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As Good as It Gets (1997) 7.7
Ratings:
7.7/10 from 163,089 users
Metascore: 67/100
Reviews: 438 user | 154 critic | 30 from Metacritic.com A single mother/waitress, a misanthropic author, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship after the artist is in an accident. Director:James L. Brooks |
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Title: As Good as It Gets (1997)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Jack Nicholson | ... | ||
| Helen Hunt | ... | ||
| Greg Kinnear | ... | ||
| Cuba Gooding Jr. | ... | ||
| Skeet Ulrich | ... |
Vincent
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| Shirley Knight | ... |
Beverly
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| Yeardley Smith | ... |
Jackie
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| Lupe Ontiveros | ... |
Nora
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Jill the Dog | ... |
Verdell
(as Jill)
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Timer the Dog | ... |
Supporting Dog
(as Timer)
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Billy the Dog | ... |
Supporting Dog
(as Billy)
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Bibi Osterwald | ... |
Neighbor Woman
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Ross Bleckner | ... |
Carl
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| Bernadette Balagtas | ... | ||
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Jaffe Cohen | ... |
Partygoer
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
New York City. Melvin Udall, a cranky, bigoted, obsessive-compulsive writer, finds his life turned upside down when neighboring gay artist Simon is hospitalized and his dog is entrusted to Melvin. In addition, Carol, the only waitress who will tolerate him, must leave work to care for her sick son, making it impossible for Melvin to eat breakfast. Written by Jon Reeves <jreeves@imdb.com>
Taglines:
A comedy from the heart that goes for the throat. See more »Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated PG-13 on appeal for strong language, thematic elements, nudity and a beating | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
25 December 1997 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Old Friends See more »Box Office
Budget:
$50,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend:
£909,459 (UK) (13 March 1998)Gross:
$147,637,474 (USA) (19 June 1998)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Carol Connelly: Judging from your eyes, I'd say you were kind, so so much for eyes.
See more »
Written by Eric Idle
Produced by Hans Zimmer
Performed by Art Garfunkel
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Betty White, an animal rights activist, was offered the Shirley Knight (Beverly Connelly) role, but turned it down when she learned of how the dog would be mistreated in the movie. See more »Goofs
The length of the dog's hair (especially on its legs) changes inconsistently throughout the movie. See more »Quotes
Melvin Udall: Judging from your eyes, I'd say you were fifty.Carol Connelly: Judging from your eyes, I'd say you were kind, so so much for eyes.
See more »
Crazy Credits
Just after the disclaimer of the American Humane Association (The animals used in this film were in no way mistreated...) there is a second disclaimer stating "The actors used in this film were in no way mistreated." See more »Soundtracks
"ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE"Written by Eric Idle
Produced by Hans Zimmer
Performed by Art Garfunkel
See more »
This movie is bizarre because, while judged overall its story is shmaltzy and unbelievable, nevertheless each individual scene plays absolutely convincingly and feels very real. It's weird. I don't know if it's just the greatness of the actors overcoming an under-thought out script, or whether it's just the script concentrated solely on crafting great scenes one after the other, but not so much in coming up with a convincing through-line. Whatever. All I know is that this is one of the most entertaining pictures I've ever seen, extremely funny and quite emotionally affecting in places. Somehow, it just doesn't matter - I like it anyway.
The performances are uniformly excellent. Nicholson shows real range here - sure, he gets to be the sarcastic curmudgeon we've all come to expect, but his character also has moments of fear, repression and vulnerability which he brings off equally well. My problem with this character (and the "problem" only exists as I think about him afterward, not while I'm actually watching the movie) is in his conception: he seems to be whatever the writers want him to be at that moment, with no particular consistency from scene to scene so when he supposedly "changes" at the end, we're left to think, "Change? This guy's been changing through the entire movie!" And also, the fact that his character is a romance novelist is never really explained or examined in any way.
And yet, Nicholson's performance makes it not matter quite so much.
Helen Hunt is a revelation in this movie - she nails every scene she's in, whether she's forced to be witty, embarrassed, angry, defiant, emotionally overwhelmed, whatever. She keeps Jack on his toes, and they work off each other brilliantly. Also, I never thought I'd find myself saying this, but Greg Kinnear was great as Simon, the gay neighbor. (It was also nice to see director Harold Ramis - the third Ghostbuster, after all - in front of the camera again, if only briefly, in a small part as a doctor.)
What more can I say? Good comedy, good love story, great acting. None of it, in the end, is very convincing, but if you just focus on the individual moments and not on the grand design - a task made easy by the wonderful writing and playing - it's very easy to like As Good As It Gets.