WHAT ALICE FOUND
Reviewed by: Harvey S. Karten Grade: B Castle Hill/Dream LLC Directed by: A. Dean Bell Written by: A. Dean Bell Cast: Judith Ivey, Bill Raymond, Emily Grace Screened at: Review 2, NYC, 11/4/03
Did you ever go on a blind date, thought the guy (or gal) was absolutely terrific, and yet all the while felt uneasy that something was amiss and that the evening felt out of whack? "What Alice Found," which is about a blind date of sorts one that lasted far more days that the title character would have liked is an intriguing exploration of an insular world, one that most of us probably never experienced. Since most of the action takes place within a large recreational vehicle, the feeling of claustrophobia is ever-present, the photographer and crew obviously cramped somewhere hidden from us in the audience. This makes the story theatrical, yet one that could not easily take place on a stage, since writer-director A. Dean Bell wants us to get the feel of motion from New Hampshire through the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama en route to Miami (though filmed within a three-hour radius of New York). What Alice does find is that though she is being aided on her journey down south by two people who appear to be Good Samaritans, her benefactors have somewhat sinister plans for her, designs that, given Alice's background, begin to appeal to her as well.
The role of 18-year-old Alice is performed by a newcomer, Emily Grace, in this typically Sundance-style feature, a young woman whose expressions change swiftly from gratitude to worry to anticipation and back to a happy grin. In her shy way, Alice is going through a post-adolescent crisis, conflicted about the role she is expected to play. We in our seats wonder during most of the action what she is really feeling about her new job, and thanks to a solid performance by Grace with lots of help from the experienced Judith Ivey, we can enjoy post-film discussions about where Alice's center really lies.
In the story, whose narrative is helped by appropriate flashbacks, we learn that Alice is the daughter of a woman who is undereducated and who can barely meet her expenses with the food stamps she obtains whose use embarrasses the 18- year-old. Envious that her best friend has been accepted by Miami University and will soon head south leaving her behind, Alice steals money, gets into her car, and is off to visit her freshman friend, albeit with no knowledge of what she is going to do once her company wears thin. When her car conks out permanently and she is picked up by Sandra (Judith Ivey) and her husband Bill (Bill Raymond), she cannot believe her luck: that they are heading in the same direction and are perfectly willing to allow her to stay with them in the large vehicle. She begins to wonder what's up when Sandra buys her sexy clothing but by the time Sandra adds vulgar lines to her eyebrows, she is on the road to making more money in twenty minutes than she could earn in a week at her old job.
With its fine script and actors who can bring out the Pinteresque sense of doom, "What Alice Found" has the makings of a solid drama. Though there is little suspense, our enjoyment comes from watching the corruption of a girl who, while not a virgin, gets more (and less) than she bargained for in hitching with middle-aged pimps who, unlike the sort usually depicted in gangster films, genuinely like her and want her to prosper under their tutelage. The biggest drawback is the use of digital video in lieu of film, supposedly on the grounds that more immediacy is created. Notwithstanding this aim, what we get is that awful blurry, amateurish look that takes away from the feeling that we're watching a movie, and not our home TV.
Rated R. 97 minutes.(c) 2003 by Harvey Karten at Harveycritic@cs.com
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