Motion Picture Reviews and Insights- Vaishali Adwant

Melvin Udall is an annoying yet an endearing character played by Jack Nicholson. Jim Carey was supposed to play this role, but we know how Jack Nicholson fits the role as a fiddle. A narky, grumpy old man who pretty much hates human contact writes beautiful, heartfelt romantic novels and suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder. Right from the beginning of the movie you see him hurling insults at people and is obsessive with using his own plastic cutlery. He literally hops on the road to avoid the crack on the street.

As Good As It Gets depicts the unusual friendship of a waitress, writer, and the gay artist. Greg Kinnear plays the gay artist who is compelled to let Melvin(Jack Nicholson) take care of his dog when he gets beaten up in his own studio. They form an unusual camaraderie and go on a vacation along with the waitress(Helen Hunt). She is the only person who can tolerate him and serves him at the local restaurant.

This story is a character driven and you can clearly see the personality and traits of each character portrayed in the movie. This is one of the funniest movies of Jack Nicholson who spews sarcastic wit at any given moment. When asked how he manages to write such wonderful female characters in his novels, he replies, “I think of a man, and I take away reason and accountability.”

Carol(Helen Hunt) comes across an enduring waitress who gives it back to him when he makes an unwelcome remark about her ailing son. The movie limes sensitive issues and the mother-son relation with caution without dramatising it to a fault. Simon(Greg Kinnear) is an abandoned gay artist who has been abandoned by his family for drawing his mother au natrurel.

The  movie depicts dysfunctionalities of the lives of three people sewn together because of circumstances. The (Verdell)dog of Simon(Greg Kinnear) had a tough time getting along with the actor. Apparently a few dogs auditioned before Verdell was chosen. You see Melvin(Jack Nicholson) growing his affection towards the mutt he once threw in the garbage.

Fun-Tidbits

You will see the comedienne Maya Rudolf(Bridesmaid fame) do her first appearance in this movie as the security guard in the beginning scene of the movie where the police come to search for the lost puppy of Simon.

Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt won Oscars for this movie.

This movie was made only in $50 million dollars and was a box-office hit. James L Brooks directed this movie who did the screenplay for Terms of Endearment movie and directed Adam Sandler starring Spanglish. He had written many television series and produced them.