---
title: "Still Alice: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/still-alice/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/still-alice"
critics_score: 71
critics_reviews: 26
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Still Alice (2014): what the critics said

Critics' score 71 from 26 reviews: 15 positive, 8 mixed, 3 negative.

Most critics find Still Alice moving and humane, with praise centred on Julianne Moore’s restrained portrayal of Alzheimer’s and its effect on Alice’s sense of herself. The reviews repeatedly credit her face, voice and small shifts in behaviour with making the illness feel immediate rather than merely explained. Kristen Stewart also draws praise, particularly for the intimacy and unease of the mother-daughter relationship, while supporters value the film’s quiet attention to Alice’s experience.

The spread is wide, though even detractors generally admire Moore. Reservations cluster around familiar plotting, thin supporting characters and filmmaking that some find too cautious or visually plain to match the performances. Empire praises the visual techniques used to convey Alice’s worsening condition, whereas Slant Magazine objects to melodramatic storytelling and an intrusive score. The central division is over whether the film’s restraint gives its subject dignity or softens material that needs a less conventional treatment.

## Time Out — David Ehrlich

Rating 5/5. 19 January 2015. 

The review presents Alzheimer’s as a cruel, tragic progression. Its description emphasizes the devastating inevitability of the disease.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/still-alice)

## Empire — David Hughes

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 20 February 2015. 

Hughes finds the film stirring, thought-provoking and deeply humane. He especially praises Julianne Moore’s heartfelt performance and the visual techniques used to convey Alice’s worsening condition.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/still-alice-review/)

## Evening Standard — David Sexton

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 25 September 2014. Festival review. 

Sexton finds the film deeply moving and life-affirming. He singles out Julianne Moore’s harrowing performance as Alice for praise.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/toronto-film-festival-still-alice-starring-julianne-moore-film-review-deeply-moving-9723047.html)

## Little White Lies — Simran Hans

Rating 2/4/4. 5 March 2016. 

Hans finds the film an absorbing, intimate portrait that avoids becoming manipulative despite its bleak subject. She especially praises Kristen Stewart and Julianne Moore’s onscreen chemistry and the film’s focus on Alice’s intellectual identity.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/still-alice)

## Total Film — Kevin Harley

Rating 4/5. 2 March 2015. 

The review praises the film as a sensitive, controlled portrayal of Alzheimer’s, led by Julianne Moore’s quietly heartbreaking performance. It singles out Moore’s restrained depiction of Alice’s gradual decline as the film’s strength.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/still-alice-review/)

## Variety — Peter Debruge

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2014. Festival review. 

Debruge finds the film sensitive, dignified, and devastating, with a powerful perspective on living with Alzheimer’s. He especially praises Julianne Moore’s restrained performance and the filmmakers’ quiet, emotionally focused approach.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2014/film/festivals/toronto-film-review-julianne-moore-in-still-alice-1201301421/)

## The AV Club — Ignatiy Vishnevetsky

Rating B. 4 December 2014. 

The review finds the film compelling and unsentimental despite its stolid visual style. It especially praises Julianne Moore’s nuanced performance as Alice’s illness progressively narrows her world.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/julianne-moore-faces-an-alzheimer-s-diagnosis-in-the-nu-1798182113)

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 4 December 2014. 

Turan finds the film emotionally effective despite familiar, contrived plot elements. He singles out Julianne Moore and Kristen Stewart’s performances for making Alice’s decline feel honest and affecting.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-still-alice-movie-review-20141205-column.html)

## The Guardian — Mark Kermode

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 8 March 2015. 

Kermode finds the film ultimately uplifting, though somewhat televisual, and says Moore’s performance overcomes its potential pitfalls. He especially praises her expressive portrayal of Alice’s disorientation and the ensemble’s reactions to her diagnosis.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/08/still-alice-review-julianne-moore-superb-alzheimers)

## Vulture — David Edelstein

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 16 January 2015. 

Edelstein calls the film good but somewhat thin, with Julianne Moore’s performance carrying it. He especially praises how Moore’s face and voice convey Alice’s changing thoughts and identity.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2014/12/movie-review-still-alice.html)

## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2014. 

The accessible page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It also does not show what the critic singles out for praise or complaint.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/still-alice/5077342.article)

## Film Comment — Dennis Lim

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The available page text does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It also gives no detail about what the review praises or criticizes.

[Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/still-alice-julianne-moore/)

## Radio Times — Andrew Collins

Rating 3/5. 

Collins finds the adaptation somewhat coy, despite its effective early scenes. He praises the chilling staging of Alice’s first symptoms.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-jpdu36/still-alice/)

## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane

Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 11 January 2015. 

Lane finds the film too cautious and emotionally softened, but still worth watching. He singles out Julianne Moore’s radiant, steel-edged performance as its chief strength.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/01/19/losing-way)

## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez

Rating 1.5/4. 3 December 2014. 

Gonzalez finds the film’s execution banal, despite its occasional emotional depth. He praises Moore and Stewart’s nuanced, unsettled mother-daughter relationship, while criticizing the melodramatic storytelling and intrusive score.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/still-alice/)

## Den of Geek — Patrick Sproull

Rating 5/5. 6 March 2015. 

The critic calls the film a must-see, praising its authenticity and emotional force. Julianne Moore’s subtle, deeply convincing performance is singled out as the film’s central strength.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/still-alice-review/)

## The Wrap

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 December 2014. 

The critic calls the film a superb drama and highlights Julianne Moore’s performance as one of the year’s best. They also praise the film’s delicate writing and visual approach to Alice’s confusion and loss.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/still-alice-review-julianne-moore-alec-baldwin-kristen-stewart/)

## Deadline — Pete Hammond

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 5 December 2014. 

Hammond gives the film a strongly positive verdict, calling it fine and heartbreaking. He singles out Julianne Moore’s portrayal as one of her finest performances.

[Read the review](https://deadline.com/2014/12/still-alice-review-julianne-moore-oscar-buzz-1201310981/)

## Eye for Film — Anne-Katrin Titze

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 5 February 2015. 

The review is strongly positive, presenting the film as an entrancing portrait of a family confronting Alzheimer’s. It especially praises Julianne Moore’s precise, mesmerising performance and her ability to convey Alice’s changing sense of identity.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/still-alice-2014-film-review-by-anne-katrin-titze)

## NME

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 

The review is strongly positive, centring on Julianne Moore’s vivid performance as Alice’s illness progresses. It finds some other characters underdeveloped but praises the affecting scene between Alice and her daughter.

[Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-various-artists-15960-317927)

## Digital Spy — Stella Papamichael

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 5 March 2015. 

The review finds the film affecting but limited by its linear direction, with Moore carrying much of its emotional weight. It especially praises her nuanced performance and the poignancy of Alice’s evolving relationship with Lydia.

[Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a632059/still-alice-review-julianne-moores-oscar-winning-performance/)

## Paste — Ross Bonaime

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 11 January 2015. 

Bonaime finds the film a fine but somewhat underweight drama, despite its familiar subject matter. He praises Julianne Moore’s expressive performance and singles out Kristen Stewart’s understated, compassionate work.

[Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/still-alice)

## HeyUGuys — Stefan Pape

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 20 February 2015. 

Pape finds the film moving and admirable, but criticizes its rushed progression and abrupt, unsatisfying ending. He singles out Julianne Moore’s empathetic, remarkably convincing portrayal of Alice’s decline.

[Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/still-alice-review/)

## The Skinny — Josh Slater-Williams

Rating ★★★. 20 February 2015. Festival review. 

The review finds the film moving but not great, largely because its surrounding filmmaking is insufficiently distinctive. It singles out Julianne Moore’s quietly devastating and subtly controlled performance for praise.

[Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/festivals/uk-festivals/film/still-alice-julianne-moore-glasgow-film-festival)

## The Playlist

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 16 January 2015. 

The headline characterizes the film as well-meaning and respectful but ultimately bland. The review’s stated complaint is its blandness, though the blocked page provides no further detail.

[Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-well-meaning-respectful-but-bland-still-alice-starring-julianne-moore-kristen-stewart-more-20150116/)

## Consequence — Blake Goble

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 12 December 2014. 

Goble finds the film formulaic and overly awards-conscious, despite its capable lead performance. He singles out Julianne Moore’s compelling portrayal of Alice for praise, while criticizing the film’s familiar, heavy-handed scenes.

[Read the review](https://consequence.net/2014/12/film-review-still-alice/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/still-alice.md