Jack Nicholson fully deserves his awards for his spiky, soft-bellied performance as flamboyantly neurotic NYC writer Melvin Udall, the star of "As Good As It Gets." Writer-director Albert Brooks, who specializes in
exposing the human heart of genuinely troubled yuppies, puts some of the nastiest sarcasm imaginable into Udall's mouth. Jack's performance contains a note of cuddliness that turns Melvin from an
insult-spouting misanthrope into someone who's somehow not quite beyond redemption. When we first see Melvin, he's plotting an evil fate for to his neighbor's dog, a tiny Eewok look-alike named
Verdell. Verdell belongs to Simon (Greg Kinnear)
a soft-spoken gay painter who Melvin acidly describes as 'nelly' in his better moods. Melvin's bad deed raises the ire of Simon's dealer, spiffily dressed Frank (Cuba Gooding Jr.)
who threatens Melvin with a schizophrenic blend of street tough and effete language and gestures. Melvin's bad day continues as he spastically makes his way to "his" restaurant (Nicholson's physical comedy skills are used to excellent effect) and proceeds to unknowingly insult
Carol (Helen Hunt)
the only waitress who will serve him. Melvin's attempts - willing and forced - to make up to Simon and Carol are the core of the movie's plot.
"
As Good As It Gets" is a wonderfully optimistic, uplifting film about damaged people helping each other with the punch of hard reality making the emotional connections between these three people so
satisfying. Melvin winds up with Verdell after Simon suffers a brutal beating, Carol has to deal with life-threatening illness, people suffer financial ruin and are emotionally crippled almost beyond
belief. Brooks writes great scenes
and keeps the harsh realities of life central, making these characters that much more believable. Brooks can even write killer scenes for dogs! The sequence with Melvin trying to deal with a despondent pet show us he's not totally beyond redemption are infused with sensitivity and a very good ability to communicate the dog's feelings. The scene where Melvin realizes Verdell is mimicking him and joyfully acts like a complete sap is so sweet.
While Melvin succeeds with the dog, he's failed utterly in his quest to eat out, as the other waitresses flatly refuse to deal with his quirks. Melvin is so obsessive that he goes to ridiculous
lengths to get Carol to serve him, and discovers her strained attempts to deal with a chronically ill child. Helen Hunt delivers a marvelous performance as an anxiety-ridden, compassionate and brittle
woman who somehow manages to keep hoping. She's got fine chemistry with Nicholson and Kinnear. The confrontation scene she has with Nicholson in the beginning of the film crackles with energy, and it's
her surprising vehemence that kicks off the transformation of Melvin. And boy, does he need transforming. Nicholson can play anything, and he gets to be obnoxious, menacing, vulnerable, comical,
sentimental, terrified and brave as Melvin stumbles toward humanity with help from Carol and Simon. He's equally good at playing broad farce (barging into his shrink's office) utter hatefulness (his
insults to the people at his table) and a man struggling to be emotionally honest for the first time in his life (his talks with Carol) What saves Melvin from being your typical boring
heartwarming-tale-of-jerk-becoming-nice is Brooks' canny refusal to give him a complete personality overhaul. even at his most humane, Melvin can sometimes let a horrendous crack fly loose ("Carol the
waitress, meet Simon the fag!") yet his humanity takes shape in its quirky form (the CD he pulls out of the glove compartment) with enough regular progress that we root for him and forgive his terrible
utterances.
Big surprise in this film is Greg Kinnear's dead-on performance -- complete with Nicholson impression -- of gentle Simon. Kinnear's solid debut in the little-seen 'Sabrina' remake
was impressive, and he nails the part of Simon. He's completely believable in the part and holds his own with Nicholson, no small feat. His scenes with Carol have a warmth and ease that make you
believe the affection between these two.
Brooks' first-rate writing by Brooks and economic style make the transformation of Melvin a delight to watch. The three actors play off each other
marvelously in the road trip scenes, especially when Melvin keeps trying to one-up Simon's story. Still, the film belongs to Nicholson's blustering, good-hearted, stunningly generous and courageous
Melvin. By the end of the movie, the lives of these three quirky people have evolved into a totally different dynamic, one that seems as solid as it is improbable. Utterly enchanting valentine to
wonders of human interaction spiced with New York neuroticism at its best. Highly, highly recommended. You'll laugh, you'll be saddened, you'll feel great at the end. |
