Directed by Arthur Penn
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, MGM)
Arlo Guthrie stars basically as himself in this movie based on his song about a restaurant. He goes to college to avoid the draft but drops out when he doesn't fit in with the conservative Montana community. He ends up at a commune living in a converted church in Massachusetts. He hangs out with his friends, including Alice and her restaurant, until he gets arrested for illegal trash dumping. However, it saves him from the draft, again. Although Arlo is the undeniable star of the film, its heart is really the relationship between Alice and her husband Ray, and it is not pretty. Alice has an affair with Arlo's recovering drug addict friend, and later shows up at his New York apartment when she leaves him. Although not spoken, there is implied spousal abuse happening here. They reconcile and get "remarried" in the big finale at the commune. However, the final image of Alice alone in front of the church as the guests leave does not forebode well for their future.
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