When a Man Loves a Woman (1994)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Luis Mandoki

Writers (WGA):

Ronald Bass (written by) &
Al Franken (written by)

Release Date:

13 May 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Through the good times. Through the bad times. When a Man Loves a Woman it's for all times.

Plot:

An airline pilot and his wife are forced to face the consequences of her alcoholism when her addictions threaten her life and their daughter's safety. While the woman enters detox, her husband must face the truth of his enabling behavior. |

Plot Keywords:

Alcoholism | Recovery | Reflection | Yuppie | Sentimental

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Andy Garcia	...	Michael Green
Meg Ryan	...	Alice Green
Ellen Burstyn	...	Emily
Tina Majorino	...	Jessica Green
Mae Whitman	...	Casey Green
Lauren Tom	...	Amy
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Gary
Eugene Roche	...	Walter
Gail Strickland	...	Pam
Steven Brill	...	Madras tie guy
Susanna Thompson	...	Janet
Erinn Canavan	...	Shannon
LaTanya Richardson	...	Dr. Gina Mendez
Bari K. Willerford	...	Malcolm
James Jude Courtney	...	Earl

Also Known As:

Significant Other (USA) (working title)
To Have and to Hold

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Thai

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Cancún, Benito Juárez, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

The original title was "Significant Other".

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Michael takes the bottles out to the trash, a cameraman can be seen slinking past the open doorway of the house.

Quotes:

Alice Green: I think I could love you again if you could, for once, say 'I don't know.'

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Frasier: When a Man Loves Two Women (#6.21)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Crazy Love

Surprisingly relevant...

Meg Ryan is very good in this role, but after watching this again, and noticing the Andy Garcia role more pronounced, his contribution is more complicated and nuanced.

Anyone who has experienced similar issues of substance abuse, whether a family, friend or significant other, will recognize the patterns; denial, rage, hostility. Particularly effective is the role of Alice's child; the older daughter who is often on the receiving end of her drunken hostility.

The time she spends in detox could have been delineated more clearly; Philip Seymour Hoffman is good in a brief role, as a fellow patient. The pain and rage that Meg Ryan lives with is just beneath the surface, even as Garcia, puzzled, says ..."well you work, you are functioning"..., and she reveals to him that she drinks a fifth of vodka every day, even at work. It shows how the non-alcoholic cannot fathom how someone can function and seem straight, even while on the job. She is a "functional alcoholic". Her brief encounter with her mother (Ellen Burstyn) indicates why she would not be willing to admit to the problem for many years.

This is a good film because it shows there are no concrete answers, while Garcia would like to save his marriage, he sees that there are several reasons he may have enabled Ryan and her addiction. While she is attending AA and getting better, he realizes he almost feels jealous of her. There are many layers to his performance, and as he realizes he can no longer live with himself as a co-dependent, he eventually chooses to separate.

Overall a very good and effective film about substance abuse issues, the breakdown of family, and communication issues. 10/10.