Opening

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—— Alyce Kills May 24

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—— After Earth May 31
—— Now You See Me May 31
100% The Kings of Summer May 31
90% The East May 31

As Good As It Gets (1997)

tomatometer

86

Average Rating: 7.2/10
Reviews Counted: 76
Fresh: 65 | Rotten: 11

James L. Brooks and Jack Nicholson, doing what they do best, combine smart dialogue and flawless acting to squeeze fresh entertainment value out of the romantic-comedy genre.

86

Average Rating: 7.1/10
Critic Reviews: 22
Fresh: 19 | Rotten: 3

James L. Brooks and Jack Nicholson, doing what they do best, combine smart dialogue and flawless acting to squeeze fresh entertainment value out of the romantic-comedy genre.

audience

81

liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 352,188

My Rating

Movie Info

James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News) directed this $50 million-plus romantic comedy, set in Manhattan. Dysfunctional, acid-tongued romance novelist Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson), who suffers from an obsessive-compulsive disorder, takes pride in his ability to offend. At a nearby cafe, the only waitress willing to stand up to his sarcastic tirades is Carol Connelly (Helen Hunt), a single mother struggling to raise her chronically asthmatic son. In Melvin's West Village apartment

PG-13,

Drama, Romance, Comedy

Mark Andrus, James L. Brooks

May 19, 1998

TriStar Pictures

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All Critics (77) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (66) | Rotten (11) | DVD (16)

A sporadically funny romantic comedy with all the dramatic plausibility and tonal consistency of a TV variety show.

July 2, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The trouble lies in the rambling narrative, Brooks' cautious direction and the cosy tone which renders the whole thing reminiscent of an extended sitcom.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out
Time Out
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Romance comedies definitely come better than this, although perhaps not lately.

April 12, 2002 Full Review Source: Globe and Mail
Globe and Mail
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It's fun to watch Jack Nicholson draw on great reservoirs of bile to play a mean SOB with an obsessive-compulsive disorder.

February 14, 2001 Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
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It's a mark of how magically written, directed and acted As Good as It Gets is that we end up loving this film despite knowing how haphazard, scattershot and almost indefinable its charm is.

February 14, 2001 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The movie succeeds at many moments even while pursuing its doomed grand design.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Given that this was one of 1997's in-the-shadow-of-Titanic mainstays, it's a little disturbing that James L. Brooks's double-Oscar-winning comedy should get what amounts to a home-video brush-off.

June 14, 2012 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine

Funny, but not a light comedy for youngsters.

January 2, 2011 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media

The greatest pleasures come from the acting.

March 29, 2009 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com
TheMovieReport.com

The movie's too long, and the direction is sometimes slack -- but the script is crammed with withering ripostes, ably delivered by Nicholson and Hunt.

September 3, 2008 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Not only one of the best romantic comedies of the year, but one of the best films in ages.

December 30, 2006 Full Review Source: Dark Horizons
Dark Horizons

Both funny and sad, the comedy was in the vein of Brooks' Terms of Endearment, except it was more eccentric and nuttier and in moments genuinely touching due to strong chemistry between Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt.

February 24, 2006 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com
EmanuelLevy.Com

An inflated TV show by a sitcom creator.

February 9, 2006 Full Review Source: F5 (Wichita, KS)

The character is written as the most unlikable person one could ever meet. Despite this fact, Jack manages to make the character sympathetic.

December 6, 2005 Full Review Source: Film Threat
Film Threat

The unpredictable and fresh 'As Good As It Gets' is peppered with memorable Brooks lines and physical schtick.

May 28, 2005 Full Review

Mildly likable.

April 9, 2005 Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews
Reeling Reviews

...a precariously balanced movie, one that flirts with smugness. That it isn't awful is in some respects amazing.

January 27, 2005 Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

... it coaxes us to be more open to each other, more compassionate, and more loving.

December 6, 2004 Full Review Source: Looking Closer
Looking Closer

Like Broadcast News, James L. Brooks' new film is a dark-edged adult comedy that hits the spot for those who like their romances splashed with acidic wit.

June 25, 2004 Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

Even the familiar scenes and situations look refreshing.

January 8, 2004 Full Review
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Humorous, romantic, personal.

February 8, 2003 Full Review Source: Film Quips Online
Film Quips Online

Perhaps, though, it is Carol's (and Hunt's) ongoing commitment to emotional honesty and fair play that make it increasingly difficult to ignore the film's encroaching patterns of sentimentality and uninspired developments.

January 10, 2003 Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks
Nick's Flick Picks

An honest, original comedy about recognizable human beings.

October 15, 2002 Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer
Cincinnati Enquirer

Audience Reviews for As Good As It Gets

The plot is forced, but Nicholson as Melvin is so sharp and captivating. The film creates an original Ebeneezer Scrooge with a piercing wit aimed to tear down whoever he crosses. Perhaps he is maintaining social walls to ensure that his severe obsessive-compulsive disorder is well stroked, securing his meticulously-set routine from interruptions. They say a way to get over your bad habits is to find better habits that you enjoy even more... Well hello, Helen Hunt!
December 26, 2012
Matthew Slaven

Super Reviewer

[img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img]

It's a touching romantic comedy that balances itself properly right in between being energetic and schmultsy. Nicholson is fantastic in his role as Melvin and the same goes for the supporting cast. The direction is near solid but at time's bumbling and unnatural. It's a bit to lengthy but As Good as it Gets is a tremendously entertaining rom com of a high quality.
March 11, 2012
Directors Cat
Directors Cat

Super Reviewer

    1. Melvin Udall: People who talk in metaphors oughta shampoo my crotch.
    – Submitted by Jeremy F (4 months ago)
    1. Melvin Udall: Some of us have great stories, pretty stories that take place at lakes, with boats, and friends, and noodle salad. Just no one in this car. But, a lot of people, that's their story; good times, noodle salad. What makes it so hard is not that you had it bad, but that you're that pissed that so many others had it good.
    – Submitted by Jim G (8 months ago)
    1. Melvin Udall: Well, I work all the time. So never interrupt me. Not if there's a fire. Not even if you hear the sound of a thud coming from my home and a week later, there's a smell that can only be a decaying human body and you have to put a hanky up to your nose because the smell is so bad, you think you're gonna faint. Even then don't come knocking. Or, if it's election night, and you're excited and you wanna celebrate because some fudge packer you date has become the first queer president of the United States and he's going to have you down to Camp David, and you want someone to share the moment with. Even then, don't knock, not on this door. Not for any reason. Do you get me, sweetheart?
    – Submitted by Cody H (8 months ago)
    1. Melvin Udall: I had to see you.
    2. Carol Connelly: Because?
    3. Melvin Udall: It relaxes me. I'd feel better sitting outside your apartment on the curb than any other place I can think of or imagine.
    – Submitted by Jayathra L (9 months ago)
    1. Jackie: How do you write women so well?
    2. Melvin Udall: I think of a man. And I take away reason and accountability.
    – Submitted by Jayathra L (9 months ago)
    1. Melvin Udall: Sell crazy someplace else. We're all stocked up here!
    – Submitted by Marc H (9 months ago)

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Latest News on As Good As It Gets

May 10, 2005:
Helen Hunt to Write, Direct, and Star in Longtime Pet Project
Oscar-winner Helen Hunt ("As Good As It Gets"), after a four-year absence from the silver...

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