As good as Jack gets...

Rating: 7/10 (12 September 2006)

You'd swear JACK NICOLSON was playing himself, he's so on target with his character (Melvin Udall), a quirky, misanthropic writer who thumbs his nose at everyone with sharp wisecracks, delivered in that dull monotone he perfected so many movies ago. When he isn't shoving a cute dog down the incinerator chute or avoiding stepping on sidewalk cracks, he's just about the rudest patron any waitress (HELEN HUNT) could expect to meet up with. His eccentricities even extend to bringing his own silverware to his favorite restaurant and insisting that only one particular waitress serve his meals. Poor girl.
But the opposites attract cliché seems to be at work shortly after they meet and gradually learn to tolerate each other before romance enters the picture. Meanwhile, Nicholson finds time to be rude to his gay neighbors, GREGG KINNEAR and CUBA GOODING, JR. who share the same floor in his brownstone apartment building.
When it's all over, there's an uplifting, feel good feeling about the whole thing, despite the nastiness of Nicholson's character which is almost always played for laughs. All the players are excellent and each have their special moments. Nicholson and Hunt went on to win well deserved acting awards for their offbeat roles.
A cheerful, wacky look at those strange creatures called human beings.