As Good As It Gets
|
List Price: Our Price: $3.74 You Save: $11.25 (75%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $1.53 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Canada
Movie Reviews of As Good As It Gets
Movie Review: As Good As It Got
Summary: 5 Stars
I hate to admit it, but I've never been a fan of Jack Nicholson.Also, I've never been smitten with the lovely Helen Hunt.
Lastly, Greg Kinnear has always been REALLY too smarmy for me.
However, somehow AS GOOD AS IT GETS has a special place in my heart.
Nicholson is absolutely fabulous as the neurotic writer who, due to circumstances wildly beyond his control, has to not so much step outside of his comfort zone as he has to destroy the barriers that have isolated him from society when the people that make up the routine of his life -- eating at the corner restaurant, pestering the gay neighbors -- start to come apart at the seams. The crusty exterior, we learn, is just a facade, and the man underneath -- while not perfect -- accepts that life is worth living ... as good as it gets.
Helen Hunt is absolutely radiant in the role as the corner shop waitress who's forced to deal with Nicholson's habits ... and, much to her surprise and the audience, she begins to experience true emotion for the man.
Greg Kinnear plays the struggling artist role to perfection. He has bouts of great self-esteem countered by comic moments of heightened anxiety, and the subtlety he brings to his portrayal is may be all-too-Hollywood but is surprisingly human.
A perfect mix, this film is about AS GOOD AS IT GETS.
Movie Review: Truly "As Good As It Gets"
Summary: 5 Stars
So many romantic comedies out there are dribble -- pure dribble. It's an oddity to find that rare, wonderful piece that displays not only the path or course two hearts take to find one another, but also true human emotion, conflicts, struggles, personality (ahem) disorders, and the like. What a truly amazing film! I saw this film in the theater and was so enraptured I eagerly awaited it's release on VHS/DVD. Nicholson & Hunt share a remarkable chemistry, something I was weary of when first hearing about this film (given the age difference). Both performances are right on-target and couldn't have been more splendid. In my opinion Greg Kinnear was robbed of an Academy Award (though I am a Robin Williams fan, the actor who took home Oscar that year), the pure emotion and complexity he brought to his character is amazing.
The supporting cast is outstanding, as well -- Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Shirley Knight were so fantastic. The entire cast works incredibly well together. If you're looking for a beautifully written movie with amazing direction, top-notch actors, and a wonderfully complex story that reaches beyond the bounds of a typical "romantic comedy" -- this is for you. It lifts my spirits and leaves me in a wonderful mood everytime I view it. Amazing. Simply amazing.
Movie Review: "You make me want to be a better man"...
Summary: 5 Stars
...if that wasn't one of the better, more memorable lines in any movie made in the 90's...And that line encapsulates the story, which is essentially the story of an incredibly interesting, accomplished, and intelligent man who's fears dominate him to such an extent that the viewer sees the exact opposite through most of the film.
The movie documents the transformitive effect that human caring can have as an element of value in life that trancends the material. Nicholson plays a man who has the money, the success, the perfectly organized enviroment, but is completely devoid of companionship.
When introduced; as it is both in his relationship with his neighbor (through his beautiful dog...which happens to be a Brussels Griffon to anyone curious) or Helen Hunt, his waitress, the threat in needing companionship ushers all kinds of wild and comedic turmoil, but in the end...well, I won't spoil it for those who have yet to view.
And to that class of people, who have yet to see this film, count yourself lucky, it's a beautiful comedy about love, and it's power to help man triumph over fear. To those of you who have seen this and are considering buying the movie, I recommend you do. It's one of the few in my collection that I frequently watch and enjoy.
Christian Hunter
Movie Review: Better Than It Claims To Get
Summary: 5 Stars
"As Good As It Gets" is one of the best comedies released in 1997. The plot of a man with OCD and a struggling waitress builds brilliantly as the movie continues. As much as many may dislike the lead man, he is highly laughable. Such comedy combines well with drama at the right places to give it the added flavor. It combines attitude, laughter, romance, and family. This movie rightfully earned seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture.Two of those nominations became winners: Jack Nicholson for Best Actor and Helen Hunt for Best Actress. Nicholson's role has the intensity that gives this film the added comedy. His research into his character's disease and his characteristics showcase very well. As always, no words can express how terrific his acting is. Helen Hunt's role gives the film the drama it needs without removing the comedy. Her performance is enough to make an audience cry. Greg Kinnear's Oscar nominated role as a depressed gay man is one of the best performances of his career. All the other actors also performed wonderfully: Jamie Kennedy, Skeet Ulrich, Cuba Gooding Jr., and many more(even the dog).
"As Good As It Gets" is a great movie for those who are looking for a unique comedy. Everybody will be entertained.
Movie Review: Jack Keeps Climbing the Beanstalk
Summary: 5 Stars
Jack Nicholson is a national treasure: those erratic, errant eyebrows, that rubbery face, those quick mood shifts, his overall nuttiness. In this film he's a screwball obsessive-compulsive who hates everyone except his waitress, Helen Hunt. They barely tolerate each other. This misanthrope hates his gay neighbor Greg Kinnear and the guy's little pooch who nearly steals the movie. Jack drops the dog in the garbage shoot of their apartment building.
Jack mugs, sulks, gloats, and turns his face into a myriad of reactions. He has plenty of money so he is able to manipulate people. When Kinnear gets badly beaten up, Jack ends up taking care of the mutt which is the beginning of his conversion. It is the story of how he rejoins the human race by helping out Helen and Greg who infuse humanity into this creep.
It's a movie with a lot of laughs brought on by one of the biggest hams in the business. This flick, without him, let's say with Robin Williams, could have turned into a saccharine, schmaltzy, gooey mess. Jack is a comedic master, but one sometimes wonders where Jack leaves off, and the role he is playing begins. Is he always just playing Jack? Maybe kookiness isn't that much of a stretch for him.