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As Good As It Gets Customer Reviews (19 - 21 of 68 Reviews)

Yes... As good as it gets!
James L. Brooks has worked wonders with trios before (See BROADCAST NEWS) and AS GOOD AS IT GETS is no exception.

An extremely witty, touching character study, exhibits the best and worst of ourselves. Nicholson is extremely polished and Greg Kinnear and Helen Hunt both supply great performances. And with great supporting roles, the film is ready to entertain and make you think.

The DVD commentary by NICHOLSON, HUNT, KINNEAR and BROOKS is priceless... Enjoy

Half as good
One of those frustrating flicks that doesn't know when to quit while it's ahead. I tend to switch off just before they hit the road. It lacks the ruthless discipline of vintage Neil Simon.

Obsessive compulsive when it wants to be
I bought this film, thinking it would be an interesting insight into the world of an obsessive compulsive, played by Jack Nicholson. Don't ask me why it interests me, but I definitely think everyone has a little obsessiveness in them somewhere - I know I certainly do.

Instead, what did I get? A film that was stretched so thinly just over 2 hours, that I was getting bored, and lower in my seat as time ticked slowly by. It could have easily been cut down to 2 hours, if not less, and still told the same story. It's really badly edited, there's entire scenes in which nothing happens. And there's not many references to Jack Nicholson's obsessive compulsiveness in this. Instead, we get the odd wee bit, and that's it. Washing his hands with a new soap under very hot water and then throwing it in the bin; covering his food in clingfilm; eating with plastic cutlery; sitting at the same table in a restaurant; walking sideways and over the cracks in the pavement; not letting people touch him; being OTT organised ... But all the obsessive compulsiveness is only given brief screen time, and the film lacks because of it.

Also along came a film a few years later, called Something's Gotta Give, which was a much better, and much more thrilling movie. It also funnily enough starred Jack Nicholson, and was basically the same plot & same characters - just better. Simon the gay guy was remade into a doctor played by Keanu Reeves; Helen Hunt became Diane Keaton. HELLO?! Am I the only one who sees this? Or just the only one who's seen Something's Gotta Give? :)

However, apart from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest & Something's Gotta Give, this is one of the best performances I've seen from Jack Nicholson. And he comes out with some absolutely classic lines! He's so deadpan.

"You make me want to be a better man." What woman wouldn't go weak at the knees for that?

"Carol the waitress, Simon the fag."

"Never, never, interrupt me, okay? Not if there's a fire, not even if you hear the sound of a thud from my home and one week later there's a smell coming from there that can only be a decaying human body and you have to hold a hanky to your face because the stench is so thick that you think you're going to faint. Even then, don't come knocking. Or, if it's election night, and you're excited and you wanna celebrate because some fudgepacker that you date has been elected the first queer president of the United States and he's going to have you down to Camp David, and you want someone to share the moment with. Even then, don't knock. Not on this door. Not for ANY reason. Do you get me, sweetheart?"

"How can you diagnose someone with an obsessive compulsive disorder, then act like I have some choice about barging in here?"

"Where do they teach you to talk like this? In some Panama City "Sailor wanna hump-hump" bar, or is it getaway day and your last shot at his whiskey? Sell crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here."

"People who talk in metaphors oughta shampoo my crotch."

Simon: "I love you."
Melvin: "I tell you, buddy... I'd be the luckiest man alive if that did it for me."

Receptionist: "How do you write women so well?"
Melvin: "I think of a man, and I take away reason and accountability."

"Police! Donut-munching morons, HELP ME! HELP ME!"

"How much more you got to eat? Appetites aren't as big as your noses, huh?"

"Just what the world needs, another actress."

OK, maybe I overdid it with the classic lines, but that's the only reason why the film is so good. It's otherwise highly overrated, and not that great, except for the cute, cute dog. Why is this film getting such great reviews?

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