Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia battle addiction and life in recovery in the family drama, When a Man Loves a Woman.
Logline
Alice and Michael Green have a perfect life. Michael is a busy pilot with a major airline, and Alice is a successful teacher. Their kids Jess and Casey are healthy and happy, and the Greens seem to be at their best.
Below the surface of tranquility and content, is a problem that infects the family. Alice has a drinking problem. In fact, Alice is an alcoholic who is constantly drunk. When Michael is away on a trip, Alice collapses at home, leaving the children to call their dad for help.
In the hospital, Alice admits that she has a problem, and comes clean with her husband about the extent of her drinking Seeking help, Alice goes to rehab leaving Michael, Jess, and Casey to learn to survive on their own.
Coming home from rehab, Alice has changed, and so has her relationship with Michael. While Michael is focused on trying to get their marriage back on track to the way it was, Alice has realized that their life can never be the same.
With sobriety the Green’s lives lead to a separation between husband and wife, and the potential for divorce. While things look like they are irreversibly damaged, Michael and Alice come together to remember what really matters most to them.
High Praise
Andy Garcia and Meg Ryan have great chemistry. They not only show affection and charisma for one another, they look like a perfect match. It’s easy to connect with the characters because they are easy to watch and care for.
Tina Majorino showed her talent from an early age, and she is quite adorable as Jess.
What Were They Thinking
The story is a serious narrative about addiction and how that impacts a family. Alcoholism is no laughing matter, and once Alice gets clean, obviously the tone of the story needs to change. However, there is a significant change for both the Alice and Michael characters that it is easy to dislike them.
I felt like there were a couple of scenes that would have helped smooth out the narrative of Alice’s recovery. From the moment she comes home, the movie instantly changes for the worse. Michael becomes a dislikeable figure, and Alice becomes very self-centered.
Today’s audience would look at the instant smoking from Alice and everyone else, and recoil. Smoking has not aged well in modern cinema.
Backlot Knowledge
- Tina Majorino was nominated for a Most Promising Actress Award from the Chicago Film Critics Association.
- Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia were both nominated for an MTV Movie Award for their work in the film.
- Ryan was also nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award.
- The movie is reportedly based on ten pages of notes written by Orson Welles.
- Meg Ryan had admitted years after the film that she was drunk for many of the drinking scenes.
- The film was originally meant for Tom Hanks and Debra Winger.
- This was Mae Whitman and Tina Majorino’s film debut.
- The original title for the film was Significant Other.
- Roger Ebert gave the film four stars. He called the movie a wise and ambitious film.
- The movie debuted at the number two spot at the box office when it was released. It came in behind The Crow.
- Michelle Pfeiffer was considered for the role of Alice.
Critical Response
{Snub-Skip this Film, Overexposed-Desperate for Something to Watch, Clapper-A Perfect Film For Any Device, Magic Hour– You Must Watch This Film on a Big Screen, Award Worthy– This Film is Cinema.}
When a Man Loves a Woman is a good film, but not a great film. There are moments of true genuine emotion about the ravages of alcoholism and how it hurts a family, and ruins relationships. Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia are great on screen, but I feel like there could have been a little refinement in the story to smooth out the script.
There is much love and critical favor for the film. While I enjoy the movie, I don’t find it to be award worthy. I find the value of the movie is a little Overexposed.
Best Quotable Line
“Nothing has to happen for me to have a bad day.” Alice says this line during an argument with Michael and it probably is one of the most genuine statements of the movie.
Call Sheet
- Meg Ryan as Alice Green
- Andy Garcia as Michael Green
- Tina Majorino as Jess Green
- Mae Whitman as Casey Green
- Ellen Burstyn as Emily
- Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Gary
Production Team:
Directed by Luis Mandoki
Produced by Touchstone Pictures
Written by Ron Bass and Al Franken
Release Date: May 13, 1994
Domestic Box Office Gross: $50,021,959 million
Worldwide Box Office Gross: $119 million
Coming Attractions
Next week a look back at the Bette Midler family drama, Stella.