A splash for the hippie movement when this was released, "Alice's Restaurant" is a sometimes interesting but silly curio.
The plot is almost nonexistent. Arlo Guthrie plays himself, as he hooks up with old friends Ray (James Broderick) and Alice (Patricia Quinn) in a small town in Massachusetts. Ray and Alice take in scores of teens and societal drop-outs, giving them a place to stay and eat, and ask for nothing in return. Their good faith is put to the test when heroin addict Shelly (Michael McClanathan) is released from Bellevue in New York City. He sleeps with Alice, and her relationship with her husband unravels. This subplot plays like a weak soap opera episode. Guthrie has problems of his own, waiting for his famous father's (played by Joseph Boley) inevitable death, and finally meeting the girl of his dreams. The melancholy ending is supposed to mark a new beginning, but the final shot lets us know otherwise.
Maybe hippie movies just ain't my bag, man. With all the pot smoking and free love, I could not warm up to any of the characters. Alice has a meltdown in her restaurant when no one wants to help her but I could not help but feel she was throwing a tantrum on par with that of a toddler's, not suffering a nervous breakdown with accompanying mental trauma. Everyone is so over the top, you may find yourself "suggesting" things to the characters- like getting a haircut and stop smoking the wacky weed. Guthrie, on the other hand, proves acting is not his strong suit. He only seems to come alive during "The Alice's Restaurant Massacre" scene, as he sings about illegally dumping garbage, and the following police action. How this minor run-in with the law holds up his draft physical is hilarious, and I wish more of the film had been along these lines. Instead, director Penn shoots and edits in a haphazard way, resulting in haphazard interest from the viewer. Oddly enough, for being such a hippie youth film, director and co-writer Penn was almost fifty when he made this. When Penn gets it right, he really gets it right. The final shot is heartbreaking, he has an incredible scene at a snowy funeral, and the comic timing of the song is perfect. Sadly, these great moments are just that- a few moments in a 111 minute film that feels twice as long.
Eventually, the hoopla and praise has outlived a film that was very topical decades ago, and very difficult today. Skip "Alice's Restaurant," and eat in. (* 1/2) out of five stars.
*Get a physical copy of "Alice's Restaurant" on Amazon here*
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