WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN
A Film Review by Michael J. Legeros
Copyright 1994 Michael J. Legeros
Directed by Lois Mandoki
Written by Ronald Bass and Al Franken
Cast Andy Garcia and Meg Ryan
MPAA Rating "R" (presumably for language and, I guess, adult themes)
Running Times 124 Minutes
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What do you do if your wife is a drunk? That is the question posed by WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN, a middle-of-the-road movie-of-the-week that's neither gritty enough nor sappy enough to be completely interesting.
Michael (Andy Garcia) and Alice Green (Meg Ryan) are the model yuppie couple. He's an airplane pilot and she's a guidance counselor. Together they live in a comfortable San Franciso home and have two adorable pre-teen girls (Tina Majorino and Mae Whitman) and one dedicated babysitter (Lauren Tom). But something's amiss in Wonderland as Alice is imbibing increasing amounts of alcohol. Her hubby doesn't smell the signs until after an accident on a Mexican vacation. She vows change, he accepts change and, of course, the problem stays a problem..
On the Squish Scale, WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN is surprisingly tolerable. The standard teary tricks-- such as the obligatory musical montage-- are all very tasteful and the director doesn't try to pull too many strings at once. That is, with two exceptions.
The more sensitive viewers will gasp when Alice drunkenly strikes at her child. (Listen to the audience!) And all able-bodied attendees should probably leave five minutes before the film finishes to avoid any accidents on tear-soaked surfaces. :)
WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN doesn't have much of an edge, either, and never elaborates on the hows and whys of drug addiction. But who cares? The leads are attractive and, despite a pace that leaves way too much room for second-guessing, deliver a reasonably believable story.
You can't beat Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia for star power. The criminally cute Ryan has a good roller-coaster role, even if her character isn't completely lived-in. Garcia has the harder part to play. His character is *so* adorably concerned and *so* far off-base from knowing how to help his wife. He's a marvel of male misunderstanding and helps drive home the message that recovery requires work on *both* sides of the equation.
Technical credits are all very good, with the exception of whoever came up with that terrible title. There is a reason that certain states have laws prohibiting the naming of a film after any song covered by Michael Bolton. :)
TRIVIA NOTE: Writer Al Franken is the *same* Al Franken who wanders
about TV's "Saturday Night Live" and who once made funny
faces at a gorilla in TRADING PLACES.
BOTTOM LINE: WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN is a middle-of-the-road movie-of-
the-week about alcoholism that's neither gritty enough nor
sappy enough to be completely interesting.
GRADE: C+
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