Alice Arlen's screenwriting debut Silkwood (1983), which she co-wrote with Norah Ephron, earned an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay. She collaborated with Ephron again as co-writer and executive producer on the gangster comedy Cookie (1989). Then Arlen subsequently worked with Louis Malle on the screenplay for Alamo Bay (1985) and with Kathryn Bigelow on The Weight of Water (2000), based on the novel by Anita Shreve. In addition she served as associate producer for A Shock to the System, (1990) directed by Jan Egleson (Coyote Waits) and starring Michael Cain.