As Good as it Gets

"Sell crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here."

AS GOOD AS IT GETS (PG-13)

Reviewed January 24, 1998 - Check out the As Good As It Gets web site.

Three not-quite-normal New Yorkers (and one dog) find each other and happiness in James L. Brooks' latest comedy, As Good As It Gets. The characters:

Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson): an ill-tempered, obsessive-compulsive author who lives alone, works alone, and likes things done in his own particular way.
Carol Connelly (Helen Hunt): a struggling single mom and waitress, who happens to have Melvin as a regular lunchtime customer.
Simon Bishop (Greg Kinnear): Melvin's gay neighbor, an artist, and Verdell's owner.
Verdell (Jill the dog): he likes bacon.

As Good As It Gets has one of those plots that defies easy description. On the one hand it's simply about slightly irregular people with slightly irregular lives. On the other hand it's about transformations, and those strange circumstances in life that unexpectedly make a difference in how we see others and the world. Brooks' film features both witty dialog and intelligent characters, supported by uniformly strong performances from Nicholson, Hunt, and Kinnear. Nicholson especially shines as Melvin, delivering some of the most hilariously twisted monologues in recent memory, and Hunt's gutsy performance as Carol will surely win her respect outside "Mad About You" circles.

The bottom line? As Good As It Gets *is* funny and entertaining, and will go down as one of the quirkiest crowd-pleasers of the season. Unfortunately, all this quirkiness leads to some un-evenness in parts of the film, but the overall experience is a satisfying one. If you already like Jack, then nothing should stop you from seeing this movie. If you don't like Jack, you might consider seeing it anyway...the dog will keep you entertained...really!

Responses from cyberspace--thanks for writing!

David Rogers gives this movie stars: "Hey Fuzzydog! As Good as it Gets was rated PG-13, not R." (5/6/00) [Ahh, right you are David! Thanks for the correction, we fixed the error! -- fuzzydog]

yoda_rocks17@hotmail.com gives this movie stars: "It is my all time favourite movie because unlike most movies, this has the most incredible plot, characters, theme, & acting i have ever seen. It is absolutely hilarious & the writer is a genius." (9/7/99)

keed gives this movie stars: "love the movie. love jack. what more can i say?" (9/4/99)

monica gives this movie stars: "i loved this movie. i even want to use a scene for auditions. you know the scene when helen hunt is talking to jack nicholson over the phone explaining why she likes being with him but at the same time she hates his smart ass remarks. i love that scene" (3/27/99)

pkinney@hotmail.com gives this movie stars: "I want a dog like Jill. Anyone know what breed this adorable mutt represents?" (5/19/98)

David gives this movie stars: "Great fun. Nichelson and Hunt were brilliant and deserved the Oscars. Great humour and a great movie." (4/8/98)

nickblaskowski@hotmail.com gives this movie stars: "As good as it gets was as good as it gets! Jack Nicholson was hilarious!" (4/6/98)

Oh-my-god@smileyface.com gives this movie stars: "I really love it !!! I've seen it twice and I'll come back to see it agian. I love Jack too!" (4/5/98)

cus55@yahoo.com gives this movie stars: "I saw this film last night, and it is the best movie I have seen in the past year. No movie has presented itself with such a fine cast, fine acting, and three (or should I say four -- the dog included) of the most enthralling, moving and completely hilarious characters ever seen on screen. The humour was so good that it makes this film the greatest comedy of all time. I was crying and in stitches....it was so funny! Of course, only Jack Nicholson could do it. When the movie came out, he had me convinced that he wasn't acting. He couldn't have played an obsessive compulsive any better. The screenplay was perfect (the best humour ever, the most perfectly orchestrated theme in years, and, while funny, had a very serious side to it which worked very, very well. A gem. Oh, yeah.....go buy the CD. The music is impeccable." (2/7/98)