FREE ON CINEGEEK.De Arthur Penn - Alice's Restaurant

This is a good and very unexcited film by Arthur Penn. At no point does one get the impression that he wanted to make a big movie. On the contrary: Penn simply shows some friends and some months of their lives. Births, deaths, weddings. Up to this degree he actually behaves in a "factorylike" way towards the songs of Arlo Guthrie, who plays the leading role. I think any other film (which would be more under pressure to perform) would be inappropriate! Maybe Penn even should have done without the rudiments of a plot, because Guthrie is always best when he's on the road. On the highway by hitchhiking, when he plays guitar or just visits his friends Ray (James Broderick) and Alice (Ray Quinn). Not quite as relaxed and convincing are the scenes in which we learn more about the love life of Alice and Ray. Alice is something like a hippie mother for everyone. She takes in the lost souls, tries to bring them back to life. Sometimes she succeeds; Alice would probably call it a transfusion of life. However, she is a sensual and spiritual person. But then Ray shows up and the two begin to quarrel and their relationship becomes ambiguous. What should we think now? Is Alice unfaithful? And what does Ray believe? Arthur Penn leaves us floating, which is why the love scenes haven't become as good as they could have been. Also difficult is the decision that Arlo's father (Joseph Boley), who is already showing signs of old age, will appear. Do we see Arlo here in a few years? Isn't that a little too close to life? I think we should accept these scenes as a sign of how honestly Alice's restaurant is meant. Still, these scenes seem a bit artificial. But most of the time Alice's Restaurant is a warm, lively movie. Penn portrays a lifestyle, no plot with different characters. It's the attitude towards life of the hippie generation. We feel the touch of New Hollywood! Convincing also Arlo Guthrie himself, who seems so quiet, open and natural in front of the camera. Alice's Restaurant unites the spirit of the singer Guthrie with the tact of his director Penn.