything from difficult to disastrous. Juliane Moore repeats things, gets a bit pale and wander-y and has one - quite manageable - outbreak of anger. That's Alzheimer's if the victim and their caretakers are very very lucky. And luck includes not only the course the disease may take but the resources —-emotional, social, and of course financial —-that are essential to let us be our best selves as we try to look after those with a disease that may go on for years.
Still Alice doesn't completely shy away from the difficulties. Alice's husband basically deserts her with the 'she wouldn't want us to be a burden' argument so he can move on to a big job of a at the Mayo clinic. But the wayward daughter comes home to look after mom; in the final scene she reads a piece of literary text to Juliane Moore(still looking pretty damn good). When she asks her mother what's its about, Alice finally manages to get out one word —-'love'.
So that's our lesson for the day. And it strikes home as we , as a society, struggle with questions of 'death with dignity' and assisted suicide. Alice, as her coherent intellectual self , planned a way out—- a video that would direct her Alzheimer's self to a lethal stash of pills she could access when she had come to a certain point—-so that she wouldn't lose herself, so that others would not have to lose the Alice that they knew and loved. In the novel and the film her perfect finale is complicated by the Alzheimer's Alice's inability to understand the directions of her former rational self. She is saved, literally, by the bell at the front door, but the message is clear. Suicide, in whatever form, is not the way out. There is always something worth living for.
And ideally , we would all hope so. We would all like to feel that suffering can have a point. That if we are struck by some calamity and are loved, suffering can be bearable—that suffering itself might have dignity. And the reverse, that the suffering of another can offer us an opportunity—the opportunity to love when it is not easy and there are few of the obvious rewards. Life should not be just pleasant but rich, and that richness can be found in pain as well as pleasure.
I want believe to that is true. But I am not persuaded by what Still Alice presents. I have a good life, I'm fortunate; but I have no faith that I'd be able to endure (whether I am the victim or the caretaker) the horrors of this disease. I don't want a fiction. Or at least I don't want a comforting one. Give it to me straight; if it's a story, I want one that is as tough as it can get. And that, by a a long stretch, isn't Still Alice -
Still Alice tells the story of Alice, a linguistics professor at Columbia who notices that she appears to be losing her memory. This culminates in a moment of panic for her during a run when she seemingly forgets where she is, despite being in a place she regularly frequents. At that point, she visits a neurologist and it is revealed she has early onset Alzheimer's. The rest of the movie shows us her steady loss of self as her memory continues fading at a rapid clip.
This movie lives and dies with Julianne Moore. She is sensational in the role of Alice, and shows us all the little losses Alice suffers as she eventually fades to nothing. Her performance is such that she manages to carry the entire movie. The problem with this film lies with everything else. Alice's husband, played by Alec Baldwin, is essentially an empty vessel. He shows that he cares about Alice, but we are given little insight into him or what he is thinking. Kristen Stewart is slightly more developed as Alice's youngest daughter, with whom Alice has a difficult relationship, but eventually rallies to her mother's side. The other actors are given nothing to do. For example, in one scene we learn that Alice's oldest daughter has the same gene Alice does and will likely develop Alzheimer's at an early age like her mother. This plot point leads nowhere. It's mentioned once and never discussed again. Alice also has a son, but again, he is given nothing to do. He could have been cut from the film, and literally nothing would be different. It's all very disappointing.
Overall, I would say, see this movie for Julianne Moore, and just grit your teeth through the rest. -
jackVSjack19 September 2017I had this film for a long time before I watched it. When I heard about it I wanted to go see it. But knowing the subject matter I wasn't crazy about the certainty of crying non stop in the cinema.
I don't personally know anybody that had or has Alzheimer's. So I can only view this film through my imagined idea of what it would be like to be part of a family that this terrible condition touches.
From my narrow viewpoint I think that the cast and crew did a fantastic job in demonstrating in a more passive way how it affects the family. Their part of the story is important but the film doesn't go out of its way to over dramatise every possible conflict that will arise from living with someone that has Alzheimer's.
I also felt and rightly so, that the more important point was to focus on Alice herself. Julianne Moore in my mind does a fantastic job in taking the viewer along with her.
I passed over this film numerous times knowing how it would make me feel. Ever since I saw Iris I knew from past experience that this would be a difficult film to watch. While Iris brought a more turbulent narrative to the screen and reflected how monstrous and destructive Alzheimer's is. Still Alice offered an additional focus. How it can hit a younger person and how devastatingly quickly it can dismantle a mind.
I have watched it now and can now recommend it to others. But I doubt I will ever watch it again.
Not because it isn't an impressive piece of story telling! But because in the words of Chandler Bing. "It's like someone literally wrote down my worst nightmare and then charged me $32 to see it!"
It is important for these stories to be told. -
pefrss17 February 2015Every single person in the audience was an elderly woman, when I went to see this movie. And I think all of us were scared to death because according to statistics your risk of getting Alzheimer really progresses after the age of 65.
And here comes Hollywood! The person affected by Alzheimer in the movie is not an elderly woman, but a beautiful woman Alice, played by Julianne Moore, who just turned 50. Only a tiny percentage gets Alzheimer so early! A woman ,who seems to accept that terrible disease without any drama and while supposedly her condition deteriorated rapidly, she is still able to give a speech on Alzheimer without even once glancing at her painfully prepared notes, which we see her earlier tracing word by word with a highlighter. But once on stage, miracle over miracle she never looses eye contact with the audience.
The kind of Alzheimer she got, we learn from her neurologist, is passed on from generation to generation and again without any drama her three children who are at high risk to have inherited the disease, accept the fact that they- in one case has the gene,- in the second case does not have the gene and- in the third case the daughter chooses not to find out. Wow, what a well balanced family.
The whole family seems somehow to be detached from the fact that the wife and mother has a life-threatening disease. Nobody creates a safety system to protect Alice from getting lost or help her create crutches to deal with the memory problem. Nobody really seems to care and they all just go on with their lives as if nothing had happened. Neither husband (Alec Baldwin) nor any of the children seem to spend any time with Alice after she had to give up her teaching job. Only at the very end when her mind is already completely gone, one daughter comes to take care of her.
And following the film nothing really dramatic happens
The only a little bit embarrassing situation shown is when Alice wets her pants because she cannot remember where the bathroom is.
And the only moment of upset is when she looses her iphone.
I had more drama in my life with losing keys or forgetting appointments or names.And everything I have seen so far meeting people with Alzheimer was not pretty.
Like some other reviewers I found the movie a too sanitized outlook on one of the most frightening diseases of our time. The prognosis for the next decades is mind-boggling as people get older and the probability of them (especially women)getting Alzheimer is as big a reality, as the one that most men will get prostate cancer the older they get.
Everybody who wishes to die of old age should think again. As long as they have not found a cure, to be old and do not remember who you are is not something to thrive for.
The title Still Alice should have a question mark. And the answer is no. At the end she is just a shell, nobody home. I can understand that she wanted to commit suicide, you want to pull the plug before you are a complete vegetable.
Watching the final credits I saw that one of the producers was Maria Shriver, whose father suffered from Alzheimer too.I wonder if her experience with her father was so sanitized. Well, it certainly helps if you are rich and can hire people, who take care of the patient and the problems related with Alzheimer. But for those, who cannot afford it, the outlook is dire.
The film left me unsatisfied. Contrary to the movie "Iris" with Judi Dench and Kate Winslet where we get a clear picture of the patient before and after she was diagnosed, Still Alice lacked depth and during the whole film I could not forget that I was watching Julianne Moore and Alec Baldwin and some other actors. I was watching Hollywood, not a disaster called Alzheimer. -
arbios29 November 2014Still Alice tells the story of a Columbia cognitive psychologist diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease played by Julianne Moore who in my opinion gave the best performance of her career.
Kristen Stewart and Alec Baldwin also give very good performances and I think that Ms.Stewart successfully shed the "Twilight" vampire stereotype.
Just like any disease, your fight is as strong as your support system. Not only Alice's but Julianne Moore's support system is strong as well with a supporting cast of Kristen Stewart, Alec Baldwin, Kate Bosworth and Hunter Parrish, and a score that never has the audience wondering about their emotions but has them focused on Alice's.
An amazing movie I recommend it to everyone -
emiliovillegas7 December 2014I'm not sure what is the point of film like this. It's the usual depressing story, YES it makes you sad. The ambient , setting ,etc are all perfectly chosen. Juliane Moore is spot on for this type of part and everything added makes up for a fine film BUT I have seen this before. I have seen movies about moms that get cancer, make the whole family cry and the movie follows the rest of their life after the diagnosis. What's the point? What's the point of watching essentially the same movie year after year? There is not enough character development, the story overall falls a little short and it feels like you get dumped right in the middle of some sad story. Don't get me wrong , this is worth a watch but that's it. I'm not re- watching this one anytime soon. There's plenty of classics like this out there.
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Best part of watching a Oscar nominated film is that some unique constraint is always attached to it - be it direction , screenplay , story or acting. Now acting is what make Still Alice immensely watchable and Julianne Moore gives the performance of her life time.
Still Alice tells story of an English professor whose life changes after she is diagnosed with Alzeimer's disease. The film reflects the chronicles of life of protagonist post-disease and characters surrounding her life.
The story is pretty simple and straight and yet convincing which is adapted on a novel based on same name written by Lisa Genova. The director-duo Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland succeeds in keeping you engaged for next 101 mins and extract impeccable performances by the star cast for which they should be given full-marks. Show-stopper is certainly Julainne Moore with her award-winning performance. She breathes through the character of Alice as if it was tailor-made for her. You will feel sympathy for her yet encouraged with her dialogues "Live in the moment". Rest of the starcast equally contributes to the film's story. Art direction is good. Cinematography is nice. Background score is tuneful. On the flipside, it could have been best film if little more focus could have been given to the emotional quotient.
Julianne Moore is electrifying which is enough to make you watch the film. Good 3.5 /5 -
flickernatic10 March 2015The story here is quite simple. A young (50) college professor, Alice Howland (played by Julianne Moore), is diagnosed with Alzheimer's. We follow her subsequent decline and its effects on her family.
Unfortunately for this movie, this story has been told before in Iris (2001) and told, it has to be said, with far greater honesty and impact. By comparison, Still Alice is more like an episode from a Hollywood soap opera than a serious attempt to portray the effects of this horrible disease (which my mother suffered from). The characters are thinly drawn, the script is at times banal and the story doesn't go anywhere.
One of the genuinely moving moments in the film is that Alice, foreseeing her forthcoming incapacity, records a set of instructions telling herself how to end it all with pills, this to be played when she can no longer remember certain key facts about her life. But when this time comes, Alice is incapable of carrying out her own instructions. The story is left with nowhere to go and ends later abruptly (and to the surprise of everyone in the theatre) with a message to the effect that 'it's all about love'. Noble sentiment but unsatisfactory cinema. It would have made a far more effective and poignant conclusion if Alice had managed to kill herself. That really would have given us something to think about. But that, perhaps, was seen as a step too far by the film-makers.
I must admit that I have never really rated Julianne Moore as an actor. To me she always looks as if she's acting. But following her Oscar award I thought twice. Sadly, my view has not changed. She did not bring enough of the bitterness, the anger, the desperation, the sheer cruel mindlessness of dementia. One can only assume that the Academicians were honouring the subject matter as much as the acting. Watch Judi Dench as Iris Murdoch, disintegrating, falling, fading with so much expressed not in words but by her face and eyes, a gut-wrenching performance that is simply in a different league. In fact the outstanding performance for me came from Kristen Stewart playing Alice's youngest daughter.
I was hoping for more from Still Alice. But I was disappointed.
(Viewed at Screen 2, The Cornerhouse, Manchester, UK, 8th March 2015) -
john_seater24 January 2015In Hollywood, medical conditions that are devastating in real life are magically transformed into episodes that the leading characters meet with stout resolve, a positive attitude, and a quite, sanitized unseen ending. So it is with this movie.
The main character is diagnosed early in the movie with early-onset Alzheimer's. The rest of the movie is about her gradual decline and her family's reaction to it. There are some interesting possibilities in the plot, such as the pull of the husband's career and the developments of one daughter's career, but they are not developed well and simply look shallow and contrived. The movie ends about where Alzheimer's would become a real strain on the family, but as always with a Hollywood depiction, the tragedy that is to follow is hidden. Real Alzhimer's patients forget who their families are, scream mindlessly about nothing in particular, foul themselves, cannot feed themselves. The bodies are there but the minds are not. The person that once was is gone, but the outward shell is there reminding us what once was and playing havoc with our emotions. Only a sanitized hint of all that is present in this movie.
The dialog is mostly predictable, sometimes overdone and sermonizing. The characters are all shallow, even the main character.
The intention is good. The acting is excellent. The overall execution is weak. Not worth the time unless you enjoy seeing good talent wasted on a weak script. -
RebelRaccoon120 September 2022Wow what a beautiful movie. Julianne Moore got her well deserved Oscar for portraying Alice, a linguistics professor who gets diagnosed with Alzheimers. Her struggle, pain and fight is portrayed so gracefully and in a multi layered way. No clichés here.
An important story to tell, we get an insight into what it means to live with this particular disease, how it affects your mind, personality, your family, work and social life.
Huge credit to Julianne Moore for not turning this into a depressing movie. Honestly I could watch her paint a wall. She's so effortless and ethereal, you just can't take your eyes off her. She has the most expressionate face, able to tell a story with just a glance.
When she gets lost during a run and looks around frantically, my eyes teared up instantly. She's able to make you feel what she's feeling. What an extraordinary talent.
Highly recommend.