After Paul Mazursky made Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice in 1969 and achieved commercial and critical success, he was the next big thing in Hollywood, so when it came to his subsequent project, expectations were great. Mazursky decided to write a screenplay—together with his frequent co-writer Larry Tucker—about his troubles and reflections at the time. And so, Alex in Wonderland was born. The story revolves around a movie director named Alex Morrison, who found fame and respect after his feature-length Hollywood debut, and now must come up with something equally impressive. On his journey, he visits different producers and meets some of his cinematic idols, like Italian director Federico Fellini and French actress Jeanne Moreau. But he mostly fantasizes about projects he could do, large-scale ones that only Hollywood royalty could afford to invest in.
Donald Sutherland plays the titular role, and director Mazursky portrays one of the producers that pitch potential ideas to Morrison. In supporting roles we have Ellen Burstyn (the first time that she was cast under this name, as opposed to Ellen McCrea or MacCrea) and improvisational theatre teacher Viola Spolin, who enhances the surreal elements of an already dream-like location, namely Hollywood.
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