When a Man Loves a Woman

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When a Man Loves a Woman

R

Released Apr 29, 1994

2h 4m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

69%

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99 Reviews

77%

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25,000+ Ratings

A wife and mother of two daughters, Alice Green (Meg Ryan) has developed a severe drinking problem. While her husband, Michael (Andy Garcia), has been patient in dealing with this issue, it soon becomes clear that he has been enabling her alcoholism. When her addiction threatens her children's safety, Alice decides to enter a rehab clinic. Upon returning home, she finds that her new lifestyle causes an unexpected rift with Michael, leading to some soul-searching for the couple.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Alcoholism has been called a disease of denial. What When a Man Loves a Woman understands is that those around the alcoholic often deny it, too, and grow accustomed to their relationship with a drunk.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 1, 2023

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Jack Mathews

Newsday

The performances of Ryan and Garcia and of the amazing 9-year-old Tina Majorino as daughter from an earlier marriage keep the story grounded in some semblance of reality.

Rated: 3/4

Sep 1, 2023

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Michael Wilmington

Chicago Tribune

Andy Garcia conveys an almost glacial calm and fortitude beneath which a reservoir of boiling rage consistently seems to simmer.

Rated: 3/4

Sep 1, 2023

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

The double catharsis is very moving and the ending is immensely honest... [Full review in Spanish]

Sep 7, 2023

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Jorge Cámara

La Opinion

A most respectable drama with magnificent performances from the stellar protagonists that tries to go beyond average movies about addiction. [Full review in Spanish]

Sep 7, 2023

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Augusto Martínez Torres

El Pais (Spain)

Mandoki lets the weight of the movie fall on his two excellent leads, while he slips away assembling long scenes between them that work very well, but interspersed unnecessarily with musical and touristic intermissions. [Full review in Spanish]

Sep 7, 2023

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Connor A

This film is good. Andy Garcia and Meg Ryan give strong performances, they feel like a real couple and it helps make the emotional moments more impactful. It's a somewhat relatable film for those of us who have had alcoholic parents/partners, and while it has some realism to it, it does lean more into the Hollywood style love story happy ending. Overall, it's a decent drama that is worth a watch but won't be for everyone.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/17/23

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Jerod S

Meg is pretty good as the alcoholic mom opposite Andy Garcia. The movie shows what alcoholism does to a family when Meg passes out in the shower and her daughter thinks she's dead.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/12/23

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Audience Member

Although some may beg to differ, I think this movie did an excellent job showing the struggle of a mother/wife in and out of alcohol addiction. Meg Ryan was really good in the title role as was Andy Garcia as her husband. Loved Tina Majorino (from Napolean Dynomite) and Mae Whittman (from Hope Floats) as her kids at very young ages.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

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Audience Member

Not the perfect movie but the performances in it are top notch - probably Meg Ryan's best work. As an alcoholic I can say this is one of the most realistic depictions of the disease in the media - not overblown or funny in the slightest, just damaging. And also very real is the fact that it it takes rediscovering one another as entirely new people to make a relationship work through all that. I appreciated the harsh depiction as well as the hope. Not a fun movie by any means, but a realistic one when it comes to addiction.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

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steve d

The script and characters are just not engaging.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

Its been a while since I've seen this film, but from what I do remember of it, it was entertaining with great performances arguably Meg Ryan's best performance. Andy Garcia is also great in what qas essentially his period the 90s.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

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Luis Mandoki

Director

Andy Garcia

Michael Green

Meg Ryan

Alice Green

Lauren Tom

Amy

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Gary

Tina Majorino

Jess Green

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Synopsis

A wife and mother of two daughters, Alice Green (Meg Ryan) has developed a severe drinking problem. While her husband, Michael (Andy Garcia), has been patient in dealing with this issue, it soon becomes clear that he has been enabling her alcoholism. When her addiction threatens her children's safety, Alice decides to enter a rehab clinic. Upon returning home, she finds that her new lifestyle causes an unexpected rift with Michael, leading to some soul-searching for the couple.

Director: Luis Mandoki
Producer: Jordan Kerner, Jon Avnet
Production Co: Touchstone Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 29, 1994, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $50.0M
Runtime: 2h 4m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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