“Still Alice”

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, and brief language including a sexual reference.

As a rule, I do not review movies unless they have just been released. I made an exception for this week’s review. After many weeks of procrastination, I went to see “Still Alice,” a film about a woman’s discovery that she has early onset, familial Alzheimer’s and her inevitable mental decline. I am sure I am not alone among those who would prefer to avert eyes and attention from a film about a disease that causes so much pain, distress, and even fear among the afflicted and their family and friends.

As a script and a plot, “Still Alice” is rather mundane but for film direction and performances, it is moderately exceptional. Julianne Moore won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Alice Howland, a renowned professor of linguistics. Alice is married to Dr. John Howland (Alec Baldwin) who apparently has some sort of heavy-duty medical research position. Together, they have three near-perfect children. The weak link is the youngest, a daughter (played by Kristen Stewart), who has decided to live in Los Angeles to pursue a job in (gasp — oh, the shame of it all) acting. Her mother wants her to abandon this foolish vocational dalliance, get a college degree, and pursue a “real” career. This is about the only friction in her life.

During a lecture, Professor Alice losses her train of thought, panics a little, and has a hard time getting back on track. Later she gets lost while jogging (a well shot scene by the way) and then starts forgetting significant things such as being introduced to her son’s Christmas guest.

She goes to a neurologist and is told she has the disease and that there is no hope. The effect on her husband is “superficially complex.” Her children are distressed but supportive. Here is where the film is at its weakest. The characters are disappointingly two-dimensional. The family’s behavior lacks depth; it is like they are wearing Greek masks — maybe three — each mask representing a single emotion at a time. Only Julianne Moore’s character has a spotlight, all the others are cardboard representations and in the shadows.

There is one scene that is the exception. When the “former” professor Alice gives a speech to an Alzheimer’s conference she is so effective that she brings the audience in the film (and maybe in the theater) to tears. I felt real humanity in this scene. Alas, I thought the extras demonstrated more acting chops than Ms. Moore’s supporting cast.

Ms. Moore’s performance, however subtle, is impressive. I just can’t say that it was a gut-wrencher or a face-slapper. Hollywood loves stories about the diseased, the handicapped and marginalized. We have seen this before and in a sense we see it more than ever with Eddie Redmayne’s nomination this year; last Sunday’s Oscars awards seem to be an orgy of that very obsession. Did Ms Moore deserve the award? I am not so sure. Is Ms. Moore’s performance extraordinary simply due to the emotional impact of Alzheimer’s? What affected me, the disease or the performance? Will I remember the performance in spite of her affliction … for years to come; will it pass the test of time? No, I think not.

On the other hand, I can’t say any of her fellow nominees’ performances rearranged my internal organs. Where is Meryl Streep when we need her for an alternate choice? I think that Julianne Moore portrayed Alice with great dignity and because of that I will see henceforth those with Alzheimer’s as “strugglers” not sufferers. This I learned from Alice’s character.

Two or three effective scenes notwithstanding, “Still Alice” is not very memorable. I do not need Alzheimer’s to forget this movie; its comparative mediocrity will cause it to fade from my memory. My personal fear of the disease kept me away for a long time; yet my sympathy for those afflicted and their families drew me to it, but what actually compelled me were the nominations and awards for Ms. Moore. If I did not write about films, I would have stayed away.

However, the voice in my ear, whispered by my ever-present companion, had a different opinion … again … and between the tears and a sob or three … she took issue with my opinion. So, we took a vote. I got to write my opinion in words and she got to assign the bow ties.

The final decision to see or not to see is yours.

And so, in the interest of domestic compromise, “Still Alice” receives four bow ties out of five.