WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN
A Film Review by Jon A. Webb
Copyright 1994 Jon A. Webb
"When a Man Loves a Woman" has serious flaws, but since it is topical, well-written, and has a popular, appealing lead actress, it will probably be successful.
Meg Ryan plays an alcoholic mother who hits bottom, and enters a recovery program. Andy Garcia is the somewhat distant husband. When Ryan stops drinking, the reason why she was drinking becomes apparent, and Garcia finds he must change.
The writing in the film is first-rate, and the direction is not bad either.
It is interesting to note that Al Franken, the Saturday Night live creator of Stuart Smalley, the twelve-step program addict, was a co-writer. Clearly he has a lot of respect for the programs that he satirizes. They are seen as a god-send here.
My main problem with this film is in the acting of Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia. Ryan does not give a convincing portrayal of an alcoholic. She seems fun and high on alcohol, and certainly overwhelmed by it, but she never shows any of the kind of emotional range needed to convey the experience of this woman. She drinks a lot for some reason; Ryan is given lines to speak that are supposed to explain why to us; but nothing in her behavior connects us to her experience. She also never shows any of the physical changes alcoholics commonly experience -- weight gain, complexion changes, bloating, etc.
Ryan's acting is deficient, but Garcia's seems almost totally absent. He speaks every line in the same tone, as he has in other films. He's about as well cast here as he possibly could be, since he's supposed to be emotionally distant and controlling. But the movie would have been much better if an actor with more depth -- say, Nick Nolte -- had gotten the role.
If you know someone who is an alcoholic or read the literature you will recognize many experiences in this film. The refusal to hear a call for help when asking for an explanation, the blaming of others for one's own deficiencies, the grown-up behavior from children, all are very well written and directed. If only the actors had been up to conveying some of the experience rather than simply providing pretty faces for the advertising, this could have been a great film, rather than merely a mildly entertaining experience.
One more odd thing: I was never able to understand why the theme from "Cats" plays such an important role here. If you have an explanation, please let me know.
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