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When a Man Loves a Woman
1994 126 min United States of America R 18+
★6.9
Drama, Romance
Director: Luis Mandoki
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
An airline pilot and his wife are forced to face the consequences of her alcoholism when her addictions threaten her life and their daughter's safety. While the woman enters detox, her husband must face the truth of his enabling behavior.
US Gross:
$50.02M
Worldwide:
$50.02M
Starring
Meg Ryan
Actor
Andy Garcia
Actor
Ellen Burstyn
Actor
Awards
MTV Movie & TV Awards 1995
— Most Desirable Man
MTV Movie & TV Awards 1995
— Best Actress
Screen Actors Guild Awards 1995
— Best Actress
Key opinion
When a Man Loves a Woman is a polarizing drama that provides a raw, unflinching look at the impact of alcoholism on a marriage. While many viewers praise the film for its emotional authenticity and the powerful, realistic performances of its leads, others find the narrative sentimentally heavy or the character dynamics frustratingly uneven.
| Theme | The film succeeds in providing a raw, authentic portrayal of the destructive cycle of alcoholism within an affluent household. | |
| Acting | Andy Garcia delivers a compelling, steadfast performance that anchors the emotional weight of the husband's perspective. | |
| Screenplay | The script is lauded for capturing the painful, honest reality of marital communication and the difficulty of finding forgiveness. | |
| Acting | The acting is divisive, with some critics moved by the lead performances, while others view the characterizations as either expressionless or overly irritating. | |
| Emotion | The film's tone is a subject of debate; some find it a poignant and necessary examination of love, while others feel it descends into excessive sentimentality and melodrama. | |
| Direction | Opinions on the direction are split between those who value the film's tense, grounded realism and those who find the storytelling dry or shallow. |