As Good as It Gets (1997)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

James L. Brooks

Writers (WGA):

Mark Andrus (story)
Mark Andrus (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

25 December 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Brace yourself for Melvin.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Neighbor | Writer | Artist | Waitress

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 23 wins & 25 nominations

Cast

Jack Nicholson	...	Melvin Udall
Helen Hunt	...	Carol Connelly
Greg Kinnear	...	Simon Bishop
Cuba Gooding Jr.	...	Frank Sachs
Skeet Ulrich	...	Vincent Lopiano
Shirley Knight	...	Beverly Connelly
Yeardley Smith	...	Jackie Simpson
Lupe Ontiveros	...	Nora Manning
Jill the Dog	...	Verdell (as Jill)
Timer the Dog	...	Supporting Dog (as Timer)
Billy the Dog	...	Supporting Dog (as Billy)
Bibi Osterwald	...	Neighbor Woman
Ross Bleckner	...	Carl
Bernadette Balagtas	...	Caterer
Jaffe Cohen	...	Partygoer
Laurie Kilpatrick	...	Partygoer
Alice Vaughn	...	Partygoer
Brian Doyle-Murray	...	Handyman John
Kristi Zea	...	Mother at Table
Annie Maginnis Tippe	...	Daughter at Table
Patricia Childress	...	Cafe 24 Waitress
Rebekah Johnson	...	Cafe 24 Waitress
Missi Pyle	...	Cafe 24 Waitress
Leslie Stefanson	...	Cafe 24 Waitress
Tara Subkoff	...	Cafe 24 Waitress
Shane Black	...	Cafe 24 Manager Brian
Peter Jacobson	...	Man at Table
Lisa Edelstein	...	Woman at Table
Stan Bly	...	Cafe 24 Customer
Randall Batinkoff	...	Carol's Date
Jesse James	...	Spencer Connelly
Jamie Kennedy	...	Street Hustler
Justin Herwick	...	Street Hustler
Maya Rudolph	...	Policewoman
John F. O'Donohue	...	Detective Ray
David A. Kipper	...	Hospital Doctor
Mary Elizabeth Still	...	Nurse Receptionist
Chloe Brooks	...	Child at Cafe 24
Cooper Brooks	...	Child at Cafe 24
Sharon L. Alexander	...	Female Passerby
Holly Denys	...	Female Passerby
Lawrence Kasdan	...	Dr. Green
Alison Rose	...	Psychiatric Patient
Kathryn Morris	...	Psychiatric Patient
Wood Harris	...	Cafe 24 Busboy
Linda Gehringer	...	Publisher
Julie Benz	...	Receptionist
Harold Ramis	...	Dr. Martin Bettes
Antonia Jones	...	Terry, Dr. Bettes' Nurse
Kaitlin Hopkins	...	Woman in Lobby
Jimmy Workman	...	Sean from the Bakery
Danielle Spencer	...	Veterinarian
Todd Solondz	...	Man on Bus
Tom McGowan	...	Maitre D'
Danielle Brisebois	...	Singer
Matt Malloy	...	Men's Store Salesman
Paul Greenberg	...	Bar Waiter
Kirk Ringberg	...	Food Waiter
Dave Hawthorne	...	Bartender
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Roger Ferreira	...	Restaurant Patron
Alba Albanese	...	New Yorker (uncredited)
Alex Ballar	...	Flower Store Customer (uncredited)
Bronwyn Cornelius	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Dunya Djordjevic	...	Art Dealer (uncredited)
Eddie L. Fauria	...	NYC Transit cop (uncredited)
Eliza Harris	...	Ballet dancer (uncredited)
Maurice LaMarche	...	Fred Bishop, Simon's Dad on Phone (voice) (uncredited)
Nicole Salter	...	Not Credited (uncredited)
Frank Slaten	...	Miffed Partygoer (uncredited)
Oriana Nicole Tavoularis	...	Restaurant Patron (uncredited)

Directed by
James L. Brooks

Writing credits (WGA)
Mark Andrus		(story)
Mark Andrus		(screenplay) and
James L. Brooks		(screenplay)

Produced by
James L. Brooks	....	producer
Bridget Johnson	....	producer
Maria Kavanaugh	....	associate producer
Laurence Mark	....	executive producer
Richard Marks	....	co-producer
Aldric La'Auli Porter	....	associate producer (as Aldric Porter)
Richard Sakai	....	executive producer
John D. Schofield	....	co-producer
Owen Wilson	....	associate producer
Kristi Zea	....	producer
Laura Ziskin	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Hans Zimmer

Cinematography by
John Bailey		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Richard Marks

Casting by
Francine Maisler

Production Design by
Bill Brzeski

Art Direction by
Philip Toolin

Set Decoration by
Clay A. Griffith

Costume Design by
Molly Maginnis

Makeup Department
Carrie Angland	....	makeup artist
Linda Arnold	....	hair stylist supervisor
Stacye P. Branche	....	makeup artist: Mr. Gooding (as Stacye Branché)
Michèle Burke	....	makeup supervisor (as Michele Burke)
Michael Germain	....	makeup artist: Mr. Nicholson (as Perry Michael Germain)
Linda Grimes	....	makeup artist: Mr. Nicholson, New York
Darrell Redleaf-Fielder	....	hair stylist: Ms. Hunt (as Darrell Fielder)
Allen Weisinger	....	makeup artist: New York
Joy Zapata	....	hair stylist: Mr. Nicholson
Jeffrey S. Farley	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)
Tom Irvin	....	makeup effects (uncredited)

Production Management
Amy Herman	....	unit production manager: New York
Jake Jacobson	....	unit production manager (as John Adam Jacobson)
John D. Schofield	....	unit production manager
Denise Sirkot	....	executive in charge of production: Gracie Films
Chantal Feghali	....	post-production supervisor (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hans Berggren	....	dga trainee
William M. Connor	....	second assistant director
Shari Nicotero	....	second second assistant director (as Shari Hanger)
Susan Perlman	....	DGA trainee: New York
Aldric La'Auli Porter	....	first assistant director (as Aldric Porter)

Art Department
Rochelle S. Allen	....	art department assistant
Philip Canfield	....	lead man: New York (as Phil Canfield)
Teresa Carriker-Thayer	....	art director: New York
Martin Charles	....	graphic designer
Gary Deaton	....	construction coordinator (as Gary L. Deaton)
Robert Griffon Jr.	....	property master: New York (as Bobby Griffon)
Bart C. Hubenthal	....	set dresser
Jacqueline Jacobson Scarfo	....	set decorator: New York (as Jacqueline Jacobson)
Todd Jacques	....	set dresser
Scott G. Jones	....	set dresser
Jeff Machala	....	assistant property master (as Jeffrey Machala)
John Maskovich	....	set dresser (as John D. Maskovich)
Masako Masuda	....	assistant art director
John Hammer Maxwell	....	set dresser (as John H. Maxwell)
John Naehrlich	....	lead man
Gary Rizzo	....	set dresser
Brana Rosenfeld	....	assistant set decorator
Ivy Shapiro	....	art consultant
Billy Sullivan	....	artwork: Simon
Mark Wade	....	property master
Salvador Anaya	....	plasterer (uncredited)
Conny Boettger	....	art department coordinator (uncredited)
William Boyd	....	general foreman (uncredited)
Chris Buchinsky	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)
Cosmas A. Demetriou	....	set designer (uncredited)
Jann K. Engel	....	set designer (uncredited)
Robert E. Knight	....	paint foreman (uncredited)
Rosalie Russino	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Louis Zamora	....	labor foreman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Ron Bartlett	....	sound re-recording mixer
George Campos	....	apprentice sound editor
Matt Colleran	....	sound recordist
Don Coufal	....	boom operator
Dennis Drummond	....	supervising sound editor
Kim Drummond	....	dialogue editor (as Kim Haves)
Patrick Drummond	....	sound effects editor
Richard Duarte	....	foley mixer
Kira Edmunds	....	assistant sound editor
Christopher Flick	....	foley editor
David Giammarco	....	supervising sound editor
Jeff Gomillion	....	adr mixer (as Jeff Gomillian)
Galen Goodpaster	....	first assistant sound editor
Gary Holland	....	cable person
Spike Allison Hooper	....	adr assistant
Chris Jenkins	....	sound re-recording mixer
Darren King	....	dialogue editor
Kathleen King	....	boom operator: New York
Jonathan Klein	....	foley editor
Nicholas Vincent Korda	....	adr editor
Andy Malcolm	....	foley artist (as Andy Malcom)
Cindy Marty	....	sound effects editor
Rob Nokes	....	sound editorial technical support: Sound Dogs
Thomas J. O'Connell	....	adr mixer
Rudy Pi	....	sound recordist
Bruno Roussel	....	assistant sound engineer
Joe Schiff	....	adr assistant
Mark Smith	....	sound re-recording mixer
Renee Tondelli	....	adr supervisor (as Renée Tondelli)
Jerome R. Vitucci	....	sound mixer: New York (as Jerome Vitucci)
Bill Ward	....	assistant sound editor
Jeff Wexler	....	sound mixer
Mark Yardas	....	dialogue editor
Nigel Bunyan	....	apprentice sound editor (uncredited)
Benjamin Cheah	....	sound effects recordist (uncredited)
Kevin Globerman	....	second engineer (uncredited)
Gregg Silk	....	second engineer (uncredited)
Claudine Ward	....	apprentice sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Bill Doane	....	special effects coordinator (as William B. Doane)
Al Griswold	....	special effects coordinator: New York (as Albert Griswold)
Harold McConnell Jr.	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Megan Brown	....	visual effects texture animator: SPI
Suzy Brown	....	visual effects texture animator: SPI
Mark Dornfeld	....	digital visual effects: Buena Vista Imaging
Lisa Kahatriya	....	visual effects rotoscope artist: SPI
John Ly	....	visual effects technical assistant: SPI
Tim McGovern	....	visual effects supervisor: SPI
George Merkert	....	visual effects producer: SPI
Hal Miles	....	visual effects rotoscope artist: SPI
Felix Ojeda	....	visual effects compositor: SPI
Megan Omi	....	visual effects compositor: SPI
Todd Pilger	....	visual effects technical designer: SPI
Laurence Treweek	....	lead technical visual effects supervisor: SPI
Guy Wiedmann	....	visual effects editor: SPI
Anthony Harris	....	timing coordinator: SPI (uncredited)
Bernice Kenton	....	visual effects vendor producer (uncredited)
Dean Lyon	....	compositing supervisor (uncredited)
Paul Taglianetti	....	digital effects producer: Caliban Filmworks (uncredited)

Stunts
BJ Davis	....	stunt coordinator: second unit, New York (as B.J. Davis)
Ken Fritz	....	stunt coordinator
Bryce Gregory	....	stunts
Gene LeBell	....	stunts
Phil O'Dell	....	stunts
Denise Lynne Roberts	....	stunts
Felipe Savahge	....	stunts
Walter Scott	....	stunt coordinator
Chester E. Tripp III	....	stunt double: Greg Kinnear (as Chester Tripp)
Pete Turner	....	stunts
Julia Davis	....	assistant stunt coordinator (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Greg Addison	....	chief lighting technician: New York
James Bartolomeo	....	second assistant camera: New York
David Burnett	....	assistant chief lighting technician (as David R. Burnett)
Chuck Cohen	....	director of photography: second unit
Xiomara Comrie	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera, second unit
Mike Connors	....	dolly grip (as Michael Connors)
Steve Craft	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Eric Vincent Cruse	....	grip
John Dolan	....	key grip: New York
Mike Gerzevitz	....	electrician
Scott Graves	....	gaffer
Mark Gutterud	....	assistant camera: dog unit
Jeff Hand	....	first assistant "b" camera: New York
David Katz	....	video assist operator
Gábor Kövér	....	camera operator: "b" camera, New York (as Gabor Kover)
Michael M. Krevitt	....	key grip
Michael Martinez	....	second assistant camera
Mike Moyer	....	chief lighting technician
Ralph Nelson	....	still photographer
David Norris	....	camera operator: Wescam camera
Jeff Pelton	....	camera loader
Paul Plannette	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Al Rodgers	....	second assistant "b" camera: New York
Michael Stone	....	camera operator
Donald E. Thorin Jr.	....	first assistant camera
Demmie Todd	....	still photographer: New York
Rick Tschudin	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Richard Turner	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Thomas D. Wazney	....	best boy grip
John Baer	....	still photographer: New York re-shoots (uncredited)
Mike Bonnaud	....	lamp operator (uncredited)
Bob Leitelt	....	key grip: additional photography (uncredited)
Kevin McKenna	....	video assist operator (uncredited)
Chris Rosen	....	electrician (uncredited)
Ralph Scherer	....	key grip: second unit (uncredited)
Sam Urdank	....	still photographer: additional photography, Los Angeles (uncredited)

Casting Department
Kathryn Eisenstein	....	casting associate (as Katherine Eisenstein)
Karen E. Etcoff	....	extras casting: New York
Barbara Harris	....	adr voice casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Daniel J. Adkins	....	costume supervisor: New York
Donna D. Casey	....	assistant costume designer
James Lapidus	....	costumer (as James Henry Lapidus)
Philip Maldonado	....	costumer
Elaine Ramires	....	wardrobe supervisor
Heidi Shulman	....	costume supervisor: New York
Mary Elizabeth Still	....	costumer
Debbie Travis	....	costumer: Mr. Nicholson (as Deborah Travis)

Editorial Department
John Bickford	....	color timer: dailies
Gena Bleier	....	assistant editor
Laura Congleton	....	assistant editor (as Laura H. Congleton)
John Scott Cook	....	assistant editor
Jeffrey Ford	....	first assistant editor (as Jeff Ford)
Dale E. Grahn	....	color timer
Heather Hughes	....	assistant editor
Lori C. Ingle	....	associate editor
Dale Jones	....	avid technician
Marisa Morabito	....	editorial production assistant
Theresa Repola Mohammed	....	negative cutter
Eric Rigney	....	avid technician
Hilary Schroeder	....	assistant editor
Tony Solomons	....	assistant editor
Sarah Thiessen	....	assistant editor (as Sarah K. Thiessen)

Music Department
Nico Abondolo	....	musician: bass
Philip Ayling	....	musician: oboe
Sandy DeCrescent	....	music contractor (as Sandy De Crescent)
Brian Dembow	....	musician: viola
Chris Douridas	....	song consultant
Steve Erdody	....	musician: cello solo
Bruce Fowler	....	orchestrator (as Bruce L. Fowler)
Walt Fowler	....	orchestrator
Harry Gregson-Williams	....	conductor
Zigmund Gron	....	music editor
Jo Ann Kane	....	music preparation (as Jo Anne Kane)
Jim Kanter	....	musician: clarinet
Katie Kirkpatrick	....	musician: harp
Armen Ksajikian	....	musician: cello solo
Michael Lang	....	musician: Melvin's solo piano (as Mike Lang)
Claude Letessier	....	consultant: musical score
Brian L. McCarty	....	music coordinator
Ladd McIntosh	....	orchestrator
Alan Meyerson	....	score mixer
Alan Meyerson	....	score recordist
Yvonne S. Moriarty	....	orchestrator (as Suzette Moriarty)
Ralph Morrison	....	musician: violin
Rupert Nadeau	....	assistant music editor
Jeffrey Pollack	....	music supervisor
Lucas Richman	....	conductor
David Riddles	....	musician: bassoon
Ronald Sanelli	....	musician: bassoon
Adam Milo Smalley	....	music editor (as Adam Smalley)
Marc Streitenfeld	....	technical score advisor
James Walker	....	musician: flute
Hans Zimmer	....	music arranger
Marc Caruso	....	assistant music editor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Vince del Castillo	....	transportation captain (as Vincent Del Castillo)
Scotty Goudreau	....	driver
Pat King	....	transportation co-captain: New York
Richard McLaughlin	....	transportation co-captain
Edward O'Donnell	....	transportation captain: New York (as Eddie O'Donnell)
Mike Storc	....	transportation (uncredited)

Other crew
Patricia Adlesic	....	assistant location manager: New York
Chad Ahrendt	....	production assistant
Petra Alexandria	....	assistant: Mr. Mark
Tamsin Anstey	....	assistant accountant
Declan Baldwin	....	location manager: New York
Nathan Barr	....	assistant: Mr. Zimmer
Raymond W. Beal	....	animal trainer
Stacey Berns	....	assistant: Ms. Hunt
John Bickford	....	dailies timer
Crista Birgy	....	second assistant accountant
Brian Black	....	production assistant
Bruce A. Block	....	special consultant (as Bruce Block)
Mike Bodkin	....	intern
Arthur L. Brody	....	psychiatric consultant (as Dr. Arthur L. Brody)
Judith M. Brown	....	studio teacher
Justin Caine Burnett	....	assistant: Mr. Zimmer
Al Cerullo	....	helicopter pilot: New York
S. Todd Christensen	....	assistant location manager (as Todd Christensen)
Ralph Coleman	....	location manager
Faith Conroy	....	script supervisor: second unit
Deirdre Cook	....	production coordinator: New York
Kathleen Corgan	....	location scout
George Davis	....	production secretary (as George A. Davis)
Matilda de Cagny	....	animal trainer (as Mathilde DeCagny)
Billy the Dog	....	supporting dog: Verdell double (as Billy)
Timer the Dog	....	supporting dog: Verdell double (as Timer)
Stephen Douglas	....	additional artwork
Susie Fallon	....	assistant locations: New York
Alex Fernández	....	production assistant: New York
Pablo Ferro	....	title designer: main title sequence
Paul D. Fischer	....	production assistant
Giela Fredman	....	assistant accountant
Stefan Gegen	....	location assistant
Susanna Horng	....	production secretary: New York
Karen R. Jones	....	unit publicist
David A. Kipper	....	medical consultant (as Dr. David A. Kipper)
Diane Krakower	....	assistant: Mr. Nicholson
Tom Lackey	....	location scout
Karen Maidment	....	psychiatric consultant
Eric Mansur	....	assistant: Laurence Mark
Andy Mensing	....	production assistant: New York
Eric Mention	....	production assistant
Scott R. Meyers	....	production assistant (as Scott Meyers)
Scott R. Meyers	....	production assistant: New York
Chris Miller	....	technical consultant
Debbie Modrow	....	assistant: Mr. Kinnear
Matthew Moriarty	....	production assistant
Brendan Murphy	....	assistant: Mr. Brooks
Moanike'ala Nakamoto	....	assistant: Mr. Zimmer
Felicia Nalivansky	....	assistant: Mr. Sakai
John Nava	....	additional artwork
Chris Palzis	....	production assistant
Kristen Ploucha	....	production assistant
Ray Quiroz	....	script supervisor (as Raymond Quiroz)
Mike Revell	....	production accountant: New York (as Michael J. Revell)
Vernon Rodriquez	....	parking assistant
Marge Rowland	....	production accountant (as Marguerite Rowland)
Jason Rubenstein	....	production assistant: New York
Sanjaya Saxena	....	psychiatric consultant (as Dr. Sanjaya Saxena)
Miriam Schapiro	....	assistant production coordinator: New York
Roger Schumacher	....	head animal trainer
Joan Semmel	....	additional artwork
Jodi Shapera	....	assistant accountant
John Shaw	....	production assistant: New York
Richard Shebairo	....	artwork provider
Bronwyn Shepperson	....	assistant: Mr. Schofield
Debbie-Lynn Siegel	....	payroll accountant
Ted Sroka	....	production assistant
Shawn Suttles	....	assistant: Mr. Gooding
Michael Tubre	....	production assistant
Derek Wade	....	assistant production office coordinator (as Derek M. Wade)
Chad Woelki	....	production assistant
Yvonne Yaconelli	....	production office coordinator
David Yang	....	assistant: Ms. Johnson
Neil Clark	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Stefan Gesek	....	location assistant (uncredited)
Jack E. Herman	....	extras set coordinator (uncredited)
Christopher Lee	....	key assistant location manager (uncredited)
John Michael Sudol	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Michael Parks	....	location manager: preparation (uncredited)

Thanks
Julie Ansell	....	special thanks
Michael Besman	....	special thanks
Ted Bessell	....	dedicatee
Diane Brooks	....	dedicatee

Production Companies

• TriStar Pictures
• Gracie Films

Distributors

• Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) (1997) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (video)
• Columbia TriStar Egmont Film Distributors (1998) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International (1998) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Film (1998) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films AB (1998) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films (1998) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films de España (1998) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Entertainment (1998) (Japan) (theatrical)
• TriStar Pictures (1997) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Home Video (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia Home Video (Brazil) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (1998) (Germany) (video)
• Egmont Film (1998) (Sweden) (VHS)
• LK-TEL (Argentina) (video)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (2004) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)

Special Effects

• Animal Makers (animatronic dog)
• Buena Vista Imaging
• Caliban Filmworks
• Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI)

Other Companies

• Film Art  art consulting
• Birds & Animals Unlimited  animals provided by (as Birds and Animals Unlimited)
• Central Casting  extras casting
• Cerruti 1881  selected wardrobe
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies
• Columbia Records  soundtrack published by
• Digital Editing Solutions Inc.  n.y. avid technical support
• Film Art  artwork
• Jo Anne Kane Music Services  music preparation
• Media Ventures  music production services
• Michelson Food Services  catering
• Music Services  music preparation
• Pacific Title  opticals
• Panavision  cameras and lenses
• Sony Digital Picture Editorial  l.a. avid technical support
• Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE)  sound editorial technical support
• Sound Dogs  sound editorial technical support
• Technicolor  color timing
• Todd-AO Studios  post-production sound
• Video Image  graphic displays
• Video Image  video playback
• Wescam USA  wescam provided by

Also Known As:

Old Friends (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 on appeal for strong language, thematic elements, nudity and a beating.

Runtime:

139 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Austria:6 | Belgium:KT | Brazil:Livre | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:6 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIA | Iceland:L | Italy:T | Mexico:B | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #35079) (re-rating on appeal) | USA:R (original rating)

Filming Locations:

1 Windsor Place, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

Jack Nicholson dedicated his Oscar to his A Few Good Men (1992) co-star J.T. Walsh who had died shortly before the Academy Awards in 1998.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Carol comes to Melvin's home at night, all the shots from the back reveal that she is wearing a bra; contrary to the shots from the front.

Quotes:

Melvin Udall: Police! Donut-munching morons, HELP ME! HELP ME!
Frank Sachs: Shh!
Melvin Udall: Assault and Battery - and you're black!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Best! Movies! Ever!: Restaurants (#1.2)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

(I LOVE YOU) FOR SENTIMENTAL REASONS

This comedy is as good as it gets!

Comedies (especially romantic comedies) can only be judged by how much they make you laugh and if they make you feel good inside. As Good As It Gets does it for me every time. I'm not just saying this on account of being a "Jack fan." The characters are so beautifully drawn, you forget it's just Jamie from "Mad About You" (Helen Hunt) and the man with the eyebrows (Nicholson). This movie deserved all of its Oscars, and then some. The role of an obsessive-compulsive is an easy one to parody and mock to death, but Jack does it with style, humour, emotion, and that usual Nicholson flair. Hunt has never been better as a waitress with a major anxiety to do something for herself for a change. Greg Kinnear is also very good as a gay artist that ends up having to turn to the irascible Jack for help after he is scarred and left destitute following a break-in. This is such a special comedy, fresh from the pen of James L. Brooks, the man behind the wonderful Terms of Endearment (another wonderful Nicholson performance) and Broadcast News. As Good As It Gets made me feel so good, even though I couldn't really relate to the characters' situations. The humor is pure Jack, set to the script with perfect ease. The emotions evoked by the actors are also authentic and heart-felt, as if they love what they are acting out. Movies like this come few and far between, and that is the reason why I appreciate this film so very much. As Good As It Gets was one of the best films of 1997. Rating: Four stars.