Man is an emotional being. Whether it is love or hate, there is just a way that mankind turns into an emotional wreck depending on the situation or circumstances. Perhaps one of the strongest emotions is love. It has been sung, written, performed and even studied throughout the ages. It has been praised and condemned in equal measure. For those who have experienced it, very few words can perfectly describe it. For those who have been scarred by it, words won’t even be enough to explain or describe how bad it is.
Falling in love or being in love is attractive and beautiful and everybody likes it. It is certainly an experience that can turn anyone into a poet, or a musician. Everything looks beautiful and perfect, while all the problems and weaknesses are pampered. The butterflies feeling tend to make it even more exciting. The challenge in a marriage is maintaining the initial feeling and making them develop to something richer and greater. All the difficulties and issues in a relationship present opportunities to develop each other, grow and discover more love reserves. The movie titled ‘When a man loves a woman’ tries bringing out the entire process of love and its challenges altogether.
The movie begins with a vertiginous and exciting sexual encounter between Michael who was an airline pilot and Alice who worked as a high school guidance counselor. This soon developed into a relationship that resulted in marriage. After their marriage, they settled comfortably to raise their daughters in San Francisco. Alice is determined, and she works hard to ensure that the marriage works. She does so by looking good and being sexually wild. Michael has concerns over her drinking habit, and he raises the concerns during a Mexican holiday. Alice promises to stop but start drinking again after returning home. Alice goes for a detox program after she had slapped her daughter and after falling. During this time to take care of the kids even with the help of the nanny.
A different Alice re-emerges free from alcoholism. She feels uncomfortable with Michael’s controlling character and the mistrust he has over her parenting skills. Michael is dazed with the accusation which leads to their separation. Both Ronald Bass and Al Franken delivers a rich screenplay which reveals the manner in which the bumpy spots in our partners and ourselves should be dealt with for the relationship to succeed.
It is inspiring the way in which Alice deals with her alcohol addiction; she does it in a courageous manner. Notably, Michael also realizes that he must denounce the control of their relationship with Alice to save it. The failure of their marriage leads to a breakthrough which creates possibilities of their reunion. All the hardships and rough experiences between the two partners has slowly set a foundation upon which a stronger relationship can be built. This movie focus on the inner work that ought to be done to keep love alive.
In conclusion, the ending of the movie is not negative. It creates hope and chances of good things between Michael and Alice who have all learned about each other and their marriage through difficult experiences. The movie has succeeded in communicating the amount of effort a couple needs to put in their marriage to save it.
