As Good As It Gets: A Quick Review

"As Good as it Gets" was directed by James L. Brooks.  Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson) is a selfish, obsessive compulsive novelist, who seems incapable of loving anyone.  For those of you who are unaware, this a romantic comedy, so parts of the previous sentence turn out to be false in the end.  Helen Hunt plays Carol Connelly, a single mother and a waitress at the restaurant that Melvin frequents, naturally bringing his own plastic utensils.  Greg Kinear also stars as Simon Bishop, a homosexual artist and Melvin's neighbor.  Melvin looking after Simon's dog is the very beginning of discovering that he (Melvin) does indeed have something resembling a soul.  Well, this goes without saying but Jack Nicholson is a Hollywood legend and a great actor.  So he was a good fit for this kind of role  I also love Helen Hunt, though mainly for her role on "Mad About You," rather than her film roles.  Anyways their age difference is a little gross...depending on how you feel about Mr. Nicholson being 26 years older...I guess like Clint Eastwood and several other leading men over the years, he attracts women half his age.  And at first she cannot stand him, because calling Melvin an unpleasant character is kind of an understatement.  Also, his making fun of Carol's constantly ill son did not help matters.  Somewhere along the way they develop feelings for each other.  We all knew it was coming, so there are no surprises.  Like with other romantic comedies, and most movies in general you need to suspend some disbelief, regarding rapid relationships.  Overall, I enjoyed this movie.  The cast was good, minus Cuba Gooding Jr., who i found out is kind of annoying, in my humble opinion...still cannot believe he has an Oscar on one of his mantles.  There are several funny scenes and lines, and a handful of emotional scenes as well, mainly with Carol dealing with her son constantly being sick.  Also, it's a little on the long side, especially for a comedy.  It breaks my 2 hour comedy rule by about 20 minutes  However, it is way better than "How Do You Know," James L. Brooks and Jack Nicholson's movie from last year.  That was simply not funny, boring, and full of Owen Wilson, which grossed me out.  Anyway, for those who enjoy the cast, or romantic comedies, give it a try...it certainly benefitted from not starring Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, or Sarah Jessica Parker.

3 out of 4 stars

-Joseph Sbrilli