Movie Profile: AS GOOD AS IT GETS (1997)
| Attribute | Details |
| Title | As Good as It Gets |
| Release Date | December 23, 1997 (USA) |
| Director | James L. Brooks |
| Writers | Mark Andrus, James L. Brooks |
| Genre | Romantic Comedy, Drama |
| Runtime | 139 minutes |
| Budget | $50 million |
| Box Office | $314.1 million worldwide |
| Lead Cast |
• Jack Nicholson (Melvin Udall) • Helen Hunt (Carol Connelly) • Greg Kinnear (Simon Bishop) • Cuba Gooding Jr. (Frank Sachs) |
| Major Award Wins |
• Academy Awards (Oscars): Best Actor (Jack Nicholson), Best Actress (Helen Hunt) • Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actor (Jack Nicholson), Best Actress (Helen Hunt) • Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards: Outstanding Lead Actor (Jack Nicholson), Outstanding Lead Actress (Helen Hunt) • Satellite Awards: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actor (Jack Nicholson), Best Actress (Helen Hunt) • National Board of Review: Best Actor (Jack Nicholson), Best Supporting Actor (Greg Kinnear), Top Ten Films |
Trailer
Plot Overview
Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson) is a highly successful Manhattan romance novelist who suffers from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and a complete lack of social skills. He is misanthropic, rude, bigoted, and set in his strict daily routines—which include avoiding stepping on sidewalk cracks and eating breakfast at the exact same restaurant table every day using his own plastic silverware.
The only person who can tolerate his toxic behavior is Carol Connelly (Helen Hunt), a single mother and a fierce, hardworking waitress at his favorite diner, who is constantly stressed by caring for her chronically asthmatic young son.
Melvin’s isolated life is turned upside down when his neighbor, a talented gay artist named Simon Bishop (Greg Kinnear), is brutally assaulted during a robbery. Simon’s agent (Cuba Gooding Jr.) intimidates Melvin into taking care of Simon’s beloved Brussels Griffon dog, Verdell. Surprisingly, the dog softens Melvin’s rigid exterior, sparking a chain reaction of empathy. When Carol is forced to miss work due to her son’s health, Melvin secretly finances his medical care just so she can return to wait on him. This unusual dynamic leads to an emotional, comedic, and deeply human road trip between Melvin, Carol, and a recovering Simon, forcing Melvin to change for the better.
Themes & Cinematic Impact
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A Rare Acting Milestone: As Good as It Gets holds a rare place in Hollywood history as one of the few films to sweep both the Best Actor and Best Actress categories at the Academy Awards, cementing the incredible, witty chemistry between Nicholson and Hunt.
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Complex, Flawed Protagonist: The film succeeded globally because it didn’t shy away from making its lead character genuinely unlikable at the beginning. It uses sharp, bittersweet humor to track the slow, painful process of a cynical man learning how to love and care for other human beings.
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Pop Culture Quotes: The movie generated several of cinema’s most quoted lines, most notably Melvin’s desperate question to a room full of psychiatric patients: “What if this is as good as it gets?” and his ultimate compliment to Carol: “You make me want to be a better man.”