A few flaws but worth the watch

Rating: Null/10 (19 September 1999)

Jack Nicholson plays Norman, a neurotic writer of women's "love" novels, who eats breakfast at the same restaurant every day with Helen Hunt as "Carol" his waitress. When Carol doesn't show up for work one day, Norman freaks and becomes involved in her life and the life of a distraught gay neighbor, Greg Kinnear, who has fallen on hard times. The performance of these three actors, plus the added spice of Cuba Gooding, Jr. as Kinnear's art dealer friend, makes the script believable. One big flaw: I'm a Baltimorean and no restaurant in this area requires you to wear a coat & tie to eat messy hard-shell crabs! (In fact, patrons are usually given bibs!)