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The radiator of this charisma is Joe (Joe Mantegna), a moderately successful saxophone player with a divorce certificate to call his own. The problem for Alice is that she just can't banish him from her (drenched with visions of the two of them passionately embracing in the penguin house) thoughts. Wracked by lapsed Catholic guilt, despite her failing to do anything improper, Alice confides in a friend. Probably a mistake, given that most of her companions have sieve-like morals, though some good comes of it. To ease her physical distress, the competent hands of Dr. Yang (Keye Luke) are recommended. While chiefly known as an acupuncturist, his diagnostic skill (being able to define problems from a pulse) is legendary. Thus, with his help, Alice is able to take the first faltering steps upon the path of personal understanding.
While Alice gets off to a slow start, it gradually glows with a joyous aura which can draw in all but the most cynical. The dominant theme here is the inner exploration of Alice, allowing resolution of her previously suppressed basic internal conflicts. However, unlike some of Allen's other films which trawl these same waters, here the tone is magical and fantastical. The key difference is Dr. Yang, a man of wisdom and a purveyor of rare and unusual herbs. With his assistance, Alice is able to fly through the New York night with Ed (Alec Baldwin), her first true love, and to reappraise her mother's status via a face-to-face chat. By making these psychoanalytical tricks corporeal, Allen can inject a certain levity into the proceedings, be spot on in his treatment of people's feelings and avoid a dehydrating oppressiveness.
Farrow is wonderful as Alice, able to combine the conflicting aspects of her character (at times shy then seductive, rude then deferential) into a believable whole. The beauty is that she doesn't even realise that there's anything wrong with her life, even after 16 years of a marriage in which love and sex have slipped away, until one fateful moment on a schoolhouse staircase. It is only then that the inhibitions can fall away, a transformation handled so well. Hurt is fine as her unsupportive and distant husband, while Mantegna provides a pleasant (if limited) counter-weight to their emotional vacancy. However, some of the sweetest moments are provided by Baldwin, as he takes Alice back to a time of honest love and bitter-sweet memories. Finally, Luke, in his swan-song, is wonderfully commanding and roughly charismatic in the way that only grandfather's can manage. His performance in Alice represents a suitably impressive way with which to bid the silver screen goodbye.
With the extra ingredients of some great dialogue, which barely misses the usual one-liners, and a fine soundtrack, Alice is an extremely well balanced piece of work. It builds up slowly and, because it's never quite obvious what the finale will be, ends perfectly. There's a definite suggestion that anything can happen in Alice, winding up so that you genuinely feel for Alice and her confusion. If there's a weakness to the film, it is that it lacks the incisive cutting edge of some of Allen's other productions (such as Annie Hall). Hence, while Alice is a shamefully under-rated movie that ranks with Allen's best, it is also a gem which could have stood a little more polish.
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