As Good As It Gets is a 1997 Comedy Romance, starring Academy Award winner Jack Nicholson. He plays a romantic novelist named Melvin Udall, and Melvin suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Udall has a bit of a short fuse, and can seem rude to some people, though he doesn’t try to be. Someone who greatly feels this way is his neighbor Simon, who is a struggling artist played by Greg Kinner. Additionally, Melvin gifts people the luxury of his presence, specifically a waitress named Carol–played by Helen Hunt. Melvin clearly has an interest in Carol and he openly respects her, but doesn’t know how to go about telling her. After Simon is attacked by robbers in his own home, Melvin is forced to take care of his little dog Verdell. Melvin slowly comes around to respecting Simon and becomes his friend. After Melvin realizes that he’s coming across as being rude to people, he wants to change.
This movie was perfect for Jack Nicholson, and was one of his best performances, proven by winning the Academy Award for Best Actor. It goes to show that no matter who you like, you’ll do things to change one step at a time. Greg Kinner plays a truly emotional character who shows the importance of not judging people as you don’t know what they’re going through. Sometimes helping, and trying to make them smile, helps. Furthermore, Helen Hunt plays a mom who jumps from waiting tables to severely worrying about her son’s health problems. This is a very real depiction of life. In comparison to most romantic comedies that tend to seem phony due to lack of true heart. While funny, these movies may never show the true realism of life, unlike this film which gives you laughter, sadness, relief, and a sense of attachment. It’s a movie that is a great watch, with many quotable lines and likable characters. Lastly James L. Brooks really gives people a great look into what real life is with his movies, his movies are not about story book endings with cheesy characters. He gives you a realism of what life looks like for most, with relatable characters to boot; he is very talented. He is a Simpsons writer and has had some very good movies as well; including Terms of Endearment, Jerry Mcguire, and he helped produce Big and War Of The Roses. I give this movie one Gold bar for Superb acting, good directing, and a great script. I will see you the next time you want to come Back To The Movies.