this is "as good as it gets!"

Rating: 10/10 (22 October 2005)

It isn't often that a movie comes around which is the pinnacle of American Cinema, but in the uncanny case of As food As It Gets just such an event has occurred. The movie tells the story of Melvin, a troubled but brilliant writer who has mental problems. He isn't retarded, mind you, these demons are all in his head, and they force him to perform silly rituals and wipe many times. This condition has turned him into a mean fellow, and it is honestly one of the toughest experiences in American Cinema to follow him around on his "mean errands." Because he is mean to EVERYBODY! There is a mixed-race (a black and white) gay couple, just as happy and loving as they can be, who live downstairs, and he is M-E-A-N mean to them, calling them adverse and down-putting names and such. It's hard to watch because people should be treated as they treat people, no matter how gay. The director shows this brilliantly, however! I won' t "spoil" what ensues, but let's just say Cuba Gooding Jr., the "man" of the two, really has the last "laugh" here! ROTFL! But it isn't only the gays to which this man is mean. Every day he has breakfast (one of his rituals) at the same quaint little bistro downtown, where Helen Hunt is his waitress. Oh boy is he mean to her! It's like she can't do anything right! She is trying to raise a family on a waitresses salary, for gosh sakes, and all he does is give her "lip." CAUTION SPOILER The food is bad, the forks are wrong, etc. After her husband gets run over, she is left alone to raise her son, who can't breathe. Enough to drive anybody "crazy!" And lo and behold, just when you're thinking "oh no he's not!" the director throws Jack Nicholson into this not-so brady bunch! At first there is hell to pay but gradually they teach him how to let go and love a little. Then a little more. Then an art student beats the crap out of the white gay guy, which is a set-back, but not for long. In the endwell, you'll just have to see it to understand what a wonderful job cast and crew have done to point out that if though we're all a little "crazy" we still need each other to get by! Ten stars.