User Reviews

ALICE'S Restaurant (3+ outta 5 stars) Maybe not one of the best movies of the '60s but it is definitely worth checking out... as a sort of time capsule if nothing else. This was an "establishment" movie designed to cash in the popularity of the then-popular folk song by Arlo Guthrie. They got Arlo to star as himself... as well as several of his actual friends and acquaintances of the time... even the actual police officer who arrested him for the incident described in the song. Considering its mercenary intent the movie is a lot better than it has any right to be. This may not be one of director Arthur Penn's best movies but he definitely gets the most out of the concept. Guthrie now says that the movie is more of a version of what the straight world *thought* the hippie movement was all about rather than what it was *actually* about... with that in mind the movie still paints a pretty good picture of the times. Guthrie is a low-key performer but he definitely has some screen charisma... resembling a baby-faced Bob Dylan at times. This could be considered one of the first full-length motion picture music videos.

With its scenes of cars and motorcycles gunning down the road, its voice overs from a youthful Arlo Guthrie, its attempts at humor, and its generally nonchalant tone, "Alice's Restaurant" may strike some viewers as nothing more than the hippie version of "The Dukes Of Hazard". Why was this film made? What's the point?

In 1969, the film's creators assumed that viewers "got it" ... the clothes, the lingo, the character's motivations, ... ergo, no explanations needed. And none were needed then, or so long as the political and social environment of 1969 continued.

But it didn't continue. The world changed. America changed. Now, 36 years later, the film's clownish images and vapid script suggest a cinematic shallowness, bordering on burlesque, rather than an effort to impart a meaningful message. We are thus forced to consult historical points of reference, to make sense of what we see and hear.

In this film, as in other 60's counterculture films like "Easy Rider", the plot is secondary. To tell a story is less important than to communicate a powerful philosophy. Invariably, that philosophy would include some reference to personal freedom, resentment of institutional authority, peace, and non-materialistic values.

In "Alice's Restaurant", therefore, the clothes, the lingo, and the character's motivations are expressions of that "Age Of Aquarius" philosophy. Had the film's creators explained, by way of script or visuals, the underlying rationale for this philosophy, they could have rendered a timeless message to future generations.

As it is, the film now has mostly nostalgic appeal to older viewers who need no explanations. To young viewers, who lack historical reference points, the film may seem like some quaint period piece, that has almost no relevance, in an era of capitalistic exploitation and lost idealism.

I had all but forgotten about the film of "Alice's Restaurant", which was inspired by (as opposed to based on) Arlo Guthrie's classic and comic song of the same name. Viewing it again on DVD made for a curious experience.

Midway through the film, director Arthur Penn (fresh off of "Bonnie and Clyde", I believe) literally shoots the events on which the song is based, and they are if anything even more amusing on screen than on record. However, anyone expecting the film itself to reflect this tone overall is in for a surprise.

By the time Arlo (playing himself) has his litter-inspired run-in with the draft board (which is, again, hilarious) we have come to know him as one of a commune-like group of people in Stockbridge which is more or less centered around Alice and Ray. The two live unconventionally with their friends in an unused Church. Alice seeks to add some stability to her life by opening a restaurant, which she does successfully with the help of friend Arlo's jingle. She and Arlo are the only members of their group who look beyond the aimless lifestyle of the members of their commune, who are content to meander through life riding motorcycles and getting stoned. We see Alice affected by the drug-inspired struggle and death of addict Shelley and Arlo affected by the long illness and eventual death of his father, Woody Guthrie. Perhaps their emotional connections to their lost loved ones are what clue them in to the shallowness of the lives around them. But if Arlo has his music to move on to, Alice is fairly glued to her life with the stoned-out Ray, their friends and her restaurant. It is with great sadness indeed that she watches Arlo ride off to resume his life on the road.

The point made about the trappings of the Hippie lifestyle being so unfulfilling are well ahead of their time when juxtaposed with other movies of the era and are actually quite haunting. The problem is that they make the wonderful recapping of the events surrounding Arlo's writing of the song seem out of place. This shift in tone is never quite reconciled by director Penn, rendering the film more of a curiosity than a success.

In addition to the now-fabled Thanksgiving sequence, highlights include James Broderick's lively performance as Ray, Pat Quinn's understated one as Alice and Guthrie's ever present charm and humor. It is also a wonderful bonus to see Arlo perform his father's "Pastures of Plenty" and "Car Song" with the wonderful Pete Seeger. (That's folk music producer Harold Leventhal as Woody's manager.) The film itself is ultimately as ramshackle as the group whose story it tells, but if the era means anything to you you will find it worth watching.

Based on his folk song, Arlo Guthrie plays himself. He's facing the draft and joining the counter-culture. His father is in the hospital with dementia. He encounters and befriends various people. He and his friend are arrested for a massive case of littering but they get off easy as the blind judge fails to see the evidence. He's called up for the draft but his littering conviction keeps him out of the war.

Arlo Guthrie and his song come from a time and place. I'm not familiar with it. I'm sure there is great meaning to some of this film. I'm not privy to it. To me, it's simply a rambling journey following a less-than-charismatic lead. He's not really an actor. He's playing himself in the most casual way. This is a time capsule of a certain time. It meanders too much to be a compelling narrative but it does have some interesting aspects. It's respectful of the counter-culture. There are a few funny cute moments. The second half is more surreal and therefore much better. This is one weird movie.

Unlike the music videos began by the Beatles and the Monkees, the whole movie is Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant" album forming the basis for the movie's story, and is loosely based on a real life Alice who opened a restaurant in a converted church.

The movie reenacts the story about how a small town makes a big fuss about Arlo Guthrie's dumping garbage down a ravine and putting him in jail for it (things were too quiet then I guess), and how it would cause Arlo to be rejected for military service-the theme of the album's title song. Hippie life in general is covered, but not a Pollyannaish manner. Alice finally gets sick of hippies living off her hospitality and blows her top at them, a man dies from drug use, a Vietnam Veteran comes home wounded. The movie does work very well as a period piece and is recommended for understanding the 1960's.

The last time I saw this film, it had just come out in the theaters. I was in high school, preparing for college, had a rebellious streak in me...you know, the usual.

What I always remembered about it was the funeral song, at Shelly's grave, "Song for Aging Children," a song I still love. So I got the DVD.

Now that I'm older, though not less rebellious, I find the film to have been put together like it was done by a junior high school kid with a few bucks to spare. It had the anti-authority clichés, you know the cops are all a bunch of idiots, and the young people who make up the bulk of the cast were all well-meaning and care-free. Well, yeah. But it takes some money to do what they were doing. From where did they get the money? There was also a theme of motorcycle racing that really didn't fit in well, or was at least not adequately explained.

And the acting was ghastly. Apparently the director picked some people, I don't know, maybe friends of Guthrie? Or they were in the director's garage band or something? Overall, it was a band of silly late-60s clichés, and a story without a point. And that's kind of sad. The song is a classic folk song/tale, an anthem to an era. But the film, is pretty useless, unless you want to show those clichés and what they ostensibly represent.

This excellent film was written by my late screen writing teacher Venable Herndon, but I saw it and fell in love with it long before I took his class.

It manages to be both good humored and effortlessly profound at the same time. The recruitment scenes are hysterically funny. I miss movies with this laid-back quality. A lot of people are adverse to this type of loose narrative structure, but since almost every flick and TV show has such a rigid structure why can't the rest of us have a couple of films to ourselves.

The final shot of Alice's Restaurant with all its beautiful ambiguity has affected me more than the final shot of the "Searchers" every time I've seen it. It manages to celebrate something and take it with a grain of salt at the same time. Hurrah for the director of photography!

A beautiful trip all round.

Poor Arthur Penn. Guy is trying to make a sad, serious film about the decline of Hippiedom through the prism of a dysfunctional marriage (good idea) and he keeps getting tripped up by the too cute and adorable Arlo Guthrie, his cuddly stoner pals, and that lame ass song of his that Penn needed to get the damn film made to begin with!

I am paradoxically happy to report, however, that a lot of the sadness remains in this work and it is those images and moments...the destructive immature mania of James Broderick as hippie patriarch Ray, the poignance of the long final scene where Alice, wonderfully played by Pat Quinn, contemplates the bad decision she's made to marry a schlub, the heartbreaking scenes of the dying Woody Guthrie in Creedmoor Hospital in Queens, Joni Mitchell's elegy for the 60s counter culture sung in a snowy cemetery...that stay with me long after Arlo, Roger, Karin, Officer Obie and all their mindless antics have faded from consciousness. Give it a B minus.

PS...Arlo and Tina Chen are such a dull couple they make John and Yoko look like Tracy and Hepburn.

Anyone know of a good movie that was based on a song? Boy, I sure don't. Recall "Ode to Billy Joe" and "The Gambler". No exception here. Don't look for a plot here either. The story that is told in the song Alice's Restaurant takes but a few minutes to tell in the movie. Surrounding it is a mish-mash of scenes (it would be a stretch to call them sub-plots, especially considering that there is no main plot) that have very little to do with each other. If you want to see what the world looked liked in 1968 through the eyes of a young, mild-mannered folk singer, this is your movie.

This film centers around Woody Guthrie's son and his trials and tribulations growing up. Arlo Guthrie wanders across the country, playing his music and visiting friends. He winds up with adult friends Ray and Alice, who are adult in age only. From there, the film seems to wander more than Arlo does.

Alice's Restaurant mainly attempts to capture the essence of the 60's. Firmly anti-establishment, the main characters are hard to sympathize with. In general, I feel it is not a great idea to base a film on a song.

There are entertaining points of the film, to be sure. The army recruitment center is a humorous look at the draft. Much of Arlo's narrative is witty and the familiar twang of his story telling voice makes it work. The plot, however, is lacking. The film seems to go on for too long and winds up smack in the middle of nowhere. At nearly two hours, it is a bit long winded as well, although it says nearly nothing. The ending leaves something to be desired. Feelings toward the characters are often mixed and unclear. Not a bad song, not a good film.

I gave this film a 2 out of 10. It was entertaining at points, but lacked artistic and technical snap. The story was non-existent, characters weak, and relationships confusing. The song is great though. Don't go out of your way to see this film, you won't really miss much.

As most students of 1960s filmmaking are aware, "Alice's Restaurant" was director Arthur Penn's unsuccessful follow-up to "Bonnie and Clyde." It was based on -- or rather inspired by -- a good idea: Arlo Guthrie's famous autobiographical song, which told the humorous and ironic tale of two run-ins with the "establishment," as we used to say, during a Thanksgiving in Stockbridge, Mass., and a subsequent draft board examination in New York City.

Thirty-three long years later, seeing this cultural artifact from the late '60s is less like watching a story unfold than stepping into a time machine. The good, bad and tragic aspects of that turbulent era are all represented here, and the past -- as observed from our tainted and narcissistic age of SUVs, AIDS and the Internet -- seems positively innocent. And -- with a few obvious exceptions -- idyllic.

The 1960s may have been a tumultuous era, but those years embodied one crucial concept sorely missing from today's society: youthful idealism. Way back when -- before a six-figure salary became the college student's holy grail, when saving the world was more important than earning a law degree -- young people were actually passionate -- about freedom, about peace, about the long- term prospects for humanity. If that passion has not completely vanished, it has certainly been redirected -- and not, in my view, toward a positive or productive end.

Whether Penn's film works or not as a cinematic adaptation of Guthrie's song, whether it successfully mixes deadpan humor (hippies vs. bureaucratic clods) with tragedy (the dark side of drug use) seems almost irrelevant now. The movie succeeds in capturing a remarkable moment in time, a short period when the future may have been uncertain, but there was still a brilliant ray of sunshine at the end of the tunnel -- and a youthful force propelling us toward it.

The hippie movement may have been naive, but it was a movement nonetheless, and a positive form of rebellion. As seen in the film, young people often used the word "peace" instead of "goodbye" -- not just as a pleasant sentiment at the end of a conversation, but as a serious reminder of what was important -- that nothing was more vital than global, harmonious accord, to "live as one." That spirit may have died with John Lennon; it may have left this Earth with Jerry Garcia. In any case, it's pretty much gone now, and already -- except, perhaps, within a few small, nostalgic circles -- nearly forgotten.

Today, the concepts of "peace" and "love" seem hopelessly quaint. The era of Flower Power has long since passed, and most young people would readily agree that All You Need is Cash -- the majority of them knowing infinitely more about money markets than peaceful coexistence. Teenagers who once joined together to enjoy music, freedom and a sense of community (Woodstock) have been replaced by a disenfranchised generation who angrily rape, steal and burn (Woodstock '99). Somewhere along the line, the hopeful enthusiasm of folk music and rock'n'roll gave way to the fury of punk, rap and hip-hop. Freeform artistic expression (Prog-Rock, Pop Art, tie-died clothes, experimental filmmaking) was discarded in favor of nihilism and self-mutilation (Industrial/ Goth-Rock, Heavy Metal, piercings and tattoos). The ray of hope faded. "Make Love, Not War" degenerated into "Show Us Your Tits." The "us" decade ('60s) became the "me" decade ('70s). And now -- God help us -- we are firmly entrenched in what surely would've made the founding fathers wish they'd never been born: the"whatever" century.

This apathetic new millenium has ushered in not a glorious Odyssey of space exploration or a Brave New World of modern medicine -- but terrorism, fear, ignorance and intolerance. Politically, Ashcroft's medical marijuana raids and "President" Bush's environmental atrocities likely cause even die-hard liberals to fondly recall the days of Tricky Dick! Who could have ever imagined?!

And so "Alice's Restaurant" is another tragic arrow through our empty, modern- day heart -- a damning reminder of just how low this country has sunk, how far a nation of bloodless, soulless opportunists has strayed from the garden. Think of it! Once, this country poured its life blood into electing leaders who would end war and famine; now, we waste millions trying to impeach them for receiving blow jobs.

Jim Morrison was 35 years ahead of his time. The '60s -- in retrospect -- was the beginning. And this, now, is the end.

Peace.

I was only five years-old when this film debuted, so the 60s don't hold quite the same magical nostalgic hold on me that they hold for some older folks. I'm sure for many of them, this film was a nice little stroll down memory lane--but for me I mostly found it slow and annoying, though there were many bits and pieces that I liked. Additionally, as an American History teacher, I did appreciate how this was all like a time capsule--with both the good and bad of the era all rolled into one package.

The movie purports to be based on real-life situations that occurred to Arlo Guthrie when he was 18. How close to the truth his song "Alice's Restauran" and this movie are is anyone's guess. However, I did appreciate that the film was not a whitewash of the era. While there was a lot of idealism, free love and self-expression, the film also had a very dark side that particularly came out at the end--and was a great way to show that the idealism of the 60s was starting to die a slow death. I know that the Leonard Maltin Guide disliked this downbeat ending, but I liked it--making the movie, in a way, like "Paradise Lost" meets the 1960s. The only problem I had with the ending is that it seemed to drag on way too long and could have benefited from a slight trimming to keep it focused and make it end a bit stronger.

As for the funny moments, everything about the littering arrest was pretty funny. Making stacks of police photos of the "horrible crime scene" and then giving all this to the blind judge was pretty absurd! Also how this minor incident resulted in Guthrie's being rejected from the draft was kind of cute (though I wonder just how true that was--if it was, then that's nuts!).

Other than the funny and poignant parts at the end about the dark side of the 60s, there wasn't a whole lot I liked about the film. It really seemed more like an aimless home movie--something crowds in the 60s liked (with the success of this film and EASY RIDER, it's pretty self-evident). But today--in the 21st century--I just can't see it making much of a positive impact on most younger viewers and will probably just elicit boredom as well as questions such as "who are Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger?".

By the way, for a guy who was no actor, I was impressed with Arlo Guthrie's performance. It was better than you might expect considering he was a folk singer and not an actor. Too bad he didn't have too many credits after this film.

I remember back in the 80s my Mom rented this movie and from the cover and title I didn't think I'd like it. Not only did I like it, but I now watch it every Thanksgiving season. I've always liked Arlo Guthrie's music and the soundtrack is excellent, featuring the title track which tells this true story. It's quite a fun movie, laced with moments of very serious elements like Woody, Arlo's dad, in the hospital. The scene in the hospital with Arlo and Pete Seeger singing the Car Car song to Woody in the hospital was very heartwarming. The characters are all colorful and enjoyable to watch and very typical of the folk scene in the late 60s, just before I was born.

***1/2 (Out of 4)

I made the mistake of buying the recently released DVD of this film and will probably give it away at the next opportunity. As a child of the 60s, I was hoping that it would evoke some nostalgia. Instead it evoked wonder that Arthur Penn would ever have generated this mess. Poor writing and acting more than offset any charm that might be found in it. It almost makes me yearn for Billy Jack. I still like the song.

First of all, I have to admit that I did not experience the '60s; I was born long after they were over. My parents grew up in the '60s, so I've learned about that era from them, and from various other sources. But obviously, I can't truly understand what happened. "Alice's Restaurant" is one of the great records of the era. And a really funny one at that.

Arlo Guthrie plays himself trying to avoid getting drafted. The police arrest him for having long hair, and the army forces him into a recruiting center. In the recruiting center, they force him to walk around in his underwear. As an act of defiance, he declares: "I wanna see blood 'n' guts 'n' gore 'n' veins! I wanna kill, man!" Of course Arlo's favorite hang-out is Alice Brock's restaurant in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. That place could be the embodiment of the whole 1960s.

Anyway, "Alice's Restaurant" is nowadays a look back at when the country's youth were fighting for a better future (people who lived through the '60s would probably object to how I said that). And in the Bush era, we really long for that.

By the way, I saw Arlo Guthrie in concert when he came to Portland in 1998, and then again in 2004. Both concerts were great.

Alice's Restaurant (3 out of 10)

"Well, you had to be there..." You just can't defend a movie that way. First, if I WAS there, I don't really need to see the movie, now do I. Second, as a filmmaker, isn't it your job to TAKE ME there? But, third and most likely, "there" probably just wasn't that great in the first place.

Those who write complaining that the movie isn't like the song are missing the point. The movie isn't about the song, nor is the movie supposed to be based around the song. The movie merely includes the song - and some events in Arlo Guthrie's life in the 1960s. Get over the fixation about the song and you might begin to see what the movie is about.

Alice's Restaurant is about life and loss, and the traps we allow ourselves to get caught up in. It's about addiction, youth, anarchy, death, and aimlessness. It's a celebration and a lament for all those things.

You've seen the kid with the long hair who's told 'cut it', and won't. And then there's a misunderstanding like the one in the story of Alice's Restaurant, where it's a weird downward spiral where garbage, the law, and Vietnam get intertwined. The actual dramatization of the events that are detailed in the now traditional Thanksgiving album (only because, I guess, Arlo is having Thanksgiving dinner at Alice's) is about as faithful as imaginable, but I'd say the scenes earlier on, when Arlo has just come into town and isn't able to really stay at any pad for too long due to his long hair and his inability to conform to playing music right in classes. These are subtle jabs at the outcast of the times- not simply as a 'hippie', as Arlo Guthrie is a little too folksy to be a typical hippie, albeit not too far removed for Woodstock- and as a mostly one-sided take on the issue of the 'hippies', it doesn't demonize one side, while not making bones about showing the upright citizens as those who are close-minded.

Filled with some great tunes, and an attitude to film-making by Arthur Penn that reflects its creator in a somewhat lighter, though no less socially conscious mind-set than Bonnie & Clyde (except less disguised), Alice's Restaurant is imperfect entertainment and a glimpse of the period that will appeal to anyone at all interested or remember all-too-well the socio-political troubles. It's a capsule, but not too shabby with age; plays probably as the first side of a double-billing with 1969's Easy Rider.

If Alice's Restaurant were to be made today it would most likely be filmed in a much grainier, true-to-life fashion, cinema verite wed to the modern taste for close-ups and hand-held camera. It's a style that adds an immediacy to the subjects that it films – and that is something that is badly lacking from this film. Alice's Restaurant stands now as nothing more than a curio, failing completely to capture or convey any sense of how life was like for the draft-dodging members of America's counter-culture. The best films that set themselves up as a form of social document succeed because they always make the era they have captured come alive; they give you a taste and a feel so true to the times that it is almost tangible. Alice's Restaurant simply points the camera at a group of people who possess ill-defined motivation and an almost complete lack of direction: change the hairstyles and the clothes and what takes place on screen could be taking place anywhere at any time in the past fifty years.

Arlo Guthrie is no actor, but he's actually quite good in this because you do feel that, while he's obviously acting, he's also trying to be himself and so you get some insight into the man. He's invited to have sex by four different women in this film which is a bit of a stretch to be honest, but other than that he's entirely believable, despite lacking much presence on the screen. Patricia Quinn exudes an earthy vitality as Alice, while James Broderick as her husband Ray seems strangely at odds with the rest of the cast. Maybe it's his age or the cowboy-ish clothes, which make him look something like a good ol' boy, but he never really seems to fit in and fails to convince as the kind of man to whom Alice would be married.

For all its counter-culture credentials the film, and its characters, ultimately resort to the most conventional of social traditions. The Brocks live in an old church, long abandoned by most of its ageing congregation, and seek to salvage their relationship by getting married once again while, at their reception, Ray drunkenly bemoans the gradual dispersion of their friends, with whom he wishes to found a commune. That's love, marriage, family and friendship,themes that, while not wholly exclusive from the social group the film examines, nevertheless make an unlikely topic. Maybe that explains why, like most of the rest of us, the hippie generation have today turned into their middle-class suburbanite parents.

I saw this movie once about ten years ago and I still rank it as the worst movie I've ever seen. This movie grated against me in a way that no other film ever has.

Lower-quality films than this have been produced, naturally. However, I find that most low-quality films are bad because they are either poorly produced (which can be fun) or competently produced yet completely forgettable.

I don't remember many specifics about it except that it seemed self-aggrandizing on the part of Arlo Guthrie. I also remember they trashed a beautiful Volkswagen van which made me angry.

I have been unable to forget that I saw this film. I only wish I could un-watch it.