Flawless film which utilises the supreme cast to fruition.

Rating: 10/10 (15 March 2002)

Before I even considered watching this film for the first time, I was instantly biased because of the enormity of the casts talent; there's the monumentally charismatic Jack Nicholson (who would run out of fingers to count his Oscar nominations), Helen Hunt (who has a substantial collection of Golden Globes and Grammys), Cuba Gooding Jr. (who is the finest Actor of his generation) and Greg Kinnear (who's perfectly cast amongst the latter Hollywood greats).
'AS GOOD AS IT GETS' focuses on Nicholson's character Melvin, telling the story of how he copes with having an obsessive compulsive disorder, which is evidently destructive on the lives of those who surround him. Exhausting ritualistic patterns such as washing his hands in boiling water, forbidding anyone to physically touch him, are among just a few of his alienating habits. Aside from apparant intimacy issues, he is also a confrontational homophobic--suffice it to say that he doesn't appreciate living next door to Simon (played by Greg Kinnear) who is a gay artist. Upon following events,
Melvin aspires to win the affections of Carol (played by Helen Hunt) who is a compassionate yet lonely waitress. Hesitantly she opens up her heart to him and discovers that beyond his appalling behaviour, is a man who is capable of demonstrating huge acts of kindness, who has sincere feelings for her.
Despite having an emotional undercurrent the film should definately be stamped as being in the comedy genre; there are many instances of noteably hilarious material, in this positively shining script, especially in the classic scene, where Simon confronts Melvin, about throwing his beloved dog down a garbage shoot. Expect to be surprised by this film; the rareity of the magnificant script, combining with the multitude of talent in the cast, makes it magnetically engaging from start to finish.
Even though I'm in great danger of becoming repetitive, I have to give some more adulation to the cast. Jack Nicholson gave us his finest performance, unsurpassed in the attention he gave to the complexity of Melvins' character. Helen Hunt is THE finest actress on our screens today. In giving everything her soul had to offer, the audience was able to see the sincerity of the pain Carol was experiencing. Whilst Helen gives you heartfelt raw emotion, she has an amazing aptitude to channel her talents for comedy too. Some of her scenes really did affect me emotionally, willing me to literally get hold of her and give her a great big hug--proving the impact she governs upon you.
If you want to see one of the most superbly acted films of the decade, then look no further 'As Good As It Gets' is, AS GOOD AS IT GETS.