As Good As It Gets poster & wallpaper

Helen Hunt, Jack Nicholson, Cuba Gooding Jr.

For all of its conventional plotting about an obsessive-compulsive curmudgeon (Jack Nicholson) who improves his personality at the urging of his gay neighbor (Greg Kinnear) and a waitress (Helen Hunt)...( read more  read more... ) who inspires his best behavior, this is one of the sharpest Hollywood comedies of the 1990s. Nicholson could play his role in his sleep (the Oscar he won should have gone to Robert Duvall for The Apostle), but his mischievous persona is precisely necessary to give heart to his seemingly heartless character, who is of all things a successful romance novelist. As a single mom with a chronically asthmatic young son, Hunt gives the film its conscience and integrity (along with plenty of wry humor), and she also won an Oscar for her wonderful performance. Greg Kinnear had to settle for an Oscar nomination (while cowriter-director James L. Brooks was inexplicably snubbed by Oscar that year), but his work was also singled out in the film's near-unanimous chorus of critical praise. It's questionable whether a romance between Hunt and the much older Nicholson is entirely believable, but this movie's smart enough--and charmingly funny enough--to make it seem endearingly possible. --Jeff Shannon

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81% liked it

352,188 ratings

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85% liked it

75 critics

PG-13, 2 hrs. 18 min.

Directed by: James L. Brooks

Release Date: December 23, 1997

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DVD Release Date: May 19, 1998

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Greg Kinnear in As Good as It Gets Greg Kinnear in As Good as it Gets As Good As It Gets Verdell is being tested "People that talk in matepgores outta shampoo my crotch" Melvin Udall Melvin Udall Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt As Good As It Gets As Good As It Gets As Good As It Gets As Good As It Gets "Dont you be like me" "Stupid dog!"Melvin Udall "When I first saw you, I thought you were handsome. Then, of course, you spoke." Greg Kinnear in As Good as it Gets Greg Kinnear in As Good as it Gets First Scene in the Restaurant Greg Kinnear in As Good as it Gets
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Flixster Reviews (11,465)

  • SirPant
    September 23, 2009
    SirPant
    I?m not too sure why all the fuss over this film. Nicholson is good as always but I don?t think it?s one of his better films. James L. Brooks has certainly made better films and then there?s Helen I?m-not-sure-why-she?s-ever-been-cast-because-I-don?t-think-she?s-very-good-at-acti...( read more)ng Hunt and Cuba I-try-so-hard-but-never-quite-hit-the-spot Gooding Jr., two actors whom I?ve never been huge fans of!
  • organgrinder136
    August 1, 2009
    organgrinder136
    helen hunt owns this film. she outshines jack nicholson with her acting ability
  • FangsFirst
    January 15, 2009
    FangsFirst
    There's a running gag with anyone who knows me and my tendency toward DVD collecting and film-watching. Generally, there's a feeling that, "If you've heard of it--he has it," which is followed by a bemused suggestion of any romantic comedy. The joke, of course, is that I really d...( read more)on't own many. Think of one--I probably don't own it. It's not something I feel above or refuse to watch or have never seen. I own a handful. I've seen a very large number, as it happens, because I've got a romantic streak rooted firmly in the fictional and fantastic (not to be confused with Romantic streaks or my not-really-romantic love of fantasy, or my romanticization of the fantastic) and that streak is an absolute sucker for most romantic comedies (or romantic plot lines). All the same, usually it's pretty formulaic, and enough so that I feel no need to own them unless there is something to set them apart, a personal association of some kind or otherwise exclusive element. Receiving Oscar nominations in most of the big categories is a good bet, as is starring Jack Nicholson--so this was a shoe-in for my tastes.

    Melvin Udall (Nicholson) is an obsessive compulsive, germophobic misanthrope of an author who lives in an apartment building in Manhattan on a shared floor. His first visible move is to attempt to coax Verdell the dog onto the elevator to be loosed on the streets, because he's tired of dog urine in the hallway. Unsuccessful, he instead dumps the dog down a garbage chute, leaving his owner, painter Simon Bishop (Greg Kinnear), distraught, until he's returned, whereupon Melvin's reputation leads Simon's art dealer Frank Sachs (Cuba Gooding, Jr, before he flushed his career down the "lame comedy" toilet) to confront him with accusations. Melvin is, ah, slightly less than tolerant of people in general, and Frank's race is, at the very least, easy bait for Melvin. Unfortunately for him, Frank will have none of it and intimidates Melvin, swearing that he will make this up to Simon in the future. Melvin goes about his usual business, though, heading to the restaurant he goes to every day where he is served by Carol Connelly (Helen Hunt), who is the only one willing to put up with his antics. A stupid decision by someone working to find Simon a model leaves him hospitalized and Melvin coerced into caring for Verdell by Frank (who quickly recognized how he could take advantage of Melvin's racial fears), while Carol's sick son Spence (Jesse James--who names their child after culturally ingrained figures?) leaves her unable to return to work. Melvin, distraught by all the change wrought in his life, attempts to fix all of it by first bonding with Verdell and then hiring a doctor (Harold Ramis) to take care of Spence--so Carol can return to work, of course. Frank pushes one last favour out of Melvin, asking him to drive Simon down to Baltimore to ask his estranged parents for help. Melvin reluctantly agrees but demands Carol go with him.

    I can't recall where, but I imagine it was my freshman psychology class (one of the handful of days I made it to the 8am class) where a clip of this film was shown to display the behaviour of an obsessive compulsive, which piqued my curiosity. Considering my milk-curdling disaffection for the use of "OCD" as an adjective (when it's a noun!), it's easy to guess that the subject at least holds enough fascination for me to be familiar. Generally anything that interesting to me is interesting enough to draw me into a story, and when it's (allegedly, at least) pretty accurate (they did use psychiatric consultants, at least), well I've just got to take a look at it. I was stumbling through a list of Best Picture contenders a while ago, and this movie became more interesting to me, so I did finally pick it up. It's an interesting idea to have a realistically (if not necessarily "real"-ly) portrayed obsessive compulsive in a romantic comedy considering it's the kind of quirk one runs across in reality in someone one finds otherwise ideal (which the film briefly notes itself). More to the point, it's the kind of quirk that can involve "training" oneself to deal with it (because it is not abuse or the like), but one that can be endlessly frustrating or irritating to someone who doesn't know it very well or suffer it themselves. Generally this kind of thing is not put into a romantic comedy situation for that very reason--it's hard to root for that guy who can't even bring himself to step on a crack in the sidewalk and is afraid to let anyone else touch him.

    This is really what sets this one apart: it's not an intensely real attempt to portray romance, but it's also not the usual simplistic story of two perfect, pretty people who just have to overcome the things they conveniently neglected to say at the right time, or circumstances that simply turned the wrong way or what have you. It's somewhere between these two ideas, with Simon's hospitalization being somewhat less than funny and even rather unpleasant. The other thing that sets it away from the typically gimmicky rom-com market is that it doesn't treat Melvin's issues as gimmicks, even if it does happily milk them for humour's sake. For the good of all, though, it does not milk them in the sense of slapstick, carefully orchestrated scenarios, it just occurs as a natural result of Melvin's sardonic response to generally natural situations. The lack of a filter or restraint on Melvin's misanthropy is also used for humour, but does not pull punches conveniently at times that would assist the romantic angle--he says nasty things to Carol, though often without realizing it. This is where it gets interesting and Hunt and Nicholson earned their Oscars. The response that Carol gives Melvin when he crosses these lines is usually one of shock because he has gone further than she ever expected, but with a defensive reflex that usually bites back after a long enough pause to really let the natural shock make itself known. Melvin's moment of realization and his natural defense of refusing to apologize or retract slides across Nicholson's face as it contorts itself through all possible responses, trying to find the right one that won't make him vulnerable, settling on one for a moment and then faltering as he decides this will either not save the situation or protect himself. This reality of interaction is offset with a naturally unrealistically coincidental and important-event-packed story which is the natural draw to hold interest and make film romance so appealing. This unreal element is a criticism to some, but it's there for a catharsis, to give us something we never see in reality--so it's all right by me.

    What was an extra pleasant surprise, other than the plotting edging more toward reality (though certainly not setting foot inside it), was the presence of innumerable bit parts for both directors and future television presences from shows I've enjoyed quite a bit. Melvin is annoyed to find two people in "his" booth early on--one of whom is Lisa Edelstein (who plays Dr. Lisa Cuddy on House these days), which furthers the risk of losing his privilege of dining there in the restaurant, as manager Brian does not like him--Brian being played by Predator cast member and Lethal Weapon scribe Shane Black (who also wrote and directed Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and co-wrote The Monster Squad). Skeet Ulrich (who's a bigger name in general, but starred in both Miracles and Jericho) is Simon's model-from-the-street Vincent, and one of his buddies is Jamie Kennedy (lame comedy star, but also one of the primary cast members in Three Kings). The man who returns Verdell to Simon is Bill Murray's brother Brian Doyle-Murray (adding a second Groundlings alumnus after Ramis). Psychiatrist Dr. Green is Lawrence Kasdan, who co-wrote Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, as well as Silverado--which he also directed. Julie Benz, who will probably never escape the role of Darla on Buffy, the Vampire Slayer/Angel, plays a receptionist in love with Melvin's writing. Wood Harris, who became Avon Barksdale on The Wire has a single line as a busboy. Todd Solondz (whose name I recognize and whose work I know by name but whose films I have not seen) is a random man on a bus. The icing, of course, is omnipresent voicework artist Maurice LaMarche (most famous these days for his role as "The Brain" on Pinky and the Brain/Animaniacs) as the phone voice of Simon's father.
  • AgentLexi2132
    November 7, 2008
    AgentLexi2132
    ''What if this is as good as it gets?''

    A single mother/waitress, a misanthropic author, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship.

    Jack Nicholson: Melvin Udall

    Helen Hunt: Carol Connelly

    Greg Kinnear: Simon Bishop

    Nicholson won a wel...( read more)l-deserved Oscar for this movie. Then again, I feel like he deserves an Oscar for virtually everything he's been in. Hell, you can even give him an Oscar nod for Anger Management. THATS how great he is! He's one of those actors who can communicate even more emotion when he's not saying anything than when he is. And of course, he has one of the coolest movie star voices ever, so it makes it a joy whenever he does speak. I still feel like "You can't handle the truth!" wouldn't be as priceless a line if Jack didn't yell it. He can say almost any line of dialogue and turn it into gold. In this movie it was "You make me wanna be a better man." Again, an otherwise forgettable line of dialogue made timeless and moving by Jack.

    As Good As It Gets is a flawed film but it doesn't matter, with scenes that drag over an overlong running time, but it's highly enjoyable and altogether pretty well-written. Aside from its many hilarious moments, it's also quite touching. But I have to admit that it's the comedy that sticks out most in my memory. There's some priceless gags like when a Jewish couple is sitting at Jack's usual table. He first intrudes into their conversation saying something about his crotch He complains to Helen Hunt, his usual waitress, saying "I have Jews at my table!", He then intrudes in the couple's conversation again, noticing the food on their table, saying "Obviously your appetites aren't as big as your noses." Now, I probably wouldn't want to personally know a man like Melvin in my real life, but I still found those cracks to be hysterically funny. The same when he attacks Greg Kinnear's gay character with constant homosexual slurs.

    The performances are great all-around. Though Jack pretty much steals the show, Greg Kinnear gives a wonderfully endearing performance. He doesn't play out the gay stereotypes, yet he's sensitive and feminine enough to have me convinced that he is gay. It's nice to see Kinnear rise from the host of Talk Soup and the thankless late night talk show Later to a fine actor. Previously, I wouldn't have any notion that he could become what he is now. Helen Hunt also gives a compelling, emotionally packed performance. And Shirley Knight, as her mother, provides a little bit of comic relief. Cuba Gooding Jr. has a small but interesting role, and he makes the best of it.
    Frank, played by Gooding Jr., decides to give the dog to Melvin, who refuses at first but is left without any option but to obey. He soon achieves a certain subtle love for the beast, and when Simon has healed and comes back for the dog, it doesn't even want to leave. It even starts to develop nasty habits, like avoiding cracks in the sidewalk.
    Meanwhile, a troubled single mother and a part-time waitress, Carol is constantly nagged by Melvin. Only she can deliver him food. Only she can take his order. Only she can kick him out of the restaurant. Mistaking this for some sort of sexual craving, she tells Melvin flat-out that she will never sleep with him. He doesn't seem to care. That had never even crossed his mind.
    The fact is that Melvin is insufferably lonely. He likes to act as though he likes to be lonely, but the truth is that his loneliness is something he loathes. He would love to reach out and gain some friends--but he's too proud to humble himself in such a way. We all know people like Melvin--he just takes himself to a new extreme.

    Melvin is surely one of the great screen characters of all time, ranking up there with Raymond Rain Man Babbitt and Forrest Gump as some of the most unique and likable inventions to ever grace the big screen. Nicholson presents his character in an especially effective way--at first he seems gruff, then he seems strange, then his soft side is revealed, and he slowly becomes the likable mean guy who lives upstairs and likes to try and kill neighbors' dogs.
    Hunt won the Oscar for her work in As Good As It Gets, but it was truly Nicholson who deserved it.
    Regardless of all this, As Good As It Gets still stands alone as one of the cleverest romantic comedies of all time, and certainly one that both sexes can agree on. The film features some of the most memorable lines ever written on paper, the majority of them all coming from the lips of Melvin Udall, perfectly spoken by a typical gruff Jack Nicholson. They all come off as utterly hilarious and convincing.

    "How old are you? If I would guess by your eyes, I'd say you're fifty."

    "If I went by your eyes I'd say you were kind.''

    This is the type of new-age romantic comedy that rivals the greatness of When Harry Met Sally or Sleepless in Seattle. It's founded in its characters, their lives, their interaction, and how they learn to overcome their own personal obstacles and moral obligations. This film carries all the Autumn-time sweetness and cleverness of a Rob Reiner comedy, and all the lightness of a Frank Capra movie.

    I just like to end with the scene for me that really touched me in it's deep awe inspiring glory, that shows a bold definition of what love can truly be like:

    Melvin Udall
    I've got a really great compliment for you, and it's true.

    Carol Connelly
    I'm so afraid you're about to say something awful.

    Melvin Udall
    Don't be pessimistic, it's not your style. Okay, here I go: Clearly, a mistake. I've got this, what - ailment? My doctor, a shrink that I used to go to all the time, he says that in fifty or sixty percent of the cases, a pill really helps. I *hate* pills, very dangerous thing, pills. Hate. I'm using the word "hate" here, about pills. Hate. My compliment is, that night when you came over and told me that you would never... well, you were there, you know what you said. Well, my compliment to you is, the next morning, I started taking the pills.

    Carol Connelly
    I don't quite get how that's a compliment for me.

    Melvin Udall
    You make me want to be a better man.

    Carol Connelly
    That's maybe the best compliment of my life.

    Melvin Udall
    Well, maybe I overshot a little, because I was aiming at just enough to keep you from walking out.
  • mwilliams078
    September 21, 2008
    mwilliams078
    As Good As It Gets, is such a funny film starring a great cast: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, and Greg Kinnear.

    The paranoid single man (Nicholson) meets a waitress (Hunt) whom gets his attention. The two together discover each other in this smart and very funny film very worth ...( read more)watching.
  • TinaOtto
    November 22, 2009
    TinaOtto
    Nicholson as always can put a smile on your face by saying things that you just should not say to people. This part just emphasized how well he could do that. I have not seen Hunt in a lot of movies but the over caring mother worked for her, the chemistry was not there between th...( read more)e two but it worked in a not supposed to work kinda way.
  • citawijaya
    November 22, 2009
    citawijaya
    The movie's really funny. Nicholson won an Oscar for this? okay, that's too much..it's not that his acting is bad or what but I've seen so much from him that is better than this..
    overall, it's pretty good and enjoyable. Helen Hunt and Greg Kinnear are also good.
  • 21rclemente
    November 13, 2009
    21rclemente
    Heartfelt and not overdone. Close to being sappy but still has that Nicholson wit.
  • arcielapid
    November 9, 2009
    arcielapid
    many leassons to learn from here
  • Yelverton
    November 8, 2009
    Yelverton
    I sure hope this isn't as good as it gets.

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Critic Reviews

January 1, 2000
Moira MacDonald, Film.com

An actor's movie full of little pleasures, with a few unexpected sparks.

January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The movie succeeds at many moments even while pursuing its doomed grand design. full review

View more As Good As It Gets reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • azgoodazitgetz13
    April 24, 2008
    azgoodazitgetz13
    This was a great movie. I can watch it anytime.
  • cnucom
    October 27, 2007
    cnucom
    Greg Kinnear's character on this film was really well played. A must see film. Helen & Jack both won an award from this film. A heart-warming story.
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As Good As It Gets Trivia

  • What 1997 film featured Jack Nicholson as a man with Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorder, Greg Kinnear as his gay neighbor and Helen Hunt as the woman he falls in love with?  Answer »
  • Who appeared in all of the following films: Rat Race, As Good As It Gets, and Pearl Harbor?  Answer »
  • You know that i'd be the luckiest man alive if that did it for me  Answer »
  • In "As Good as it Gets" what did Melvin suffer from?  Answer »
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