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As Good as It Gets
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	James L. Brooks
Screenplay by	Mark Andrus James L. Brooks
Story by	Mark Andrus
Produced by	James L. Brooks Bridget Johnson Kristi Zea
Starring	Jack Nicholson Helen Hunt Greg Kinnear Cuba Gooding Jr. Skeet Ulrich Shirley Knight
Cinematography	John Bailey
Edited by	Richard Marks
Music by	Hans Zimmer
Production companies	TriStar Pictures Gracie Films
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Releasing
Release dates	December 6, 1997 (1997-12-06) (Regency Village Theatre) December 25, 1997 (1997-12-25) (United States)
Running time	139 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$50 million
Box office	$314.1 million

As Good as It Gets is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by James L. Brooks from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mark Andrus. It stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic, bigoted and obsessive–compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt as a single mother with a chronically ill son, and Greg Kinnear as a gay artist.

As Good as It Gets premiered at the Regency Village Theatre on December 6, 1997, and was released theatrically in the United States on Christmas Day. A critical and box office hit, it grossed $314.1 million on a $50 million budget. At the 70th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for 7 awards, including Best Picture. Nicholson won for Best Actor and Hunt for Best Actress, making it the most recent film to win both of the lead-acting awards. It is ranked 140th on Empire magazine's "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time" list.

Plot

Misanthropic New York City best-selling romance novelist Melvin Udall has obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). He uses soap bars only once to wash his hands, uses paper towels to touch public restroom faucets and door handles, avoids stepping on sidewalk cracks, has rituals with switches and locks, and sticks to rigid routines. Melvin always eats breakfast at the same table in the same restaurant while bringing his own plastic flatware. Carol Connelly is the only server at the restaurant who can tolerate his odd and rude behavior.

Melvin's apartment neighbor, gay artist Simon Bishop, starts working with a new model, Vincent Lopiano. Vincent uses the opportunity to case Simon's apartment and give entry to his friends, who assault and nearly kill Simon during the robbery. Simon's agent, Frank Sachs, intimidates Melvin into caring for Simon's beautiful Griffon Bruxellois (pet dog), Verdell, while Simon is hospitalized. Although Melvin initially does not enjoy caring for the dog, he becomes emotionally attached to it. When Simon is released from the hospital, Melvin tolerates a neighborly relationship with Simon so he can continue to see Verdell.

Melvin's OCD need for routine and aversion to change is aggravated when Carol decides to work closer to her home in Brooklyn to be more accessible for her acutely asthmatic son, Spencer. Unable to adjust to a different waitress, Melvin arranges to pay for Spencer's considerable medical expenses for at-home care―if Carol returns to the restaurant. While Carol is overwhelmed by Melvin’s generosity, thanking him profusely, she is suspicious of his motives, declaring emphatically that she will never have sex with him. A humiliated Melvin admonishes her that she, not he, has made the situation personal.

Meanwhile, Simon’s injuries, lack of medical insurance, and high medical bills cause him to go bankrupt and fall into depression. Frank persuades him to go to Baltimore to ask his estranged parents for money. Bullied by Frank, Melvin reluctantly agrees to take recuperating Simon to Baltimore. Frank lends Melvin his Saab 900 convertible for the trip. Irrationally fearing Simon may make a pass at him (his cover story), Melvin invites Carol along on the trip, reminding her that she owes him a favor, and she reluctantly accepts. Relationships develop among the three on the trip as Simon discusses the root of his estrangement with his parents, who cannot accept his homosexuality; Carol commiserates; and Melvin’s acerbic remarks gradually become more sympathetic.

Once in Baltimore, Carol persuades Melvin to take her out for dinner. Melvin's conversation during the dinner initially flatters her—he tells her that her “no sex oath” made him start taking medication to become a better man. When Carol presses Melvin to admit that he invited her on the trip because he had feelings for her, however, an embarrassed and fumbling Melvin again clumsily deflects, awkwardly responding that he invited her along to maybe have sex with Simon to cure his homosexuality. Upset at the implication that her sexual favors are for sale, Carol abruptly leaves. She goes to Simon’s hotel room for consolation, and their emotional intimacy rekindles his creative desire to paint. He sketches Carol, nearly nude, making her feel her femininity appreciated in a nonsexual way. With confidence inspired by Carol, Simon briefly reconnects with his mother, without asking her for money, telling her that he will be fine.

After returning to New York, Carol tells Melvin that he disparages her and she does not want him in her life anymore. Since Simon is still broke and his apartment has been sublet, Melvin arranges for Simon to stay in his spare bedroom. On learning of Melvin’s enormous gesture and sign of growth, Carol regrets her harshness and calls Melvin to apologize. The relationship between Melvin and Carol remains complicated until Simon persuades Melvin to declare his love for her. Melvin goes to see Carol, who hesitantly agrees to try and establish a relationship with him. She is encouraged by her mother, who declares that no relationship is perfect. The film ends with Melvin and Carol walking together. As he opens the door at an early morning pastry shop for Carol, he realizes that he has stepped on a crack in the pavement, but does not seem to mind.

Cast

• Jack Nicholson as Melvin Udall
• Helen Hunt as Carol Connelly
• Greg Kinnear as Simon Bishop
• Cuba Gooding Jr. as Frank Sachs
• Skeet Ulrich as Vincent Lopiano
• Shirley Knight as Beverly Connelly
• Jesse James as Spencer "Spence" Connelly
• Yeardley Smith as Jackie Simpson
• Lupe Ontiveros as Nora Manning
• Bibi Osterwald as Neighbor Woman
• Harold Ramis as Dr. Martin Bettes
• Lawrence Kasdan as Dr. Green
• Julie Benz as Receptionist
• Shane Black as Brian, Cafe 24 manager
• Leslie Stefanson as Cafe 24 Waitress
• Tom McGowan as Maitre D'
• Brian Doyle-Murray as Handyman
• Jamie Kennedy as Street Hustler
• Missi Pyle as Cafe 24 Waitress
• Wood Harris as Cafe 24 Busboy
• Maya Rudolph as Policewoman
• Todd Solondz as Man on Bus
• Jill as dog Verdell

Production

In 1996, James L. Brooks flew Geoffrey Rush from Sydney to Los Angeles to audition for the part of Simon Bishop, and offered him the role, but Rush declined it. Betty White was offered a role in the film but she declined, due to a scene in the film where a dog is thrown into a trash chute. Tony Shalhoub vied for the role of Simon Bishop, which eventually went to Greg Kinnear.

Owen Wilson served as associate producer, one of his first jobs in Hollywood.

Jack Nicholson and Brooks clashed on set regarding Nicholson's performance of Melvin, leading to a production halt for the two to find the correct tone for the character.

The paintings were created for the film by New York City artist Billy Sullivan.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack features instrumental pieces composed by Hans Zimmer and songs by various artists. Zimmer's work was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score – Musical or Comedy.

Reception

Box office

As Good as It Gets was a box office hit, opening at number three at the box office (behind Titanic and Tomorrow Never Dies) with $12.6 million, and eventually earning over $148 million domestically and $314 million worldwide. It is Jack Nicholson's second highest earning film, behind Batman.

Critical reception

Chicago Reader film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum wrote that what director James L. Brooks "manages to do with as they struggle mightily to connect with one another is funny, painful, beautiful, and basically truthful—a triumph for everyone involved."

Praise for the film was not uniform among critics. While Roger Ebert gave the film three stars (out of four), he called the film a "compromise, a film that forces a smile onto material that doesn't wear one easily," writing that the film drew "back to story formulas," but had good dialogue and performances. The Washington Post critic Desson Howe gave a generally negative review of the film, writing that it "gets bogged down in sentimentality, while its wheels spin futilely in life-solving overdrive."

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 86% of professional critics gave the film a positive review based on 85 reviews, with an average rating of 7.30/10. The consensus states: "James L. Brooks and Jack Nicholson, doing what they do best, combine smart dialogue and flawless acting to squeeze fresh entertainment value out of the romantic-comedy genre." Metacritic gave the film a score of 67 out of 100, based on reviews from 30 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews.

Accolades

Home media

The film was released on VHS, LaserDisc and DVD on May 19, 1998 by Columbia TriStar Home Video. It was released on Blu-ray in the United States on June 12, 2012, as part of Twilight Time's Screen Archives collection. The set was limited to 3,000 units and sold out quickly.

Sony Pictures released the film on 4K UHD Blu-ray on October 25, 2022, as part of its Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection Volume 3, along with It Happened One Night, From Here To Eternity, To Sir, With Love, The Last Picture Show and Annie.

References

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External links

• As Good as It Gets at IMDb
• As Good as It Gets at the TCM Movie Database
• As Good as It Gets at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
• As Good as It Gets at Box Office Mojo
• As Good as It Gets at Rotten Tomatoes
• As Good as It Gets at Metacritic
• As Good as It Gets at The New York Times
• As Good as It Gets soundtrack review at AllMusic

• 1997 films
• Obsessive–compulsive disorder
• 1997 LGBTQ-related films
• 1997 romantic comedy films
• 1990s American films
• 1990s English-language films
• American films set in New York City
• American LGBTQ-related films
• American romantic comedy films
• Best Musical or Comedy Picture Golden Globe winners
• English-language romantic comedy films
• Films about mother–son relationships
• Films about obsessive–compulsive disorder
• Films about writers
• Films directed by James L. Brooks
• Films featuring a Best Actor Academy Award–winning performance
• Films featuring a Best Actress Academy Award–winning performance
• Films featuring a Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe winning performance
• Films featuring a Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe winning performance
• Films produced by James L. Brooks
• Films scored by Hans Zimmer
• Films set in Baltimore
• Films shot in New York City
• Films with screenplays by James L. Brooks
• Gay-related films
• Gracie Films films
• Satellite Award–winning films
• TriStar Pictures films