Alice
Alice Tate, mother of two, with a marriage of 16 years, finds herself falling for the handsome sax player, Joe. Stricken with a backache, she consults Dr. Yang, an oriental herbalist who realizes that her problems are not related to her back, but in her mind and heart. Dr. Yang's magical herbs give Alice wondrous powers, taking her out of well-established rut.
The film earned $7.3M at the global box office.
Nominated for 1 Oscar. 1 win & 7 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Alice (1990) exhibits precise dramatic framework, characteristic of Woody Allen's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 42 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.5, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Alice Tate
Joe Ruffalo
Dr. Yang
Doug Tate
Ed
Nancy Brill
Vicki
Main Cast & Characters
Alice Tate
Played by Mia Farrow
Upper East Side housewife who begins questioning her unfulfilling marriage and discovers her own desires and potential through magical herbs.
Joe Ruffalo
Played by Joe Mantegna
A jazz musician and single father who awakens Alice's romantic and creative longings.
Dr. Yang
Played by Keye Luke
A mysterious acupuncturist and herbalist who provides Alice with magical potions that unlock her inner truth.
Doug Tate
Played by William Hurt
Alice's wealthy, philandering husband who represents the superficial life she's trapped in.
Ed
Played by Alec Baldwin
Alice's former boyfriend who died in a plane crash, returns as a ghost to help her find clarity.
Nancy Brill
Played by Cybill Shepherd
Alice's shallow, gossipy friend who embodies the superficial Upper East Side social world.
Vicki
Played by Judy Davis
Alice's more grounded friend who works with the homeless and represents authentic service.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Alice Tate, wealthy Upper East Side housewife, lunches with friends and discusses her privileged but unfulfilling life. She is trapped in a superficial existence, defined by her husband's wealth and social expectations.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Alice encounters Joe Ruffalo, a jazz musician, and feels an immediate attraction. This unexpected romantic spark disrupts her comfortable numbness and awakens suppressed desires.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 26 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Alice decides to take Dr. Yang's magical herbs, crossing into a fantastical journey of self-discovery. She actively chooses to explore what she truly wants, stepping beyond her rational, controlled world., moving from reaction to action.
At 51 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat False defeat: Alice's magical escapades reveal uncomfortable truths about her marriage and herself. She sees her husband's infidelity or realizes the depth of her own dissatisfaction. The stakes become real., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 77 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Alice must confront that she cannot continue living a double life. Her relationship with Joe or her fantasies collapse, forcing her to face the death of her old self and the impossibility of returning to ignorant comfort., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 82 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Alice synthesizes her journey: she doesn't need magic or a man to validate her. She finds clarity about leaving her marriage and pursuing meaningful work, integrating her privileged resources with authentic purpose., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Alice's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Alice against these established plot points, we can identify how Woody Allen utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Alice within the comedy genre.
Woody Allen's Structural Approach
Among the 42 Woody Allen films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Alice represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Woody Allen filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Woody Allen analyses, see Sleeper, Celebrity and Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Alice Tate, wealthy Upper East Side housewife, lunches with friends and discusses her privileged but unfulfilling life. She is trapped in a superficial existence, defined by her husband's wealth and social expectations.
Theme
A friend or acquaintance mentions something about finding one's true self or authentic happiness beyond material comfort, planting the thematic seed about self-discovery versus societal expectations.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of Alice's gilded cage: her controlling husband Doug, her role as mother, her abandonment of creative aspirations, her guilt about Catholic upbringing, and the emptiness beneath the luxury.
Disruption
Alice encounters Joe Ruffalo, a jazz musician, and feels an immediate attraction. This unexpected romantic spark disrupts her comfortable numbness and awakens suppressed desires.
Resistance
Alice develops back pain (psychosomatic manifestation of inner conflict) and seeks treatment from Dr. Yang, a mysterious Chinese herbalist. She resists the idea that her problems are emotional rather than physical.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Alice decides to take Dr. Yang's magical herbs, crossing into a fantastical journey of self-discovery. She actively chooses to explore what she truly wants, stepping beyond her rational, controlled world.
Mirror World
Alice's relationship with Joe Ruffalo deepens as the herbs give her confidence. Joe represents the creative, authentic life she abandoned, serving as a mirror to show what she could become.
Premise
The fun and games: Alice uses various magical herbs to become invisible, relive past relationships, see her first love Ed, and explore fantasies. She playfully tests boundaries while avoiding real consequences.
Midpoint
False defeat: Alice's magical escapades reveal uncomfortable truths about her marriage and herself. She sees her husband's infidelity or realizes the depth of her own dissatisfaction. The stakes become real.
Opposition
Alice faces increasing pressure from all sides: her husband's expectations, Catholic guilt about her desires, fear of leaving security, and the realization that fantasy herbs cannot solve real problems.
Collapse
Alice must confront that she cannot continue living a double life. Her relationship with Joe or her fantasies collapse, forcing her to face the death of her old self and the impossibility of returning to ignorant comfort.
Crisis
Dark night: Alice processes the loss of her illusions. She must decide who she truly is without the herbs, without her husband's identity, without the fantasy of Joe—just herself.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Alice synthesizes her journey: she doesn't need magic or a man to validate her. She finds clarity about leaving her marriage and pursuing meaningful work, integrating her privileged resources with authentic purpose.
Synthesis
Alice takes concrete action: leaves Doug, dedicates herself to charitable work with children, reconnects with her creativity and spirituality. She builds a new life based on her true values.
Transformation
Final image mirrors the opening but transformed: Alice is again with her children, but now she is present, authentic, and purposeful. She has traded gilded captivity for meaningful freedom.