Every Martin Scorsese Movie Ranked Worst To Best

A strong case could be made that Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Scorsese's first major Hollywood film, features the best performance he ever directed, courtesy of a dependably compelling Ellen Burstyn.

Burstyn is Alice, a recent widow and aspiring singer who uproots her son to pursue the career she always dreamed about, only to end up falling in love. What follows is the striking character study of a woman forced to reconsider her future, raise her child, and reconcile with recent tragedy.

Sensitive and honest, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore is an assured, intimate portrayal of second chances and motherhood. Considering it was produced between Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, two of his most raging, male-dominated dramas, it serves as a poignant reminder of Scorsese's empathic worldview.