Great Film: As Good as It Gets
How to create something out of nothing? Ask Mark Andrus and Jim L. Brooks
Really, how to make something original, fresh and odd out of absolutely
nothing except a few characters? Using characters, only characters and
nothing except characters. That's the simple formula Brooks uses in all of
his work, but, for me, he has never created so much charm, warmth and
sensibility as he did in `As good as it gets'.
Characters write the screenplay in this movie, and everything that happens -
happens because of what they are. They are nothing special – they are
ordinary people we meet in the street every day and that have the same
problems a lot of other people have. This movie presents the example of how
much you can pull out of that. And if that is written as well as it is in
this case, not even a happy ending can bother you. Because, in real life,
shown here, what is the end?
Everything is good and warm in this movie, everything is fresh and
vivacious, understandable and well performed. Jack Nicholson brings one of
the best performances of his career, that terrific Helen Hunt finally got a
chance to show how skilfully an actor can connect naturalism with the laws
of the camera performance, and Greg Kinnear shows the most convincing
emotions coming from a gay character I've ever seen.
The relationships between the characters are created in the way that you
can't predict anything that's going to happen, eventhough you know in
advance what could come out of their mouth and what kind of attitude they'll
have in a certain situation.
You can simply feel the progressive collaboration that occurred between
Brooks and the actors and the mutual understanding they developed, and it's
not often that you see that kind of artistic superstructure shining on the
screen so much as it does here.
I find `As good as it gets' complexed, vital, intelligent, emotionally deep
and studied, fresh, original, amusing, cheerful, funny, and one of the best
films of 1997.
Cast
- Melvin Udall played by Jack Nicholson
- Carol Connelly played by Helen Hunt
- Simon Bishop played by Greg Kinnear
- Frank Sachs played by Cuba Gooding Jr.
- Vincent Lopiano played by Skeet Ulrich
- Beverly Connelly played by Shirley Knight
- Jackie Simpson played by Yeardley Smith
