Alice's Restaurant in the Style of Arlo Guthrie

Well now, let me tell you about this little movie, Alice's Restaurant. Ya see, it's a movie about a song, about a restaurant, about an event, about a city, about a time, about a war, and about a movement - all rolled up into one. It’s built around yours truly, Arlo Guthrie, playing, well, myself, and spilling some of my most precious and wildest tales.

"During the dawning of the Age of Aquarius", as I might say in the song itself, there was this little restaurant in Stockbridge, Massachusetts run by two friends of mine, Alice and Ray. Alice's Restaurant, it was. A little place of love, peace, and every kind of food your heart could desire. The movie gets its groovy title from the place where it all began.

Our little tale spins around me, a musician, just trying to make my way in the world. After a bit of a hitch on Thanksgiving Day, I find myself caught up in a story that's larger than life, wrapped up in friendship, love, the draft, the war, and the protests - all the trials and tribulations of the counterculture movement of the sixties.

Along the way, I'm met by some of the most interesting characters you're ever gonna meet. There's Alice, of course, the restaurant's proprietress, played by the lovely Patricia Quinn. Alice is full of dreams and a little chaos, but her heart is full of love for her friends and food. Then there's her husband Ray, played by James Broderick. Ray's a salt-of-the-earth kinda guy, trying to make sense of the crazy world around him.

Now, the meat of Alice's Restaurant isn't just about slice-of-life stuff, this here's a movie with a message. The social issues of the 60s, the war, the draft, all the unrest, it's peppered throughout like a folk song you can't get out of your head. And believe me, we've got plenty of folk music too. We're dealing with some heavy themes, but not without a bit of my trademark humor and folksy charm.

As I wander from place to place in my bike, the story weaves in and out of events just like life would, and sometimes as playfully as a folk song does. There's a certain rhythm to it, y'know, like a ballad carrying you through, connecting the moments, the gags, the dead-serious stuff, and the utterly unexpected bits.

Alice's Restaurant, the film, like the song, is a slice of life from an era where life was anything but regular. It's about young people looking for meaning and purpose, it's about friendship, it's about establishing your place in a world that's rapidly changing. Oh, and it's about littering, sort of, but you'll have to watch the movie to understand that one.

Just like my song, the film tells a story, but it’s more than just a story. It’s like a reflection, a snapshot of a particular time, a crucible of social change. It ain’t just about me, Alice, or the restaurant, it’s about America, about the sixties, about freedom and about all the good and bad that comes with it.

So, folks, step up to the counter. Allow me to serve you up a hot helping of Alice's Restaurant, a cinematic journey spiced with folk tunes and a dash of anti-establishment fervor. A tale that is as much a part of my life as it is a part of American history. But remember, it’s not just about Alice’s restaurant… it never was. It's about everything and yet nothing at all. Life's funny like that sometimes, ain't it?