No big surprise here: a movie about a woman dealing with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease is kind of hard to sit through, but since Still Alice is an actor’s showcase, you don’t mind the brutal story because the whole cast is on point. Julianne Moore is riveting in the titular role that is built to be just that, but the real standouts are on the periphery. Alec Baldwin is given the unenviable task to be career-oriented yet loving husband that has to face his wife’s bleak future, yet he excels quietly throughout the runtime without becoming a villain or a caricature of defeat. Best in show here is Kristen Stewart, who turns in a nuanced performance that should finally allow her to breakthrough in the minds of stuck up elitists like myself because she’s been nothing but outstanding in her films outside of the Twilight series. Still Alice is a predictable, paint-by-the-numbers medical drama but the acting on display is surprisingly muted which gives the material a greater sense of realism – more than it probably deserves.