and everything needs to go just his way. The dog next door, the gay
neighbor, the gay neighbor's boyfriend, his diner, and everything else.
Melvin is not afraid to say what he thinks even though there are plenty
of times when he should just keep his mouth shut. Melvin gets on
everyone's nerves, everywhere. It seems like every comment finds
a way to get under someone's nerves whether it's his gay neighbor (Greg
Kinnear), Kinnear's boyfriend (Cuba Gooding Jr.), or the one waitress that
will still wait on him at the diner (Helen Hunt).
This is the story of Melvin's life and all
that it entails. He doesn't like that gay neighbor Simon Bishop (Kinnear)
for a variety of reasons. Bishop's dog is annoying and Melvin can't
stand the fact that he's gay. Little does Melvin know that his isolated
life will be infiltrated by the very dog and neighbor that he doesn't like.
When Bishop is attacked it is Melvin who gets stuck with his dog, after
a little coercing by Frank Sachs (Gooding Jr.). This is the same
dog that Melvin has thrown down the trash chute, but little does he know
that this little dog will help him see things in a whole different light.
The one waitress at Melvin's favorite eatery
that will still wait on him is Carol Connelly (Hunt). Even she, however,
can't stand Melvin as it seems like there is one comment after another
that finds away to offend the patrons at the restaurant. 
For
some unknown reason, Carol keeps giving Melvin the benefit of the doubt.
Even she however is pushed to the limit when he makes an offhand remark
about her son, who he doesn't even know. After seeing Carol blow
up, Melvin realizes the deep love that Carol has for her son. Now
it's not only Simon's dog that has gotten to Melvin, but Carol has too.
By this time we start to see a Melvin that is likable and has some really
good traits. But every time you like Melvin, he gets you with one
of his offhand remarks that he doesn't even think about before uttering.
Melvin is in love with Carol, though he doesn't much admit it. Even if he did, it sure doesn't look like Carol will give him the time of day let alone develop feelings for this grossly insensitive man. Yet love always works in strange ways, and with Melvin starting to realize the ability that love has to conquer many things, the question is will love get a chance to blossom for Melvin. Can Melvin show his true feelings?
Jack Nicholson is fantastic to watch on
the screen. He is playing a character that lets Jack be Jack just
as all of his best roles have. Nicholson fits the role because he
is very easy to like, and maybe easier to not like when some
of the things come flying from Melvin's mouth. Helen Hunt is fantastic
in her role as the caring but confused at times waitress Carol. She
lights up the screen and you almost wonder how she can have so much love
to give to her son, mother and maybe even Melvin. She is best when
she is responding to Melvin's quick jumps from at one second being a nice
guy, to in the very next second being a first class jerk. The supporting
roles in this film are well played by Kinnear and Gooding Jr. It
seems that every time I turned around during this movie I saw quality.
Quality acting, a quality script, and just an outright good time spent
at the movies. I highly recommend As Good As It Gets especially
for Nicholson fans, but I wonder aloud as the characters do in the movie......"Is
this as good as it gets?".
Grade: A
Parents
Guide: An interesting PG-13 rated film. There
are many things parents need to know in this film. First off Jack's
character Melvin makes a lot of comments that many people in society would
find offensive. Whether the comments are true or not they ARE extremely
blunt and to the point. There are also a variety of scenes in which
some of the language gets a bit harsh, but most of this is in context.
There is some nudity but only from behind which is better than a lot of
TV shows anymore. Also the Kinnear character is an artist and encounters
a rather large beating in the film from some "male prostitutes" that he
has posing for him to create a painting of. This is borderline but
I would say that mid-teens is plenty acceptable for this film.