Martin Scorsese infuses the classic maternal melodrama with the brash spirit of the New Hollywood in this zeitgeist-capturing feminist tale of a woman finding her footing in a patriarchal world. An Academy Award–winning Ellen Burstyn shines as Alice Hyatt, a newly widowed mother who, with her precocious son, Tommy, takes off across the Southwest to pursue her dream of becoming a singer, along the way learning to live on her own terms, even as a new romance with a rugged rancher (Kris Kristofferson) tests her growing independence. Boasting vivid supporting turns by Diane Ladd, Harvey Keitel, and Jodie Foster, this irrepressible look at starting anew overflows with warmth and humanity from each bustling frame.

Also in the cast are actors Harvey Keitel, Diane ladd, Jodie Foster and Laura Dern.

The film was adapted into a popular television series, Alice, that aired on CBS from 1976 to 1985.