Home > Movies > W > What Alice Found > Reviews


Rating:
A. Dean Bell's What Alice Found is a solid, if unspectacular, drama buoyed by two sensitive and nuanced lead performances. The film puts its troubled protagonist through the moral wringer as the easily manipulated and unfocused teen (well played by Emily Grace) finds herself in over her head when she's drawn into the sleazy world of roadside prostitution. Alice isn't especially bright or model-pretty, but Grace brings an awkward charm to the role (enhanced by an endearingly grating New Hampshire accent) and manages to draw us in, and make us root for Alice to make the right choices. Judith Ivey, as Alice's mentor/corrupter, Sandra, gives a strong, thoughtful performance in a role that could easily have turned into a shrill caricature in less capable hands. Bill Raymond is pretty much a cipher as Bill, Sandra's husband, who rounds out the trio. Bill is clearly a background figure, but he does play a pivotal part in the plot, so it's unfortunate that the character is underwritten. The setting is cramped (much of the film takes place in Bill and Sandra's RV), the DV camerawork (by Richard Connors, who also shot Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.) is effective, but the low-budget efficiency and teen-in-peril story line of What Alice Found give it the feel of an After School Special gone wrong (complete with full frontal nudity!). The script, with its somewhat clunky flashback inserts, isn't really much better than that, with the exception of a couple of strong scenes. The performances are what transcend the fairly rudimentary storytelling and make the film worthwhile. Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Browse More Movies:
# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z