- A spoiled Manhattan housewife re-evaluates her life after visiting a Chinatown healer.
- Alice Tate, married for 16 years and the mother of two, finds herself falling for handsome sax player Joe. Stricken with a backache, she consults Dr. Yang, an Asian herbalist who realizes that her problems are not related to her back, but in her mind and heart. Dr. Yang's magical herbs give Alice wondrous powers that take her out of her well-established rut.—Carl Seiler <lcs9549@tamsun.tamu.edu>
- On the advice of several friends, upscale New Yorker Alice Tate visits acupuncturist Dr. Yang for therapy to deal with her back problem. Dr. Yang diagnoses Alice's physical problem as a manifestation of her emotional issues, primarily her dissatisfaction with her 16-year marriage to wealthy Doug Tate, and her superficial and pampered life filled primarily with shopping, spa treatments, and facelifts. Dr. Yang, who is much more than an acupuncturist, prescribes a course of herbal treatments, to which Alice adheres strictly despite her skepticism. Each individual herbal treatment has a different fantastical effect on Alice, which allows her to at least feel uninhibited enough to find out more about the man at her children's school to whom she is attracted. She learns that he is musician and divorced father Joe Ruffalo. The treatments also allow her, among other things, to communicate with deceased ex-boyfriend Ed, to ask for his advice on her situation. Through her relationship with Dr. Yang, Alice could come to some conclusions about what she wants to do with her entire life, and not just those parts related to Doug or Joe, and how best to move toward those end goals.—Huggo
- Synopsis by "Cult Movies" author Danny Peary...
Fifteen years ago, Alice (Mia Farrow) gave up her fashion career to marry the wealthy Douglas (William Hurt). Now they live in a fancy East Side apartment, with their two kids and several servants. She spends her time shopping, heaving beauty treatments, and being a good wife/mother. Raised a Catholic - her idol is Mother Teresa - Alice feels guilty just for being madly attracted to Joe (Joe Mantegna): a sax player and single father whose kids attend her kids' school. She is too shy to talk with him. Having a painful back, she goes to Dr. Yang (Keye Luke): a weird acupuncturist-herbalist, who realizes that her problem is caused by her attraction to Joe. Yang gives her a special herb. The next day she uninhibitedly flirts with Joe and they make a date. But later she feels to guilty and scared to keep it. She takes more of Yang's potions. One potion makes her invisible: she watches Joe make love to his ex-wife (Judy Davis). Another potion allows Alice to be with the ghost of her first love, Eddie (Alec Baldwin), of whom Joe reminds her. After several false starts and near break-offs, Alice and Joe consummate their love. When invisible, Alice goes to Douglas's office and catches him making love with a coworker. He has been unfaithful for years. Alice breaks up with him and goes to Joe, who sadly tells her that he is returning to his ex-wife. Yang gives Alice a potion that will make any man love her completely. She can choose between Douglas and Joe, but decides on neither. Instead, she goes to Calcutta and works with Mother Teresa. With better values, Alice returns to New York and happily brings up her kids alone.
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