Good, but sends confusing messages

Rating: 7/10 (12 March 2004)

With the 2004 Oscars over, I decided to take a look at some movies in the past that had won multiple Oscars. One of those movies was "As Good As It Gets." I knew that both Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt had won Oscars for their performances. Yet at the same time I didn't know what to think of their romantic pairing, and I only knew the basic plotline. What I saw was a decent movie that often got lost and confused in the messages it was trying to portray.
First of all, however, this movie was a comedy and did often succeed in being humorous. Also, Hans Zimmer did an excellent job of scoring the movie with a score that matched both the humorous and dramatic aspects of the movie. I was impressed, furthermore, by Hunt's and Nicholson's performances, as I feel they did their best with the material that they were given with which to work.
Nevertheless, I felt that material was sometimes a little weak and too often lost in its own complexity. The characters were made to be very complex, and they are seen to be intricate as they change and progress through the movie. Yet the changes they go through often seem rushed and out-of-character. Plus, the message that each event sends to the viewer often gets lost from the screenplay to the actors to the screen. However, the advantage of these often confusing complexities is that they do not cause mindless pleasure, but instead provide thought-provoking cinema.
Altogether a very good effort.
Final Grade: B+.