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'{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2012}} {{Infobox film | name = When a Man Loves a Woman | image = When a man loves a woman.jpg | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = [[Luis Mandoki]] | writer = [[Ronald Bass]]<br>[[Al Franken]] | starring = {{Plainlist| * [[Andy García]] * [[Meg Ryan]] * [[Lauren Tom]] * [[Ellen Burstyn]]}} | producer = [[Jon Avnet]]<br>[[Jordan Kerner]] | music = [[Zbigniew Preisner]] | cinematography = [[Lajos Koltai]] | studio = [[Touchstone Pictures]]<br>Avnet/Kerner Productions | distributor = [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures|Buena Vista Pictures]] | budget = | released = {{film date|1994|4|29}} | country = United States | runtime = 126 minutes | language = English | gross = $50.0 million }} '''''When a Man Loves a Woman''''' is a 1994 American romantic drama film directed by [[Luis Mandoki]] and starring [[Andy García]], [[Meg Ryan]], [[Tina Majorino]], [[Mae Whitman]], [[Ellen Burstyn]], [[Lauren Tom]] and [[Philip Seymour Hoffman]]. It was written by [[Al Franken]] and [[Ronald Bass]]. For her performance as an [[alcoholism|alcoholic]] mother, Ryan received a [[Screen Actors Guild Award]] nomination for [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role - Motion Picture|Best Female Actor in a Leading Role]]. The film's title is taken from the [[When a Man Loves a Woman (song)|song of the same name]] by [[Percy Sledge]]. ==Plot== Alice Green ([[Meg Ryan]]) is a school counselor who has a serious drinking problem and is married to Michael ([[Andy García]]), an airline pilot. Though she's lighthearted and loving, Alice is often reckless and, when drunk, even neglects her children: nine-year-old Jess ([[Tina Majorino]]) from a previous marriage, and four-year-old Casey ([[Mae Whitman]]), whose father is Michael. One afternoon, Alice enters their home in a drunken incoherent state. She dismisses the reluctant caretaker, who leaves her alone with her children. Still drinking, Alice is confronted by Jess concerned for her welfare. In return, she violently slaps Jess, who runs to her room crying. Alice enters the shower. Unable to control her balance and calling for Jess, she falls to the side and smashes through the shower door onto the bathroom floor. Fearing Alice has died, Jess contacts Michael who immediately flies home to be by Alice's side. After the incident and while in the hospital, Michael and Alice confront the truth about Alice's drinking. They jointly decide she must seek professional help for her alcoholism. Upon release from the hospital, a timid Alice enters a rehabilitation clinic. Michael finds himself now the main caretaker of their home and children, a role he struggles to maintain along with his career as an airline pilot. Meanwhile, at the clinic, Alice is flourishing; her recovery is painful but stabilizing and she is well-liked and respected by both staff and fellow clinic tenants alike. During a family visit day at the clinic, Alice immediately begins to rebuild her shattered bond with the children leaving Michael alone to wander the grounds uncomfortable and out of place in Alice's new lifestyle. Alice returns home sober yet guarded. She is vocal, strong and changed. Michael is having trouble adjusting to Alice's balance. He has become used to being the stable and controlled one in their relationship and is jealous of Alice's outside friendships and lack of dependence. Coming to terms with their estrangement, a reluctant Michael (believing therapy is for the weak) and a willing Alice see a marriage counselor who quickly establishes Michael's "co-dependency" on Alice's role as an alcoholic. Unable to find a medium and with tempers flared, Michael moves out and Alice becomes the main caretaker of their home and children. She is once again seen flourishing in her new role while Michael is unable to find control and seeks out a support group for spouses of alcoholics. Initially shy, Michael becomes a more vocal member of the group and shares his sorrow over his lack of understanding for the gravity his wife's sobriety would have on him, his children, and his marriage. Alice and Michael singularly return to the hospital to celebrate the birth of their caretaker's baby. They spend time together and as they depart Alice asks Michael if he would attend her 180-day sober speech where she will acknowledge her failings and accomplishments. She also tells him that she has been thinking about asking him to come home with her. Michael tells Alice he has been offered a job in Denver. For the first time since they both agreed Alice should enter rehab, they both agree Michael should take the position. The penultimate scene is Alice as she stands on a stage and tells her sobriety story; the toll it took on her, her children, and her marriage. She is funny, confident, sad but optimistic. Her audience is moved to tears. Her speech ends and she is surrounded by well wishers. Out of the crowd appears Michael. At ease with himself and Alice, he explains what he missed along the way..."to listen, to really listen." They share an intense, longing, passionate kiss. ==Cast== *[[Meg Ryan]] as Alice Green *[[Andy García]] as Michael Green *[[Lauren Tom]] as Amy *[[Philip Seymour Hoffman]] as Gary *[[Tina Majorino]] as Jess Green *[[Mae Whitman]] as Casey Green *[[Ellen Burstyn]] as Emily ==Production== [[Tom Hanks]] was considered for Garcia's role and [[Michelle Pfeiffer]] and [[Debra Winger]] were considered for Ryan's role.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1SqXAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA254&lpg=PA254&dq=tom+hanks+when+a+man+loves+a+woman&source=bl&ots=7Gt-JKsrgw&sig=FxrnffXE-jfqrc5ld62zjF8FCKQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjh09iWjYXWAhUCRyYKHaHvAzIQ6AEIZzAO#v=onepage&q=tom%20hanks%20when%20a%20man%20loves%20a%20woman&f=false|last=Mell|first=Eila|title=Casting Might-Have-Beens: A Film by Film Directory of Actors Considered for Roles Given to Others|year=2013|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476609768}}page 254</ref> == Reception == The film debuted at number two behind ''[[The Crow (1994 film)|The Crow]]''.<ref>{{cite news|title= The Crow' Takes Off at Box Office Movies: The opening is the biggest ever for Miramax. In second place is `When a Man Loves a Woman,' with `Crooklyn' third.|work=The Los Angeles Times|url= http://articles.latimes.com/1994-05-16/entertainment/ca-58401_1_box-offices|accessdate=December 28, 2010|first=David J.|last=Fox|date=May 16, 1994}}</ref> It currently holds a 71% fresh rating among critics at Rotten Tomatoes from 21 reviews. The site's consensus states: "''When a Man Loves a Woman'' delves into the complex dynamics of a marriage shadowed by addiction, aided by strong performances from Andy Garcia and Meg Ryan."<ref>{{cite web|title=When a Man Loves a Woman|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/when_a_man_loves_a_woman|accessdate=6 May 2020}}</ref> However, it has a mixed reception and is seen unfavorably by many because of its length and the way it deals with [[alcoholism]] and stress in the family.<ref name="LLC1994"/><ref name="Berardinelli2005"/> [[James Berardinelli]] stated that the "ending is too facile", and that the film took "longer than necessary to arrive at its resolution", adding that there are moments in it where the script would strike a raw nerve with certain people because of how it judges alcoholics and deals with issues related to alcoholism.<ref name="Berardinelli2005">{{cite book|last=Berardinelli|first=James|title=Reel Views 2: The Ultimate Guide to the Best 1,000 Modern Movies on DVD and Video|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y1LmH8ld1yoC&pg=PT383|date=1 January 2005|publisher=[[Justin, Charles & Co.]]|isbn=978-1-932112-40-5|page=383}}</ref> However, he said that the "film's poignancy is its strength, even if occasional didactic tendencies are its weakness". [[David Denby]] of ''[[New York (magazine)|New York Magazine]]'' called it an "earnest and highly prolonged counseling disappointment", a "pushy therapeutic exercise" which, although intelligent, features "endless talk, a stunted ''[[mise en scène]]'', and a moral atmosphere of dogged and literal-minded persistence" which "overvalues its own sobriety".<ref name="LLC1994">{{cite book|title=New York Magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TOQCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA66|date=9 May 1994|publisher=New York Media, LLC|page=66|issn=0028-7369}}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]], himself a recovering alcoholic, gave it four out of four stars, praising its artistic qualities just in passing (“I couldn't find a false note in Ryan's performance - and only one in Garcia's …”) but spending more time on its description of the role of the family enablers in development of alcoholism.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ebert|first1=Roger|title=When a Man Loves a Woman|url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/when-a-man-loves-a-woman-1994|website=RogerEbert.com|accessdate=4 September 2015}}</ref> == Year-end lists == * "The second 10" (not ranked)&nbsp;– Sean P. Means, ''[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]''<ref>{{cite newspaper|last=P. Means|first=Sean|date=January 1, 1995|title='Pulp and Circumstance' After the Rise of Quentin Tarantino, Hollywood Would Never Be the Same|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|page=E1|edition=Final}}</ref> * Honorable mention&nbsp;– Duane Dudek, ''[[Milwaukee Sentinel]]''<ref>{{cite newspaper|last=Dudek|first=Duane|date=December 30, 1994|title=1994 was a year of slim pickings|work=Milwaukee Sentinel|page=3}}</ref> * Honorable mention&nbsp;– William Arnold, ''[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]''<ref>{{cite newspaper|last=Arnold|first=William|date=December 30, 1994|title='94 Movies: Best and Worst|newspaper=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|page=20|edition=Final}}</ref> == Soundtrack == {{div col}} # ''When a Man Loves a Woman'' # ''[[Crazy Love (Van Morrison song)|Crazy Love]]'' # ''El Gusto'' # ''Main Title'' # ''Garbage Compulsion'' # ''Homecoming'' # ''I Hit Her Hard'' # ''Dressing Casey'' # ''Gary'' # ''Michael Decides'' # ''Alice & Michael'' # ''Running From Mercy'' by [[Rickie Lee Jones]] # ''I'm a Good Man'' by [[Robert Cray]] # ''[[Everybody Hurts]]'' by [[R.E.M.]] # ''Stewart's Coat'' by Rickie Lee Jones {{div col end}} == References == {{reflist|colwidth=30em}} == External links == {{Wikiquote}} *{{IMDb title|id=0111693|title=When a Man Loves a Woman}} *{{Rotten-tomatoes|id=when_a_man_loves_a_woman|title=When a Man Loves a Woman}} *{{Mojo title|whenamanlovesawoman}} {{Luis Mandoki}} {{Al Franken}} {{DEFAULTSORT:When A Man Loves A Woman (Film)}} [[Category:1994 films]] [[Category:1994 romantic drama films]] [[Category:American films]] [[Category:American romantic drama films]] [[Category:Films about alcoholism]] [[Category:Films directed by Luis Mandoki]] [[Category:Films scored by Zbigniew Preisner]] [[Category:Films set in San Francisco]] [[Category:Films shot in Mexico]] [[Category:Films shot in San Francisco]] [[Category:English-language films]] [[Category:Films with screenplays by Al Franken]] [[Category:Films with screenplays by Ronald Bass]] [[Category:Touchstone Pictures films]] [[Category:1994 drama films]]'