Still Alice Review

Still Alice stars Julianne Moore, Kirsten Stewart and Alec Baldwin among other actors and is directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland. It was released in Australia on the 12th of February.

Still Alice is about a linguistics professor, who is in her early 40's or so, has a husband, played by Alec Baldwin, and grown up children. She slowly discovers she can't remember certain words or phrases, and after seeing a doctor, discovers she has a rare case of early-onset Alzheimer's disease. She must face this with her husband and her children, one of which is played by Kirsten Stewart.

Straight off the bat, Julianne Moore was amazing in this film. I didn't see Julianne Moore but saw a scared lady who was about to face something she couldn't stop and soon enough, wouldn't be able to remember. She expertly manages to change her character's feelings quickly, to keep in par with her character's disease and her destructive memory. Even Kirsten Stewart, Keanu Reeve's monotone padawan learner, was exceptionally good in this film, being the only person that is trying to help Alice out with her serious situation. The interaction between Julianne Moore and Kirsten Stewart's characters were well done. They really captured what a mum and daughter would act like, arguing, laughing and loving. Alec Baldwin was also good as a husband who was slowly losing his love and was having trouble dealing with the left overs of her.

Still Alice was a good movie, don't get me wrong. I felt for Alice for the whole duration of the film. The dialogue was good, the acting was good, even the directing. I just felt like something was missing from Still Alice for the third act. So much was being set up and uncovered, and then it's just left there. I'm not sure if this was the director's intention, showing us the inside of Alice's mind, with set ups that don't go anywhere because she's forgotten all about them. I'm not saying she should have fallen off a bridge of her husband run away with a hooker, it just felt like all in all, it lead to nothing.

There was one scene near to the end, where Alice discovers a message to herself about how to go on with life, and it is so tense and sad. And that's due to Julianne Moore's brilliant acting and the director. To be fair, this movie would get a lower grade if it wasn't for the fact that everyone's acting was fantastic and the characters were believable and I cared for all of them.

I recommend seeing Still Alice when it comes out of blu-ray or DVD, as it is not a must see movie, but still well done. I give it a 3.5 out of 5.