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Critics Consensus: 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.
Critic Consensus: 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.
All Critics (78) | Top Critics (21) | Fresh (66) | Rotten (12) | DVD (4)
A sporadically funny romantic comedy with all the dramatic plausibility and tonal consistency of a TV variety show.
The trouble lies in the rambling narrative, Brooks' cautious direction and the cosy tone which renders the whole thing reminiscent of an extended sitcom.
Romance comedies definitely come better than this, although perhaps not lately.
It's fun to watch Jack Nicholson draw on great reservoirs of bile to play a mean SOB with an obsessive-compulsive disorder.
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.
The movie succeeds at many moments even while pursuing its doomed grand design.
This is the stuff of formula but director James L. Brooks and co-writer Mark Andrus elevate it with terrific writing.
On one hand, it's Brooks's film that most betrays his TV sitcom roots; it's also one of his more ambitious works, packing in subplots and subjects by the handful-indicative of a filmmaker who seems to genuinely struggle with the confines of the genre.
Funny, but not a light comedy for youngsters.
The greatest pleasures come from the acting.
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.
Not only one of the best romantic comedies of the year, but one of the best films in ages.
Brace yourself for Melvin. Great Film! 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. Overall this is a sentimental romantic comedy that is typical for the genre. The story wanders to it's point but the good cast, led by a great Nicholson, hold the whole thing together. A superior piece of sentimentality. Go see it! 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.
Super Reviewer
Great characters, excellent acting, and lots of humor and pathos highlight this charming and heartwarming human dramedy/romance story about damaged people struggling for hope, help, and love. While not everyone can relate to the specifics of the characters, the general issues they deal with are realistically portrayed, believable, and understandable. This is great stuff. Jack and Helen definitely deserved their Oscars for their work here, but I think Kinnear got robbed. He's also terrific. Even the little dog is very cute and memorable. All in all, the film is a very touching and well done piece, but, because it does hit a lot of uncomfortable moments, it can be one that's tough to get through at times. However, there's a fair amount of humor, and, while some of it is mean-spirited, it's definitely memorable, and there's plenty of lines, funny and otherwise, that are quite quotable.
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!
[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.
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