Perfectly adorable

I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

An action-packed slog

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

I'm not sure how to feel about this movie. As you probably know, Meg Ryan plays an alcoholic mother of two with a pilot for a husband. The husband, in this case, is played by Andy Garcia. Now, while watching this movie, I hated Garcia at first but really grew to like him. I now really like Andy Garcia. I really hated Meg Ryan's performance in this movie. I didn't understand who she was at all. And maybe her character didn't either. Either way, this movie is slow, and in trying to be instructive - instructive about the horrors and difficulties of alcoholism and the dangerous enabling of co-dependence - comes off as didactic. Movies really shouldn't be didactic. Don't know what didactic means? Maybe I don't either. Nevertheless, I don't think this is a great movie, or even a good one. Maybe it's an okay one. It takes place in San Francisco, which is cool. A lot of movies take place in San Francisco, though.

I've always appreciated this film for its honest look at how insidious alcoholism is and how it devastates those around the addict. I watched it again on a lazy Saturday afternoon and, despite its flaws, its an excellent film and a great look at how alcoholism is a family disease.Meg Ryan's Alice is an alcoholic in a comfortable though unhealthy marriage with Andy Garcia's Michael, an enabler and rescuer. Alice hits rock bottom and heads off to detox. The family struggles while she is away, but still struggles when Alice gets back and fights to stay clean and sober. This is one of the greatest strengths of the film. Becoming sober is not the hard part. Staying sober is. Learning to live life sober is incredibly challenging.Meg Ryan gives a masterful performance in this. However, on re-viewing, I really appreciated the nuances of Andy Garcia's performance. Michael clearly finds meaning in helping and fixing all the problems around him. However, when Alice is sober and he finds he doesn't need to rescue her anymore, he is lost, angry, disappointed, and hurt. His speech at the Al Anon meeting when he admits that he feels pain seeing his wife doing so well without his help is powerful. The child actresses are great, particularly Tina Majorino. I wish they would have delved a bit more into how mom's alcoholism affected the kids. Also, Michael's speech at the very end is cringeworthy, sugarcoating what is otherwise an honest and very real portrayal of addiction and recovery.

To begin,Meg Ryan jumps to upon Andy Garcia,She swings sexxiest drunk a boat and dives on bay,Throw eggs on Porsche and Meg's swinging on carI love see Meg Ryan smoking!(thing that made me ​for Meg's sexual fetish) Mom 's role,touchable and cute.REM soundtrack,Meg kidding with Jess,beautiful,and many other takes that touchily movie (sinouns Meg Ryan 's Standard Superior Quality label actress)The Al-Anon Lecture and Gran-Finale to take a 2nd chance to loving again (Michael and Alice Green's) reconciliation.Everythings that Meg Ryan was striking in my life....somethings that biggest meg fan never forgets....until Meg's DEATH.

Michael Green (Andy Garcia) and his wife, Alice (Meg Ryan) are living the good life in San Francisco. They are both professionals, they live in a lovely home, and they have two beautiful daughters (Tina Majorino and Mae Whitman). But, they also have a secret. Alice is a "closet" alcoholic, who is on the verge of showing it to the world and Michael is doing his best to cover for her to everyone. Things are complicated, for Alice seems happier when she is in the "party mood" and Michael loves her so much that he actually appears to relish his role as the one Alice calls on to put herself back together. Yet, even a vacation to Mexico does not help Alice find the self-happiness she needs to lose the bottle. Also, Alice injures herself at home, scaring the girls beyond measure and they are suffering from neglect, too. Therefore, Alice has to enter a "Betty Ford" type clinic. But, will Michael and Alice both like and love each other when Alice is sober? This is a great movie for its honest portrayal of the effects an alcoholic has on the family he or she loves and on the long climb out of the world of alcoholism. Alice and Michael are not really living the American dream but the American nightmare, because of Alice's need for one drink after another. Both Ryan and Garcia are truly wonderful in roles that call upon them to be both lovable and repugnant, at the same time. The other cast members, including Ellen Burstyn and the two lovely little girl-actresses, are also just perfect. Naturally, the settings in San Fran and Mexico are great, especially the Green's beautiful old house. Costumes, too, are very well-chosen and all other other productions values of direction, photography and story are most worthy, too. Then, too, the film also has great value as a movie to show the realities of alcoholism to any audience that could benefit from such a view. In summary, if you are a man or woman who loves movies that tell a tale well, with gorgeous stars, even if it might result in a few shed tears, this is a great choice. You might even pop it in when you need a "good cry", for it has wonderful cathartic elements.