As Good as It Gets

An obsessive-compulsive author forms unlikely relationships with a waitress and a gay painter.

As Good As It Gets is an easy, almost old fashioned, movie that’s carried largely by the charisma of it’s talented cast… at least on the surface.

The script by Mark Andrus and director James L. Brooks is interesting. On one hand, it’s a fairy tale love-story about one man overcoming the obstacles to his own happiness, but on the other hand it’s a story of a kind, trusting painter who is savagely beaten and alienated by his parents, and a homophobic curmudgeon who ends up with a waitress half his age that was precluded from any chance at romance by a sick child. The fact that the curmudgeon ends up helping them both doesn’t change the rather subtle message that life is not fair and that suffering is all too common.

One could argue that it’s the strength of the cast that carries As Good As It Gets, but I believe the script deserves quite a bit of credit as well. The title of the movie itself is an allusion to the deeper themes running through the movie, and while they may not be readily apparent, they are what stick with you after a viewing.

That said, the cast is excellent. Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt both won Academy Awards for their roles, and as good as Robin Williams was in Good Will Hunting, the Supporting Actor trophy should have gone to Greg Kinnear who gives a performance easily the equal of Nicholson or Hunt.