Review of As Good as It Gets (1997) by Mimi S — 02 Jun 2014

As Good As It Gets is a pleasantly surprising and uplifting film with strong performances from Helen Hunt and Jack Nicholson. The film is about an anti-social and obsessive compulsive novelist, Melvin Udall (Nicholson)who hates people. He's rude, offensive and unkind and certainly doesn't gain himself many fans apart from kindly waitress, Carol (Hunt) who is about the only person who can tolerate him. Melvin finds himself falling for Carol and she inspires him to want to become a better person, which for Melvin isn't easy. His first good deed includes looking after his gay neighbour, Simon's (Greg Kinnear) dog and then agreeing to help him out when he is brutally attacked. Melvin also helps Carol out by finding a good doctor for her severely asthmatic son.

As Good As It Gets is touching, witty and phenomenally acted. Jack Nicholson is simply superb in this and really shows what a versatile and talented actor he is. I've always liked Jack Nicholson, but he's really like you've never seen him before. Helen Hunt also gives an emotional, feisty and strong performance and it made me really respect her as an actress. She's always been very likeable but she's brilliant in this. Greg Kinnear also gives a decent performance.

As Good As It Gets is a rather unusual rom-com which is why I really liked this film. Melvin Udall is far from your archetypal rom-com hero; for a start he's um a bit older than your typical male lead and a jackass, but you can't help rooting for him at the same time and "awing" everytime he becomes a bit more human. As Good As It Gets also makes me have a bit more faith in humanity and it epitomises the idea that first impressions don't tell us everything about a person. Everyone hates Melvin, but deep down he's got a good heart but he just doesn't really know how to show that he cares. Melvin Udall is an unforgettable and intriguing character and the story is heart warming. I really recommend this and it's suitable for guys too. I should do a suitable for guys rating for every rom-com I rate. On a scale of 0-10, 0 being totally unsuitable for guys and 10 being completely suitable, I'd give it an 8!

Grade: A.