June 27, 1994 -- ``When a Man Loves a Woman,'' is a gut-wrenching film about alcoholism and how it can destroy people's lives, and it is one of the best films of the year. Except for the very end of the film, it is hard to imagine how it could have been done much better. The actors in this film do an Oscar-quality job with very difficult material, and that goes for the children, who are every bit as convincing as the adults.

Director Luis Mandoki and film editor Garth Craven have produced a top quality product.

The story is a familiar one up to a point. Andy Garcia plays Michael Green, who is married to an alcoholic, Alice, played by Meg Ryan. The two seem happily married at first and then we see that Alice has a serious drinking problem. She recognizes the problem and he helps her get to a rehabilitation clinic after ``hitting bottom.''

That's where the familiar story line ends. Most films about alcoholism deal with alcoholism and overcoming it. This story goes way beyond that. It deals with how Alice's personality changes after treatment and how that puts a severe strain on her marriage.

The problems relate to a phenomenon that psychologists call ``co-dependency.'' Alcoholism breeds a cluster of behaviors in family members that can go on for generations.

Michael's problem with Alice after treatment is that she is no longer dependent on him to take care of her and make all the decisions. He is not ready to share his life with her as an equal partner. It is a heartbreaking situation. In a very real sense, she is not the woman he married.

People in the theater broke down and cried during this film. It is very powerful. It would be even more powerful for people with alcoholics in the family. I've done enough stories about alcoholism and seen enough people affected by it to know there's a lot of truth in this film.

There is some Hollywood sugarcoating here, particularly at the end of the film, but it is still a very powerful drama.

The screenplay, by Ronald Bass and Al Franken (yeah, the Saturday Night Live guy who plays Stuart Smalley) is excellent. The dialog rings true.

This film rates an A.

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