Although Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore has almost none of Martin Scorsese's thematic characteristics, it draws its charm and energy from the same kind of lifelike, improvisational style common to all his films, especially in scenes between Alice and either Flo or the annoyingly articulate Tommy; star Ellen Burstyn suggested Scorsese to Warner Bros. after Francis Ford Coppola told her to see the not-yet released Mean Streets. She wound up winning the Best Actress Oscar. In its time, the movie was criticized for presenting Alice with too pat a choice between lover and career, and with making the lover too implausibly attractive in the person of Kris Kristofferson. Jodie Foster appears as Tommy's eccentric new friend Audrey. Screenwriter Bob Getchell's characters were adapted for the TV series Alice starring Linda Lavin, Polly Holliday, and Vic Tayback.