# When a Man Loves a Woman (1994)

### reviewed by
Scott Renshaw

                               WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN
                            A Film Review by Scott Renshaw
                             Copyright 1994 Scott Renshaw

Starring: Andy Garcia, Meg Ryan, Lauren Tom, Tina Majorino. Screenplay: Ronald Bass and Al Franken. Director: Luis Mandoki.

This is the contradiction of WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN: as impressed as I was with most of its parts, I kept coming up with better ways to piece them together. It's that rare film that pulls very few punches in its examination of a family in crisis, but there is a schizophrenia in the perspective. There are some extremely effective performances, but director Luis Mandoki shows us far too much from the perspective of the alcoholic character. Ultimately there is more right than there is wrong with WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN, yet is also makes choices which are more safe than they are appropriate.

Michael (Andy Garcia) and Alice (Meg Ryan) are a San Francisco couple who, in the parlance, "seem to have it all." Michael is an airline pilor, and Alice a school counselor; they have a lovely home, two daughters (Tina Majorino, Mae Whitman) and an au pair (Lauren Tom). They also have a problem: Alice is an alcoholic. The problem seems "under control" until two close calls froce the Greens to confront the situation. As Alice goes into rehab, Michael is left to hold the family together. But that might be even harder than it first appears, as the lack of social lubricant exposes cracks in Michael and Alice's relationship, and the time comes for hard decisions.

WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN is grounded in two expertly developed characters, well-acted by Andy Garcia and Meg Ryan. Michael is the consummate co-dependant, blinding himself to Alice's alcoholism because it's easier and more satisfying for him to play the problem- solver. He doesn't respect Alice, and a couple of great scenes demonstrate how he treats her like one of his children. Most effective are scenes where Michael realizes that the girls, who are always around when he is off on a trip, are much more aware of what is going on than he is. Ryan is solid as the fragile and frightened Alice, and plays a very restrained drunk. She also makes a believable transition after her detox, leading into a fine bit of acting in a counseling session. The big showdown between Michael and Alice is completely raw and very compelling, and Garcia and Ryan have tremendous chemistry.

The problem is that WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN doesn't commit to its point of view. I felt this was essentially the story of the family's response to and discovery of the extent of Alice's problem, and not the story of Alice and her recovery. Consequently, I wasn't bothered by the slickness of the production, because it fit with Michael's lack of awareness of what was going on beneath the surface. But then Mandoki and screenwriters Ronald Bass and Al Franken seem to want it both ways, showing us Alice sneaking into the street for a drink, or in the middle of a case of the DT's. When the nuts and bolts of Alice's addiction were given the spotlight, the polish seemed inappropriate. I wanted all of our discoveries about Alice to come as Michael discovered them (like well-handled scenes of Alice comforting a friend from rehab out of our hearing), so that I didn't feel Ryan was just being given showy scenes because she's a star. A focus on Michael would have mad this a very different film from most films about substance abuse, but WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN retreats into the obvious.

One key element of WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN which bears specific mention is the dynamic performance of Tina Majorino as eldest daughter Jess. The child of Alice's first marriage, Jess brings a host of abandonment issues to the table, and a worldliness beyond her years which still seems very real. Majorino's eyes are filled with profound sadness, and her reactions to Alice's final washout are stunning. It was moments like her last scene with Garcia which finally brought me to tears, and convinced me that there should have been more family moments. The original title of WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN was SIGNIFICANT OTHER, but it really should have been SIGNIFICANT OTHERS. When it lost sight of the others affected by alcoholism, it missed the chance to be truly special.

         On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 significant others:  6.

    --
    Scott Renshaw
    Stanford University
    Office of the General Counsel

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