Geoffrey DeLeons
Sorry.., I couldn't get past the first scene. "Would you like to do my laundry?" Hello? Meg Ryan should have destroyed him with an affirmative retort. Instead, she fell for this dope. This is the third Meg Ryan movie where she falls in love with an idiot, the other two being When Harry Met Sally and You've Got Mail. Honestly.., that scene with her in the bar meeting that pompous "airline pilot" really made me nauseated. What should have been her reply when he asked her to "Go get his laundry"? Any of these would have worked: "Oh, you fly an airliner? What an exalted way to sit on your ass for a living!" "I have absolutely nothing to do for the rest of the day. My schedule is totally empty. I don't have to go back to work after lunch,and I don't even have to eat dinner. I'd be glad to be your delivery whore." "Carrot cake? Did you say carrot cake? What do you say I smash this guy's beer glass against your head?"
Thorsten-Krings
I really hated this film. I quite liked the beginning when Meg Ryan descended from bubbly to downright alcoholic but then the rest of the film was just completely lost on me. First and foremost, I find it a failure in the script that the story focused entirely on the relationship between the two grown ups and neglected the children. Personally, I think this would have been the more interesting story. But secondly, I just didn't get what Garcia's character was supposed to have done wrong. I honestly didn't although I was prepared to. So he may have been a macho but I saw him as being portrayed as supportive and a victim of her alcoholism just as the rest of the family. Why he should be partly responsible for it is beyond me as it was never properly explained.
patricianolan999
Hey.....if I had hunky Andy Garcia all over me, hugging and kissing me, I wouldn't be drinking booze! I'd be doing other things. He looks absolutely gorgeous in this film. As I watched the movie, I kept thinking that Meg's character is one lucky lady! She was married to the perfect guy--macho and sensitive at the same time with a respectable career, providing her with an upper-middle class life. And he was devoted to her. He actually loved her. But she never seemed to appreciate his love. If that's "co-dependence," most women would take it in an instant! Comedian Al Franken, who co-wrote this film, based it on his own marriage.
mangelamy
When everyone was wondering how a famous politician could not know his wife was a "closet alcoholic" we see a movie about the very subject. Was he an enabler, in denial and only when he saw his children in danger of his wife's behavior as a result of the drinking was he forced to face that she needed help, or was he truly ignorant of her problems? Was it more comfortable to let the status quo be and just try to go on? If this movie did not have Meg Ryan, playing against type, and Andy Garcia looking oh so handsome in uniform, and both giving wonderful performances, we would still have the very real story, that we have all seen with friends or family, and the wonderful child actors also giving outstanding performances. This film shows how facades can be maintained and all can look so good to the outsiders and those close enough to love the victims. This movie has it all. Beautiful people, living beautiful lives, and behind the scenes is an ugly addiction ready to rip apart all we see. Not wanting to ruin the film for those who have not seen it, I will say that this is one of those movies, that I watch no matter what section it is on when flicking the channels. it has it all, says it well and educates as well as entertains.
AD
