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Hollywood Rewind | When a Man Loves a Woman: A middling film with brilliant lead performances

Despite some of its drawbacks, When a Man Loves a Woman is still a worthy watch, if only to see Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia play off each other wonderfully in the romance drama.

Written by Anvita Singh
New Delhi | February 20, 2022 08:02 AM IST

6 min read

When a Man Loves a Woman released in 1994. (Photo: IMDb)

There are not many movies on addiction that do a fine job of portraying how crippling it can be to live a dependent life, in that fashion particularly. When a Man Loves a Woman would have belonged to that category too, had it not been for the solid performances delivered by its lead stars, Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia. He has not done too many romances in his career, while Ryan has done far too many. Both had something novel to play with here, which is what further elevates their acts. Garcia gets to be the gentle romantic, trying his best to support his ailing wife. Meanwhile, Meg has the job of not only being in love this time, but being under the heady influence of something other than that — alcohol.

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The acts are rendered heartbreakingly, with Ryan pushing you to think what kind of challenges must a person like that face on a daily basis. At one point in the film, Ryan becomes so drunk that she forgets her baby in a public space. In another sequence, she falls through a shower door and loses consciousness. Ryan plays the zippy, fun, lovely and sick Alice with conviction. However, it is Garcia who outdoes himself in an underwritten part. To focus on the kind of impact such an addiction can have on the family, and more specifically, on the partner, is something that Hollywood hardly did in those days (the Luis Mandoki directorial released in 1994). But the talented actor gave it his all. You always wanted for the couple to stay together through those arduous times, because Garcia’s Michael makes you truly care. In one of the emotional high points of the feature, Michael is heard saying — “My wife is an alcoholic. Best person I ever met. She has 600 different smiles. They can light up your life. They can make you laugh out loud, just like that. They can even make you cry, just like that. That’s just with her smiles. You’d have to see her with her kids. You’d have to see how they look at her, when she’s not looking. To think of all the things she lives through, and I couldn’t help her.”

Those lines, a bit exaggerated and sentimental, could have come off looking unrealistic and yes, even corny from the mouth of a lesser actor. Garcia, of course, makes it work like a charm. Now a bit about the problem areas, which holds back When a Man Loves a Woman from becoming a very good portrait of addiction and its devastating effects. The story is sound, so is the premise; a fertile ground to wring out complex feelings of viewers while watching such a film. But the issue is not with the actors, it’s more to do with the screenplay penned by Ronald Bass and Al Franken, and the choppy direction by Luis Mandoki. The creators likely had issues making Alice unlikable. They do try in those initial scenes where we are just getting to know about her addiction, but pull back too soon. In such a situation, it is probable that both partners were going through emotions they were ill-equipped to handle, but that part of the story is touched only in broad strokes. You want to go them deeper, really sink their into the issues such an illness can create on a seemingly sound partnership. And that’s where the film falters.

However, despite some of its drawbacks, When a Man Loves a Woman is still a worthy watch, if only to see the two Hollywood stars play one of their best games.

The film is available to stream on Apple TV Plus, YouTube and Google Play.

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