Review of As Good as It Gets (1997) by Buddy A — 08 Sep 2012

Wow, Jack Nicholson had played dirtbag nutcases so often by 1997 that even in this romantic comedy, he's an obsessive-compulsive misanthrope. Now, I can't help but feel as though Nicholson really has gone a bit insane himself, because almost all he does nowadays are lighthearted, if not just plain romantic comedies, though I suppose I can't blame him too much for having the desire to gun more for the rom-com scene after this film, because this project was such a huge hit for him, and it's not even like most of the light comedies that he proceeded to do weren't reasonably well-selected, it's just that this rom-com is about "as good as it gets" (Sorry, but I just had to), and even then, it's not that terribly good. I mean, don't get me wrong, this film is still pretty darn good, but people, calm down, because 1997 was the year of "Titanic", and yet, Best Actress did not go to Kate Winslet, but instead to Helen Hunt in a romantic-blasted-comedy! Well, in all fairness, Hunt did turn out a pretty good performance, just not quite Oscar-worthy... which is what you could say about Louise Fletcher in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Wow, the Oscars love Jack Nicholson so much that they've given Oscars to people just because they were playing opposite him in an Oscar-winning performance, or at least that's my attempt at coming up with an excuse on why in the world Helen Hunt won that Oscar. Eh, whatever, it's still a good performance to go with a pretty good film, as well it should be, because, seriously, why does a romantic comedy have to be 140 minutes? Granted, this film hasn't quite graduated to Martin Brest overlong, but it's still overlong enough for me to say that this film better be good. Well, as sure as sunshine, this film is a good one, though hardly close to "as good as it gets", because at the end of the day it takes to watch this film, a few unworthy Oscar wins are least of the worries pertaining to this project.

Immediate development is workmanlike in its firmness, which is just fine under usual circumstances, but what this film has is a serious case of TMSGO, Too Much Stuff Going On, in that it dives back and forth between several plots and many characters, which is exhausting enough to begin with, yet with the film failing to fully flesh out its characters - upon which this film so heavily reliant - as firmly as it should when it had the chance, - say, during the development segment - it rarely finds time to fully flesh out its characters, individually, as firmly as it should through gradual exposition, which not only leaves the character aspects of the film to go tainted, but brings more to attention just how rather off-putting this film's having too many layers and subplots is to begin with. The limited flesh-out certainly leaves the ties between all of the story's many layers to not go pronounced enough for the focus jumps to feel as organic as they should, thus leaving the film's focus to feel a touch uneven, which of course further attacks the steam of this film. Now, the film's over-layered and somewhat uneven isn't quite as exhausting as I make it sound, but it does steady the steam of the film perhaps a bit too much, while going into making this film something that it shouldn't be: just too blasted long. Clocking in at just about 140 minutes, this film is longer than your average rom-com, and doesn't let you forget it, not just through taking on so many layers, but through a bit of repetition and perhaps too much padding, not necessarily with filler and certainly not with nothingness, but with simply too much material and exposition, though still not quite enough for the story structure to flow all that terribly smoothly. Actually, allow me to take that back, because even with the messy focus structure, another problem with the film is that it progresses a bit too smoothly, for although I'm certainly not asking for high-stakes consequence out of a romantic comedy, the film doesn't quite have enough bite to sustain your full investment, let alone drown out the rom-com story conventions that are so doggone hard to avoid, but could have been obscured if this film hit a little harder. The film isn't bland with its structure, nor is it emotionally distanct or even disengaging, but it does get to be either too comfortable or, to a moderate extent, too uncomfortable with its structure, and by the end, the film doesn't quite bit as firmly as it should and ultimately comes out not so much a case of as good as it gets, as much as it comes out a case of as good as it's gonna get. That being said, make no mistake, this is still really good, for although the film isn't too much better than one of your better romantic comedies, it satisfies by the end, and in various departments.

Speaking of unworthy Oscar nods for people who deserve Oscars, I'm not entirely sure the film's score work warranted a nod, though, come on, you'd be hard pressed to find a score by Hans Zimmer that isn't, to one extent or another, impressive, and sure enough, while it's not especially unique or especially pronounced, Zimmer's score subtly but surely graces the film with an almost definitively charming and elegant spirit that helps in keeping the film consistently lively. What further sparks life into the film is Mark Andrus' and James L. Brooks' screenplay, which goes packed with clever yet charmingly down-to-earth dialogue, humor and set pieces to create a sparkling charm that really livens up this story, which isn't to say that the story is in serious need of being livened up. Sure, being that this is a romantic comedy, the story isn't terribly original, and is, as I said, perhaps more layered than it should be, as well as certainly longer than it should be, yet make no mistake, this story is a strong one, not just with its colorful structure and characterization, but with its depth, for although the film is not necessarily all that dramatic, it touches upon fairly human and reasonably relatable themes of life struggles, change and uniqueness, and dives in for a reasonably deep exploration of these themes that earns your investment in these colorfully memorable and distinct stories and characters, even if they're not quite as fleshed out as they should be. What makes the stories and character even more compelling are, of course, the performances, for although this film is certainly decorated more than it probably should be when it comes to, well, most every aspect, including the acting ones, this is still a strong cast of star talents who may not be given a whole lot of consistent material, yet keep things going with distinct and electric charisma and chemistry until material does arise for them, or at least just the leads, to impress as potently as you would expect them to. Greg Kinnear captures the isolation and anguish of the gay and struggling artist with subtlety and grace, while Helen Hunt captures the uncertainty and desire of the beat-down single mother of an asthmatic young boy with powerful emotional range that may not be prevalent enough for Hunt to entirely warrant Kate Winslet's, or Helena Carter's, or Julie Christie's, or Judi Dench's Oscar, but remains strong enough to help in defining the Carol Connelly character. As for Jack Nicholson, he is, of course, playing Jack Nicholson and is not quite the strongest performance of a film for once, but come on, this is Jack Nicholson we're talking about, so of course he's still very good, delivering on his trademark firecracker dirtbag charisma with his usual expert slickness, while nailing the frustration and eccentricity of an obsessive-compulsive with impressively sharp yet charmingly restrained accuracy, and when it comes time for the Melvin Udall character to face his dark depths and explore his desire to, as he puts it, "be a better man", Nicholson dons a sympathetic and sometimes emotionally powered presence that wraps up and defines Udall as a compelling and humanly layered character you just can't help but love, whether when he's being delightfully cruel or about "as good as he gets". The film isn't terribly emotionally potent, yet it is compelling enough to earn your investment and leave the missteps to not pronounce themselves too much, and it certainly helps that the film is just plain immensely and thoroughly entertaining, with cleverness and charm that may not distinguish it too much from other particularly good romantic comedies of its type, yet really sparks life into it and helps in making the final product a worthwhile one.

When it's all said and done, the film is perhaps more layered than it should be, unraveling too many stories and characters, while not quite fleshing out either enough for the focus shifts to be terribly organic, and with the film's simply lasting too long giving us enough time to find some repetition and notice a couple of the rom-com conventions, the film is ultimately left to not quite bite as firmly as it should, yet still bite quite a bit nevertheless, being kept lively by Hans Zimmer's graceful score and by Mark Andrus' and James L. Brooks' generally well-structured and charmingly clever screenplay, which compliments the film's colorful and sometimes even rather touchingly worthy story, brought to life by James Brooks' inspired direction and a myriad of spirited, when not emotionally-involved performances, thus leaving "As Good as It Gets" to stand strong as a thoroughly entertaining and memorably rewarding charmer.

3/5 - Good.