"When a man loves a woman, can't keep his mind on nothing else..."
- When a Man Loves a Woman, Michael Bolton
This film, by Luis Mandoki, tells of a family's struggles with a member who is an alcoholic. Pilot husband Michael Green (Alec Baldwin) balances between his wife Alice's (Meg Ryan) rehabilitation and raising two daughters. The encompassing theme in this film is the ability to survive a transition in marriage.
There is a similarity in all the major characters, in which Mandoki chooses to portray them atypically. This includes the alcoholic in the family being the wife instead of the husband, the pilot being devoted to his family instead of living a sybarite life, and children who are outspoken instead of silently suffering. While these interesting takes represent possible characters in real life, they differ too much from what is commonly perceived and makes the film seem unrealistic.
The underlining issue that is addressed is the reaction of the family toward the changes caused by Alice's addiction and rehabilitation of alcohol
Michael tries to fix his wife, hoping that things will get back to the way they were, not realising that Alice needed a partner not a repairmen and the changes that have happened are permanent. He also privately struggles with self-blame for not noticing the alcoholism, which drives him further to 'fix' the problem.
After rehabilitation, Alice worries about whether her husband will still love her. She confide in her friends from the rehabilitation centre, which renders Michael insecure. This is because Michael has always been there to 'save' Alice when she gets drunk. But after rehabilitation, she needed him to journey with her instead.
The children, Jess and Casey, are also affected by their mother's problem. Jess tries to be strong after being slapped by her mother, attempts to play the mother in the family when Alice is undergoing rehabilitation, and is seen to guard herself against the possibility of her father emotionally betraying her as well.
Another theme that is portrayed is how parenting styles affect future parenting styles.
In the film, Alice deeply regrets hurting Jess as she recalls the traumatic abuse she suffered from her parents. This is in particular reference to how her mother always thought Alice wasn't good enough, an attitude still evident when they visited the family. This led to an emotional overprotection on Alice's part towards her children.
Alice also attributes her alcoholism to her upbringing, because her father was a drunkard. Her fathers example, coupled with her mothers emotional abuse, caused her to indulge in alcohol at the tender age of 9.
There is a similarity in all the major characters, in which Mandoki chooses to portray them atypically. This includes the alcoholic in the family being the wife instead of the husband, the pilot being devoted to his family instead of living a sybarite life, and children who are outspoken instead of silently suffering. While these interesting takes represent possible characters in real life, they differ too much from what is commonly perceived and makes the film seem unrealistic.
The underlining issue that is addressed is the reaction of the family toward the changes caused by Alice's addiction and rehabilitation of alcohol
Michael tries to fix his wife, hoping that things will get back to the way they were, not realising that Alice needed a partner not a repairmen and the changes that have happened are permanent. He also privately struggles with self-blame for not noticing the alcoholism, which drives him further to 'fix' the problem.
After rehabilitation, Alice worries about whether her husband will still love her. She confide in her friends from the rehabilitation centre, which renders Michael insecure. This is because Michael has always been there to 'save' Alice when she gets drunk. But after rehabilitation, she needed him to journey with her instead.
The children, Jess and Casey, are also affected by their mother's problem. Jess tries to be strong after being slapped by her mother, attempts to play the mother in the family when Alice is undergoing rehabilitation, and is seen to guard herself against the possibility of her father emotionally betraying her as well.
Another theme that is portrayed is how parenting styles affect future parenting styles.
In the film, Alice deeply regrets hurting Jess as she recalls the traumatic abuse she suffered from her parents. This is in particular reference to how her mother always thought Alice wasn't good enough, an attitude still evident when they visited the family. This led to an emotional overprotection on Alice's part towards her children.
Alice also attributes her alcoholism to her upbringing, because her father was a drunkard. Her fathers example, coupled with her mothers emotional abuse, caused her to indulge in alcohol at the tender age of 9.
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