Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore is a 1974 American romantic comedy drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Robert Getchell. It stars Ellen Burstyn as a widow who travels with her preteen son across the Southwestern United States in search of a better life. Kris Kristofferson, Billy "Green" Bush, Diane Ladd, Valerie Curtin, Lelia Goldoni, Vic Tayback, Jodie Foster, Alfred Lutter and Harvey Keitel appear in supporting roles. The film premiered at the 27th Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d'Or, and it was released theatrically on December 9, 1974 by Warner Bros. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $21 million on a $1.8 million budget. At the 47th Academy Awards, Burstyn won Best Actress, and Ladd and Getchell received nominations for Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay. Plot In Socorro, New Mexico, Alice Hyatt's husband, Donald, a Coca-Cola delivery driver, is killed on the job in a trucking accident. Alice, a former singer, decides to sell the majority of her belongings and take her son Tommy to her childhood home of Monterey, California, where she hopes to pursue a singing career, which she had abandoned when she married Donald. Their financial situation forces them to take temporary lodgings in Phoenix, Arizona, where she finds work as a lounge singer. She meets Ben, a younger married man who charms her into a sexual relationship that comes to a sudden end when his wife, Rita, confronts Alice. Ben breaks into Alice's apartment while Rita is there and physically assaults Rita in front of Alice; he also threatens Alice and smashes up her apartment. Fearing for their safety, Alice and Tommy quickly leave town.