No one makes us feel unnecessary or useless. We do it ourselves.'
In 1990, actress Meg Ryan and actor Tom Hanks first met on the same set - then there was work on the comedy melodrama Joe vs. Volcano. Three years later, Ryan and Hanks star together again, this time in the romcom classic Sleepless in Seattle from director Nora Efron. In 1998, the year before us on the screen again Ryan and Hanks, and again under the direction of Efron, and again in the classics of the genre romcom - in the tape You Letter. After more than a decade and a half, the classical duo reunited in the new century. And it was the debut film for Meg Ryan as the director of Itac, where she also played the role, inviting also her old friend. The last film was released at the time when Ryan almost stopped acting in films after unsuccessful plastic surgery. And, admittedly, there is a special regret about this, because for such a beautiful romantic duo as Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks it is impossible not to miss. . .
But it turns out that not only these four films could bring them together, because it was between Sleepless in Seattle and You Letter that Tom Hanks was considered primarily for the leading male role in the family drama When a Man Loves a Woman. But for a number of reasons Hanks could not take part in the project, so Andy Garcia took his place and, running a little ahead, he did not hit his face in the dirt. The director of When a Man Loves a Woman was Luis Mandochi, who was previously noticed in the films Gabi, a True Story (1987), The White Palace (1990) and Lessons in Love (1993). Mandochi’s most famous works were Message in a Bottle (1999) based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks himself, 24 Hours (2002) and Innocent Voices (2004). Thus, it becomes clear that Mandochi is a very talented and strong director. And the screenwriters were Al Franken, one of the developers of the show “Saturday Night Live”, and Ronald Bass, who had already won the Oscar for best screenplay for the film “Rain Man (1988).”
So, in the drama When a Man Loves a Woman, a very strong film crew gathered, so the viewer had the right to expect a good film and he got it. In the center of the plot - the relationship of a married couple consisting of Alice (Meg Ryan) and Michael (Andy Garcia) Green, raising two wonderful girls. At first glance, the Greens are an ideal and loving family, and nothing foreshadows the trouble that each member of the Greens will have to deal with in their own way. The thing is that Alice is addicted to alcohol and spends almost all the time intoxicated, although loved ones do not notice this. But a loud bell sounded on the day when Alice came home again drunk and fell naked from the shower stall, falling to the floor without feelings, which frightened the younger daughter. At this time, Michael was in another absence, because he is a passenger airline pilot, but after hearing the terrible news from his daughter, he headlong returns home and after talking with his wife finally realizes what trials will now fall on the shoulders of each of them, especially on him, and it must be adequately endured. . .
Of course, everyone realizes how deeply dramatic this situation is, when the beloved mother and wife are subject to addiction, because there is an opinion that female alcoholism is incurable. But the movie When a Man Loves a Woman tells us that when loved ones are ready to go through all the trials, providing all kinds of support, it is possible to cope with the disease. In Mandoki’s film, this is shown not only from the dramatic side of the situation, but also very touching. And even if during the "dry" heroine Ryan has outbreaks of aggression, there is still a clear realization that under the circumstances there is a happy way out. And for her performance, Ryan deservedly received nominations from the MTV channel and the Actors Guild for Best Actress, proving that her range is wider than the unofficial title of “Romcom Queen”. And strong partner support she was provided by Andy Garcia, who wants to shake hands for his courage and ability to hold the blows of fate, although he sometimes loses his temper: what was the scene Garcia with actress Lauren Tom, who played the pregnant nanny of the daughters of the Greens. But the fact that the credits indicate Ellen Burstyn and Philip Seymour Hoffman should not be misleading, since there are very few of them in the film.
“When a man loves a woman” is a dramatic story that touches to the core, makes you think and even understand that there may be people around us who need support. But it was absolutely correct to show that the first step on the way to victory over an alcoholic disease is to admit to yourself and others that it exists. And then find the strength to start fighting him, no matter how hard it is. And in the case of When a Man Loves a Woman, it shows how important the support and care of the closest person is, even if there is a feeling of deep fatigue. And Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia made it very clear. And if we speak separately for Ryan, we can only state once again the fact that stands before our eyes - this actress at one time was one of the best partners on the set for any actor, not only for such a great as Tom Hanks.
8 out of 10
P.S. Here, one of the scenes with Meg Ryan was filmed in the famous Buena Vista Cafe, and in the film When Harry Met Sally (1989), she was filmed in another landmark institution - Katz's Delicatessen (this scene became one of the best in the history of cinema). That’s how Meg Ryan unwittingly also advertised popular diners.
Very realistic film, real dialogue and situations. It fully conveys the difficulties that people face when they want to preserve love and well-being in the family. The fatigue of the heroes from the eternal struggle is shown: solving household problems, raising children, working.
The topic of alcoholism will be understood by someone who has really encountered a person with an addiction & #39; This is how it happens, for no reason, regardless of well-being and status. And the fact that the heroine understood, realized and began to fight is a big step, the most difficult.
Psychological portraits of men and women, their thinking and desires are very well shown. The phrase 'I can't fix unless I know what's broken' very typical of a real man. If a man hears that his woman is unhappy, he wants to act and do anything to see the smile on her face again. But, alas, women often talk about their problems only to be listened to, regretted and supported. So Alice screamed to Michael that all she needed was to be listened to, not tried to remake her and her life.
The film is quite heavy to watch, its depth and realism.
Everything would be fine if not so well, and the role of a too caring husband can also become a burden for his chosen one. ..
The picture shows that maintaining a healthy relationship requires truly titanic work! And self-sacrifice here can not always be dispensed with, strength is needed for sincerity and openness between themselves and before oneself, and readiness to perceive a new vision of the situation through the prism of one’s neighbor to achieve mutual understanding.
Heroes worthily go this difficult way, experiencing the pain of retransformation of the personality to preserve happiness, which so easily can slip out of hand.
We can learn from the mistakes of others. Acting at the highest level!
There are plenty of reasons why I would like this film - there is a charming Mag Ryan, and a young pretty Andy Garcia, and the episodic participation of my favorite actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. And the setting is one of my favorite cities in America, San Francisco. But as much as I didn’t want to fall in love or at least somehow imbued with this picture, I failed. The reason is one - I am infinitely mad at the main character and women like her!
A family lives: husband, wife and two wonderful daughters. They have a beautiful home, the relationship between the spouses is touching and tender, and it seems that all is well. But there is one BUT: the heroine Meg Ryan suffers from alcoholism and can not live a day without a bottle of vodka. At first, her slightly disturbed husband takes her coffee to bed in the morning and pretends that everything is fine, but after a series of incidents, he and his wife, too, realize the seriousness of the problem and take measures to combat the addiction - first the clinic and then the AA meeting. The addiction to alcohol recedes, and it would seem that life should improve, but, alas, now the relationship of the main characters will have to pass the main test of strength.
Throughout the film, I had one question in my head: what the hell made our heroine, who has everything for happiness, start drinking endlessly? Okay, her father was an alcoholic, her first marriage didn't work out, but now it's okay! Yes, the husband is a pilot, and he is often not at home. She's bored, but is that a reason to whip vodka? Take, for example, a Chinese woman who works as a nanny for her children - pregnant, ploughs until late at night, which sometimes does not have time to eat, and nothing! But there is such a category of women who seem to get mad with fat, and instead of focusing their attention on the positive aspects, comfort themselves as they can.
Of course, if it weren’t for her husband, the end of the story wouldn’t be the happiest. The title of the painting “When a man loves a woman” is completely justified, because everything is based on the love of the hero Andy Garcia. This is probably the most positive aspect of this film. In general, if you think about it, a picture on a serious topic is where to turn out, but, my God, it's all funky and vanilla! The first half of the film was interesting to watch, but with more and more hysterical dialogue, it became increasingly difficult for me to resist turning it off. At the end, the film loses all sincerity and slides into the banal Hollywood tinsel, which after the final credits you want to shake off as quickly as possible.
6 out of 10
Alcoholism is a terrible business, tears and disappointment countless people, how many broken fates, how many tears and pain. The worst thing is when a woman drinks, especially her mother. It's very scary. This American melodrama with a taste of drama and tells about such a story, of course, in a beautiful, Hollywood treatment.
Meet Michael and Alice. They have been married for a long time and have two charming daughters. Michael is a pilot, and he's often in flight. The family of heroes at first glance lives happily, and they love each other, and everything seems to be fine. But there's a mystery. A terrible and unpleasant secret that Alice kept from Michael. She drinks and is addicted to alcohol. We see the dramatic story of this married couple, a dark spot on which Alice’s addiction to alcohol lay.
The film is not accidentally called “When a man loves a woman.” That's what he's talking about. We see Michael trying hard to help Alice, turning a blind eye. He truly loves his wife and cannot imagine his life without her. And that's beautiful. Alice could have lost everything: her husband, her children, her financial stability and even her life, but Michael fought her alcoholism for the two of them, and his fight is respectable.
The film directed by Louis Mandochi turned out to be atmospheric and shot purely in the American spirit, as I mentioned above. Definitely, cinema attracts attention because of the actors playing the main roles. A pleasant duet was performed by Andy Garcia and regular Meg Ryan. As for Garcia, he is always associated with his famous hero from the cult film The Godfather 3. That character, for me, is always with him. In this film, it was nice to see him in a duet with Meg, and they harmonized with each other. In turn, Meg Ryan is always perfect for melodramas, love stories and emotional stories of couples in love. Nice actress.
I remember this movie, although I think it could have been even deeper and more vivid. It's atmospheric but dry. There was a lack of some smooth fresh air when watching this picture, something very real and close to the truth (because the situation with alcohol is extremely dramatic), but in this film everything was often shown a bit dry, something was missing. It's not about the story or the actors, it's about the direction itself. The script of such famous personalities as Ronald Bass and Al Franken was not completed by the director Louis Mandochi. His movie was good, but neutral, could have been even better.
When a Man Loves a Woman is a 1994 American drama. The film is about love, about family values, about the care of loved ones, about alcohol addiction and its dark spot on all the loved ones around this person. The film is soulful, and famous actors bring it to a high level. Once this tape can be evaluated. I'm neutral with her. Thank you.
The power of alcoholism is greater than some people realize. The film shows this truthfully and correctly. The heroine became unbearably difficult with her internal fluctuations, guilt, complexes, hysterics, to be near her chic husband, she had to form a strong-willed core of the fight against the disease. The support of her husband did not allow her to feel her independence, identity, her choice, his price. As a result, she almost betrayed him, violating the female role in relationships, it is difficult to be a woman, and in such diseases. But the husband was even more difficult, he did not betray her. But they both endured these changes of her personality after alcoholism again, she had to be reborn. and he was ready to recognize and accept her internal changes, he finally realized how difficult it was for him.
In general, alcoholism is more difficult than it seems and the film is important in that it may show some that the path to recovery is not easy, but real. I don’t like to give movies nines because they’re not Forrest Gump or Shawshank Escape, they’re important. And this film showed the complexity and drama of the relationship between a man and a woman wonderfully.
10 out of 10
“Those who are injured and those who treat them are equally hurt.”
To begin with, this film is one of the best, in my opinion, films about love and relationships. A lump in the throat. . .
The heroes of the film faced a huge problem - alcoholism. To understand to the end how they feel, you can only if you yourself have gone through it. To those who are wounded and those who treat them ', trying to help - equally painful and scary' The film reflects completely and completely the feelings of the heroine Meg Ryan, who became ill & #39, but even more vividly shows the state of the hero Andy Garcia. Love, devotion, loyalty to your beloved woman fiercely fight helplessness.
'I can't fix unless I know what's broken' says Michael. And he's right. There is nothing worse when you do not know how to help your loved one. What's worse is when your help is rejected. Not because you don’t need that help or support, but because you don’t have the strength to recognize how much it’s needed. Fear of not coping with emotions, fear of losing the love and respect of the closest - this is the reason for flight.
'Nobody makes us feel like this... we do it ourselves' says Alice. The hardest thing is to forgive yourself. . .
Actors: adults and toddlers were really like one family.
The film is imbued with tenderness, love, grief and despair at the same time. Flush. In one breath. Emotions over the edge. This is a visual guide for those who want to know what true love looks like, and what to do so as not to lose it.
10 out of 10
I honestly don’t know how anyone would like this movie! It's terribly boring and very tight! Seriously! It's terrible. . .
The script is ridiculous. From the first minutes of the film, the perfect family is shown. He loves her, she's his. They have two wonderful daughters. Everything seems good, and then bang, the wife turns into a terrible alcoholic who is able to hit her child and get drunk to such a state that she falls naked from the shower, breaking the glass partition. You see, there was something in her brain that got jammed and it was really stressful. Her decision is to get drunk. Ha. While the husband tries to take over her problems and forgives her everything. Later. still decided to send a newly-minted alcoholic to the clinic to treat her problem and the whole life of the family changes dramatically. Anyone who wants to see this movie will know exactly how.
As far as acting is concerned. It’s not impressive, and it even seems like they’re hanging out like old computer processors that need time to reboot and remember their cue. Hedi Garcia always has almost the same facial expression, his character does not cause any sympathy, which is strange ... there are not one film with him that I like. There are no complaints to Mae Whitman and Tina Majorino, the kids played well.
If you do not regret your time, I wish you a pleasant view. I don’t think this movie is above 3.
3 out of 10