When a Man Loves a Woman, We Love Tina & Mae
Film: When a Man Loves a Woman (1994). Young Actresses: Tina Majorino, 8, and Mae Whitman, 5.
In this film’s opening scene, Michael (Andy Garcia) and Alice (Meg Ryan) meet and flirt in a bar. We then cut to several years later; Michael and Alice are now married and raising two little girls, their 4-year-old daughter Casey (Mae) and Alice’s daughter from a previous relationship, Jess (Tina), about 8. At some point (we never learn exactly when or why), Alice has developed a serious drinking problem. She tries to hide it, and Michael, who works as a pilot and is away a lot, mostly ignores it. They finally confront it after Alice smacks Jess across the face, then passes out in the shower and falls through the glass door. Jess finds her unconscious, and when she calls Michael at the airport to tell him, she says, “Mommy died.”
Casey, Michael, Alice, and Jess
This isn’t a bad movie, exactly, but it is somewhat bizarre. The lead and supporting cast - which includes Ellen Burstyn ( Interstellar) as Alice’s mom, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, in one of his earliest roles, as a friend that Alice makes in rehab and supposedly has an affair with - all give it their best, but the writing and directing frequently take strange, nonsensical turns. My favorite examples are painful, too-long argument over paper towels (between characters who are both sober, no less), and when Michael tries to make out with Alice in a department store while she’s shopping for a new outfit for Jess. It’s as weird as it sounds.
Michael taking the girls on a trip to the beach
In the film debut for both of them, Tina and Mae are very young and very impressive, especially Tina, who gives a near flawless performance as Jess. Many of her mom’s problems fall onto Jess’s shoulders, forcing her to act more maturely than most of the adults ever do. After Alice enters rehab, Jess gets some help from Michael and the baby-sitter, but to a large extent, she is the one who takes care of her little sister, getting Casey breakfast and fixing her hair. In how Jess takes care of Casey and tries to shield her from what’s going on, they have a similar dynamic to Christy and Ariel in In America (one of my favorite child-actress movies), and Tina and Mae display almost the same caliber of acting as the Bolger sisters.
Jess and Casey watching a home-movie of Alice and Michael’s wedding
The contrast between the sisters is interesting to watch, too. Most of what happens goes over Casey’s head, but Jess pays attention to what the adults say and do. When she sees her mom wake up with a hangover, for example, she doesn’t say anything, but it’s clear from her expression that she’s seen this before and knows what it means. That is the true strength of Tina’s performance; she can handle “big” emotions, like crying or screaming, but she is also able to pack so much into a simple glance or sigh.
Jess with Michael in her final scene
Much of Jess’s storyline consists of bonding with Michael while her mom is away at rehab. In one scene, Michael gathers up all the liquor bottles that Alice keeps hidden throughout the house and smashes them on the sidewalk. Jess, watching, is scared at first, but then Michael lets her join in. It might not be the most wholesome activity for a little kid, but it’s clear from her expression after she smashes her own bottle - a nervous, hesitant smile that becomes a grin - that it’s helped her get some frustration out. But at the same time that Michael is growing closer to Jess, he still has a favoritism for his own daughter, Casey. It’s one of several ways that the movie pulls you in too many different directions.
Casey and Alice
As the younger, more innocent sister, Mae doesn’t get the same heavy material as Tina (in fact, Casey literally sleeps through Jess’s two most dramatic scenes, getting slapped by Alice and smashing bottles with Michael) but she does give an excellent performance in her own right. She is also seriously adorable, which helps relieve some of the movie’s angst. Despite the mediocrity of the movie as a whole, as far as young actresses go, I highly recommend When a Man Loves a Woman.
Other reviews of Mae's films: Hope Floats (1998), The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), The DUFF (2015).
In this film’s opening scene, Michael (Andy Garcia) and Alice (Meg Ryan) meet and flirt in a bar. We then cut to several years later; Michael and Alice are now married and raising two little girls, their 4-year-old daughter Casey (Mae) and Alice’s daughter from a previous relationship, Jess (Tina), about 8. At some point (we never learn exactly when or why), Alice has developed a serious drinking problem. She tries to hide it, and Michael, who works as a pilot and is away a lot, mostly ignores it. They finally confront it after Alice smacks Jess across the face, then passes out in the shower and falls through the glass door. Jess finds her unconscious, and when she calls Michael at the airport to tell him, she says, “Mommy died.”
Casey, Michael, Alice, and Jess
This isn’t a bad movie, exactly, but it is somewhat bizarre. The lead and supporting cast - which includes Ellen Burstyn ( Interstellar) as Alice’s mom, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, in one of his earliest roles, as a friend that Alice makes in rehab and supposedly has an affair with - all give it their best, but the writing and directing frequently take strange, nonsensical turns. My favorite examples are painful, too-long argument over paper towels (between characters who are both sober, no less), and when Michael tries to make out with Alice in a department store while she’s shopping for a new outfit for Jess. It’s as weird as it sounds.
Michael taking the girls on a trip to the beach
In the film debut for both of them, Tina and Mae are very young and very impressive, especially Tina, who gives a near flawless performance as Jess. Many of her mom’s problems fall onto Jess’s shoulders, forcing her to act more maturely than most of the adults ever do. After Alice enters rehab, Jess gets some help from Michael and the baby-sitter, but to a large extent, she is the one who takes care of her little sister, getting Casey breakfast and fixing her hair. In how Jess takes care of Casey and tries to shield her from what’s going on, they have a similar dynamic to Christy and Ariel in In America (one of my favorite child-actress movies), and Tina and Mae display almost the same caliber of acting as the Bolger sisters.
Jess and Casey watching a home-movie of Alice and Michael’s wedding
The contrast between the sisters is interesting to watch, too. Most of what happens goes over Casey’s head, but Jess pays attention to what the adults say and do. When she sees her mom wake up with a hangover, for example, she doesn’t say anything, but it’s clear from her expression that she’s seen this before and knows what it means. That is the true strength of Tina’s performance; she can handle “big” emotions, like crying or screaming, but she is also able to pack so much into a simple glance or sigh.
Jess with Michael in her final scene
Much of Jess’s storyline consists of bonding with Michael while her mom is away at rehab. In one scene, Michael gathers up all the liquor bottles that Alice keeps hidden throughout the house and smashes them on the sidewalk. Jess, watching, is scared at first, but then Michael lets her join in. It might not be the most wholesome activity for a little kid, but it’s clear from her expression after she smashes her own bottle - a nervous, hesitant smile that becomes a grin - that it’s helped her get some frustration out. But at the same time that Michael is growing closer to Jess, he still has a favoritism for his own daughter, Casey. It’s one of several ways that the movie pulls you in too many different directions.
Casey and Alice
As the younger, more innocent sister, Mae doesn’t get the same heavy material as Tina (in fact, Casey literally sleeps through Jess’s two most dramatic scenes, getting slapped by Alice and smashing bottles with Michael) but she does give an excellent performance in her own right. She is also seriously adorable, which helps relieve some of the movie’s angst. Despite the mediocrity of the movie as a whole, as far as young actresses go, I highly recommend When a Man Loves a Woman.
Other reviews of Mae's films: Hope Floats (1998), The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), The DUFF (2015).