This is a huge step for me, something i have always wanted to do. review the movie As good as it gets. Well not so much as review but keep talking about a movie which is one of my absolute favourite. Incase you havent watched it, may i suggest PLEASE DO. And dont read this unless you have , because there are many spoilers in this review, my sincerest apologies.
For the uninitiated, As Good As It Gets is a simple story about a man who is anything but. Melvin Udall is a successful writer based in Manhattan,guessing around 45-50 yrs of age,writing about romance,passion and feelings. However in his own reality, he is a man so dettached and devoid of social niceties that it would not be off the mark to label him cruel.His opening sequence has him throwing his neighbour’s dog down the garbage chute.To add to an already busy
busy character map, Melvin also suffers from obsessive complusive disorder, instances of which have been convincingly portrayed on screen by a brilliant Jack Nicholson(Jack Nc).Melvin locks his door by turning each knob left and right exactly five times, washing his hands in piping hot water each time with a whole bar of brand new soap,he refuses to walk on patterned floors, carries his own disposable plasticware,insists on sitting on a particular table,and also wants
only Carol, the waitress, played by Helen Hunt to serve him. More about Helen Hnt a little later. Lets carry on with Melvin. Melvin is unbelievably rude, strongly aversed to phsyical contact, and emotional. The movie begins by focussing on the bluntness, tactlessness and pure bad behavior of Melvin. He misbehaves with his neighbour, with normal passers by, or simply a couple whose only crime was to occupy his favourite seat at the eatery he frequents. In order to get them to relinquish his seat he incessantly insults them(a little snippet of which is the title of this blog), a classic example of which follows – How much more you got to eat?Is your appetite as big as your noses? Or when a female fan asks him how he writes women so well, he replies -I think
of a man, and take away reason and accountability.
Through out the movie you will be so glued to Jack Nc you would actually stop feeling guilty about loving a guy who is like someone you would hit if you met him on the street.However as the story progresses we see Melvin go through some incredible transformations due to some change in his meticulous routine, which he strongly opposes to but ultimately gives in. To the credit of the scriptwriter none of these transformations would appear earthshattering cause not
once do they away from the actual person that Melvin is. They certainly do not make him any more polite or charming. lets talk a little about this changes,shall we. When his gay neighbour lands up in the hospital. Melvin is forcefully entrusted with taking care of the dog that he hated.And he does a pretty good job at it too, becoming really close with Verdell(the dog) and actually misses him when the neighbour turns up to claim him. Infact even the dog
becomes a fan of our unlikely hero. It is actually quite delightful to watch our hero play with and pat the dog, the same dog that he once threw down the garbage chute. Then ofcourse comes the part where he actually tries to sympathize with his beaten up and broke gay neighbour, each consolidation brings with it a stinging slap, say for example - dnt worry you will be back on your knees in no time. The neighbour is Simon, played by Greg Kinnear, a gay artist who
got his house recently robbed and became completely broke due to medical bills he had to pay to recover from the theft related injuries. We find Melvin agreeing to take Simon on a trip to Baltimore so that he could ask his parents for some money.But ofcourse he convinces Carol the waitress to accompany them. Another evidence of Melvin's tactlessness is when he introduces the two- Carol the waitress, meet Simon the fag! Now that we are on the topic of Carol lets
focus on the love story at hand. A love story unlike any other, so subtle so sublime you would feel it, not see it in eecky kisses and cheesy holding hands while reciting poetry. I guess its a good love story. Of course Melvin being the person that he is, even manages to keep insulting his "girlfriend", making things quite difficult for Carol. Of course at the outset, to Melvin she is just a waitress, whom he prefers over all the others. Then he learns about her sick son, and how things are difficult for her as she has to keep going back to the emergency room each month where the doctors are not co operative nor attentive to their issues. One day Melvin turns up at his eatery to find Carol absent, taking care of her son at home. So he turns up at her home, declaring
he is hungry. Carol, being no pushover nor a delilcate flower kicks him out of her home. Then we see that Melvin arranges for the best medical care for her son, bills charged to himself, just so that Carol can continue at her job and he can keep eating there. melvin? the detached grumpy old man actually caring? Well he does so for his own benefits but it is a hand readching out to another human being, a huge step for him and ofcourse for the benefactor in question.
There is not any inkling of any attraction between the two, relationship restricted only to restaurant visits, Carol serving him and he in turn being the customer. but the act of kindness brings their relationship to a different level, a level where uncertainty exists, a level where words like indebted and obligated and gratefulness comes to play. A level so cold that you would not find any love there, but our heroes do. The trip to Baltimore brings them closer, where they spend a romantic dinner at a nice restaurant, where of course Carol stomps off cause Melvin.. well cause Melvin spoke. But it is in the duration of this trip that we find Melvin acknowledging the fact that he likes Carol.And in his own inimitable ways, tries to endear him to her.An excellent Jack Nc brings out each and every nuances of a complicated character with finesse, playing the rude and ugly with sincerity, so much so that he does come off as hugely appealing and charming.Major wise cracks in the story are all his dialogues, delivering them with aplomp and inimitable comic timing. Jack Nc's screen presence is awesome, his body language just perfect . It would be impossible to imagine anyone else even attempting to play this character. A well deserved oscar followed, but ofcourse.
However as i said Helen Hunt is no pushover. She does justice to her character, playing it with great spontaneity that breathes life and soul to an otherwise boring, plain off the street character. A single mother working as a waitress, trying hard to make ends meet, taking care of her sick son and at the same time attempting to have some semblance of romance in her life.Helen has her own share of screen time , time she owns, attention she commands even though on the same screen we have a powerful jack Nc,at his very best.Helen Hnt appears sexy in the movie, she appears genuine and she appears like the perfect mismatch and yet the prefect one for someone like Melvin.Scenes where she attempts to display her gratefulness to melvin for his incredible kindness, or when she turns up late at night at Melvin's door to scream at him- I will never sleep with you, never ever, or when she plays around with the waiter who follows her around whereever she goes, where she looks at jack and almost spits out- "you look sexy.." but ammends it with a "you look great" are engrossing. The way she simply hands it to Melvin- "come in and dont ruin everything by being you" or when she said- "when you first came in i thought you were handsome but then ofcourse you spoke" make for some great movie moments.To Helen's credit even though her characterisation and her screen times are restricted, in order to give room to jack, she is explosive on screen, energetic, alive and endearing. A hollywood heroine unlike any other. Even when she does her share of nude
scenes in the movie she does it with class, with grace,truly like art, like somethign you would want to immortalize in ink and paper.
Now comes the question why I like as good as it gets so much? Why have i watched it multiple times, and each time with as much hunger and interest like its a fresh watch? Many reasons. Number one would be Jack Nicholson.Incredible performance, an artist like no other. second reason would be the wise cracks in the movie, the little moments of great humor, not moments which are farcical but are genuinely funny.Third reason would be Helen hunt and her memorable screen presence.The script in itself is amazing. As good as it gets is simple yet engrossing, subtle yet throbbing with life, real yet magical, it is like a good book, it is like a lazy saturday afternoon, inviting, warm and comforting.
What if this is as good as it gets?
