Maybe not as good as it gets, but certainly hard to beat

Rating: 9/10 (31 January 2001)

Warning: possible spoilers!
"As Good as it Gets" is definitely one of the best films of 1997; only L. A. Confidential and in some respects, Titanic, match this level of cinematic quality, though for entirely different reasons. While L.A. Confidential more clearly deserves the award for best plot, As Good as it Gets could arguably beat it for best writing and performances (in my opinion, it is a toss-up between the two). This film is not a big blockbuster which blows you away with superfluous special effects, but rather a slice-of-life story brought to film with fantastic, intriguing, and amusing writing and incredibly vivid, daring, and raw, emotional performances; and though perhaps the plot of "As Good as it Gets" was somewhat predictable, real life can also be, given the same assembly of characters and situations... But make no mistake, "As Good as it Gets" is well worth watching for the characters alone, as motley a crew of eccentric, on-going NYC survivors as you will find on the silver screen. All in all, it has to be said that this is a superb comedy with golden moments from Nicholson and Hunt, in particular the scene in which Helen's character receives the nicest compliment of her life. Though I had no inkling of who exactly Greg Kinnear was before I saw this film, his performance was so remarkable that at moments, I was stunned to have been so deeply moved by it. He is truly one of the most talented actors to appear in recent years, and should win an academy award before the end of his career. As a comedy, "As Good as it Gets" lived up to its most daring name in 1997, easily standing head and shoulders above the rest. See it. My rating: 9.5/10.