As Good As It Gets
Bottom Line: Unfathomably sharp, madly funny, heavily dramatic. (All in one movie!) The title almost defines.
Directed by: James L. Brooks
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Helen Hunt, Jack Nicholson
It is hard to critique a film of such brilliance beyond simply stating that at times, it actually lives up to its title. Here goes:
Hysterical blend of comedy, drama and romance tells the story of Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson), a romance novelist who suffers from misanthropy and OCD. On a daily basis, he has to battle two obstacles: Simon (Greg Kinnear), his artistic, homosexual neighbor whose dog he must look out for (though he does some pretty crazy stuff with the dog, such as giving him a ride down the garbage chute), and Carol (Helen Hunt), a struggling single mother working at a restaurant he visits frequently. Though all three want to maintain a friendship, they are consistently unable to tolerate each other, given their extreme difference.
