MOVIEmeter
Top 5000
Up 506 this week

As Good as It Gets (1997)

7.7
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 7.7/10 from 161,117 users   Metascore: 67/100
Reviews: 439 user | 153 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:

Writers:

(story), (screenplay), 1 more credit »
Watch Trailer
0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 964 titles created 10 Mar 2012
 
a list of 2369 titles created 4 months ago
 
a list of 446 titles created 28 May 2011
 
a list of 10000 titles created 2 months ago
 
a list of 256 titles created 4 months ago
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: As Good as It Gets (1997)

As Good as It Gets (1997) on IMDb 7.7/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of As Good as It Gets.
Won 2 Oscars. Another 31 wins & 30 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Comedy | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

Aurora and Emma are mother and daughter who march to different drummers. Beginning with Emma's marriage, Aurora shows how difficult and loving she can be. The movie covers several years of ... See full summary »

Director: James L. Brooks
Stars: Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson
About a Boy (2002)
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

Based on Nick Hornby's best-selling novel, About A Boy is the story of a cynical, immature young man who is taught how to act like a grown-up by a little boy

Directors: Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz
Stars: Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult, Sharon Small
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

Harry and Sally have known each other for years, and are very good friends, but they fear sex would ruin the friendship.

Director: Rob Reiner
Stars: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

An offbeat romantic comedy about a woman who doesn't believe true love exists, and the young man who falls for her.

Director: Marc Webb
Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend
Love Actually (2003)
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.

Director: Richard Curtis
Stars: Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon
The Terminal (2004)
Comedy | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

An eastern immigrant finds himself stranded in JFK airport, and must take up temporary residence there.

Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.4/10 X  

A filmmaker recalls his childhood, when he fell in love with the movies at his village's theater and formed a deep friendship with the theater's projectionist.

Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Stars: Antonella Attili, Enzo Cannavale, Isa Danieli
Sideways (2004)
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

Two men reaching middle age with not much to show but disappointment, embark on a week long road trip through California's wine country, just as one is about to take a trip down the aisle.

Director: Alexander Payne
Stars: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

In 1990, to protect his fragile mother from a fatal shock after a long coma, a young man must keep her from learning that her beloved nation of East Germany as she knew it has disappeared.

Director: Wolfgang Becker
Stars: Daniel Brühl, Katrin Saß, Chulpan Khamatova
The Graduate (1967)
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.1/10 X  

Recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock is trapped into an affair with Mrs. Robinson, who happens to be the wife of his father's business partner and then finds himself falling in love with her daughter, Elaine.

Director: Mike Nichols
Stars: Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

A political consultant tries to explain his impending divorce and past relationships to his 11-year-old daughter.

Director: Adam Brooks
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, An Nguyen, Abigail Breslin
A Good Year (2006)
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

A British investment broker inherits his uncle's chateau and vineyard in Provence, where he spent much of his childhood. He discovers a new laid-back lifestyle as he tries to renovate the estate to be sold.

Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Albert Finney, Russell Crowe, Marion Cotillard
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
...
Vincent
...
Beverly
...
Jackie
...
Nora
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
...
Jaffe Cohen ...
Partygoer
Edit

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>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

artist | dog | waitress | neighbor | writer | See more »

Taglines:

A comedy from the heart that goes for the throat. See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 on appeal for strong language, thematic elements, nudity and a beating | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

25 December 1997 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Old Friends  »

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

Production Co:

,  »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

|

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The role of Melvin Udall was initially offered to John Travolta. See more »

Goofs

When Carol goes to Melvin's apartment late at night in the rain, we see her from the back as she enters his building. Her bra straps are clearly visible through her wet t-shirt. However as she enters his apartment we see her try to cover up as her wet shirt has become see-through and she is now not wearing a bra. See more »

Quotes

Receptionist: I can't resist! You usually move through here so quickly and I just have so many questions I want to ask you. You have no idea what your work means to me.
Melvin Udall: What does it mean to you?
Receptionist: [stands up] When somebody out there knows what it's like...
[place one hand on her forehead and the other over her heart]
Receptionist: ... to be in here.
Melvin Udall: Oh God, this is like a nightmare.
[Turns around and presses the elevator button multiple times]
Receptionist: Oh come on! Just a couple of questions. How hard is that?
[Scampers up to Melvin]
Receptionist: How...
[...]
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 »

Connections

Referenced in The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004) 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 »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
How to create something out of nothing? Ask Mark Andrus and Jim L. Brooks
19 April 2000 | by (Zagreb, Croatia) – See all my reviews

Really, how to make something original, fresh and odd out of absolutely nothing except a few characters? Using characters, only characters and nothing except characters. That's the simple formula Brooks uses in all of his work, but, for me, he has never created so much charm, warmth and sensibility as he did in `As good as it gets'.

Characters write the screenplay in this movie, and everything that happens - happens because of what they are. They are nothing special – they are ordinary people we meet in the street every day and that have the same problems a lot of other people have. This movie presents the example of how much you can pull out of that. And if that is written as well as it is in this case, not even a happy ending can bother you. Because, in real life, shown here, what is the end?

Everything is good and warm in this movie, everything is fresh and vivacious, understandable and well performed. Jack Nicholson brings one of the best performances of his career, that terrific Helen Hunt finally got a chance to show how skilfully an actor can connect naturalism with the laws of the camera performance, and Greg Kinnear shows the most convincing emotions coming from a gay character I've ever seen.

The relationships between the characters are created in the way that you can't predict anything that's going to happen, eventhough you know in advance what could come out of their mouth and what kind of attitude they'll have in a certain situation.

You can simply feel the progressive collaboration that occurred between Brooks and the actors and the mutual understanding they developed, and it's not often that you see that kind of artistic superstructure shining on the screen so much as it does here.

I find `As good as it gets' complexed, vital, intelligent, emotionally deep and studied, fresh, original, amusing, cheerful, funny, and one of the best films of 1997.


125 of 152 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
kickass lines wechulipaul
Helen Hunt's Oscar? payback122
J Nicholson's Best Performance ... Movie25
Could There Have Been LESS Chemistry? arnomation
how many times did u watch this movie? j-rule
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder bentoncg
Discuss As Good as It Gets (1997) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?