‘Still Alice’ Trailer: Julianne Moore Aims For an Oscar

It’s hard to believe that Julianne Moore, one the best and most versatile actresses working in modern film, doesn’t have an Academy Award. Sure, the Oscars are mostly nonsense that usually don’t reflect genuinely important cinema, but it still feels just plain wrong. Will the upcoming ‘Still Alice’ finally get her an overdue golden statuette? If the new trailer and the enormous amount of critical acclaim for her performance are any indication, it looks like she definitely has a shot.

‘Still Alice’ finds Moore taking on a role that will hit uncomfortably home for millions of people all over the world. A respected professor with a happy and successful family, Alice (Moore) is diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimer’s and her life quickly begins to spiral out of control.

Here’s our big question from the trailer: is ‘Still Alice‘ any better than a made-for-Lifetime movie on the subject? Despite Moore and a supporting cast that includes Alec Baldwin and Kristen Stewart, the trailer itself isn’t too inspiring, with its drab cinematography and cliched speechifying. There’s no way we can judge the movie until we see it, but it looks like a by-the-numbers drama elevated by the effortlessly great Moore.

In any case, we imagine Moore will walk into 2015 as a surefire Best Actress nominee, just because. Here’s the official synopsis:

Happily married with three grown children, Alice is a renowned linguistics professor who starts to forget words. When she receives a diagnosis of Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease, Alice and her family find their bonds thoroughly tested. Her struggle to stay connected to who she once was is frightening, heartbreaking, and inspiring.

‘Still Alice’ will receive a limited release this month before opening wide on January 16, 2015.