Rotten
A sporadically funny romantic comedy with all the dramatic plausibility and tonal consistency of a TV variety show.
Todd McCarthy, Variety
As Good as It Gets
A comedy from the heart that goes for the throat. Brace yourself for Melvin.
1997 · 2h 19m · PG-13
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Directed by
James L. Brooks
Overview
Melvin Udall, a cranky, bigoted, obsessive-compulsive writer of romantic fiction, is rude to everyone he meets, including his gay neighbor, Simon. After Simon is brutally attacked and hospitalized, Melvin finds his life turned upside down when he has to look after Simon's dog. In addition, Carol, the only waitress at the local diner who will tolerate him, leaves work to care for her chronically ill son, making it impossible for Melvin to eat breakfast.
Director and cast
- James L. Brooks Director
- Jack Nicholson as Melvin Udall
- Helen Hunt as Carol Connelly
- Greg Kinnear as Simon Bishop
- Cuba Gooding Jr. as Frank Sachs
- Shirley Knight as Beverly Connelly
- Jesse James as Spencer Connelly
- Yeardley Smith as Jackie Simpson
- Lupe Ontiveros as Nora Manning
- Skeet Ulrich as Vincent Lopiano
- Harold Ramis as Dr. Bettes
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
86%
Tomatometer
Rotten
The trouble lies in the rambling narrative, Brooks' cautious direction and the cosy tone which renders the whole thing reminiscent of an extended sitcom.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Fresh
Romance comedies definitely come better than this, although perhaps not lately.
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
Fresh
It's fun to watch Jack Nicholson draw on great reservoirs of bile to play a mean SOB with an obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
Fresh
It's a mark of how magically written, directed and acted As Good as It Gets is that we end up loving this film despite knowing how haphazard, scattershot and almost indefinable its charm is.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
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