Overview
Acerbic and outwardly despicable pulp novelist Melvin Udall lives in a haze of obsessive-compulsive behavior patterns, avoiding cracks in the sidewalk and rigidly adhering to his regimen of daily breakfasts in the cafe where harried single mom Carol Connelly (Helen Hunt) is the only waitress he'll accept. But his ordered, hermetic world falls apart when his neighbor, a gay painter, needs a babysitter for his cherished dog--and only his long-time nemesis Melvin will do. Then, when the waitress's son's serious illness keeps her from work, Melvin realizes how much he needs her after all. Academy Award Nominations: 7, including Best Supporting Actor--Greg Kinnear, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score (Musical/Comedy), and Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. Academy Awards: Best Actor--Jack Nicholson and Best Actress--Helen Hunt.
Awards:
1997 - Academy Awards - Best Actress - Winner
1997 - Academy Awards - Best Actor - Winner
Main Cast & Crew:
James L. Brooks - Director
Jack Nicholson
Helen Hunt
Greg Kinnear
Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Skeet Ulrich
Shirley Knight
Yeardley Smith
Lupe Ontiveros
Brian Doyle-Murray
Ross Bleckner
Details
- Format: DVD
- Run Time: 138
- Color Format: Color
- UPC: 043396217096
- Genre: Comedy
- Rating: PG-13 (MPAA) (On appeal for strong language, thematic elements, nudity and a beating)
- Release Date: May 1998
Movie Reviews
Notes:
Jack Nicholson dedicated the Best Actor Oscar he won for AS GOOD AS IT GETS to his good friend J.T. Walsh, who had just died.
Reviews:
"...Hugely entertaining....Nicholson is in top form -- nobody is better at lacing laughs with malice..." - 01/22/1998 Rolling Stone, p.61-2
"...Nicholson is an endlessly watchable performer..." - 03/01/1998 Sight and Sound, p.38-9
"...The full octane Jack is back....Hunt delivers one of the year's most appealing performances..." -- 3 1/2 out of 4 stars - 12/23/1997 USA Today, p.1D
"...It's fun to watch [Nicholson] play an SOB..." - 03/27/1998 Entertainment Weekly, p.48
"...It shows off Mr. Brooks's gift for the right-on zinger and his sweet, rueful way of enjoying his characters' stubborn tics....As winning as it is barbed..." - 12/23/1997 New York Times, p.E1
"...Brooks delivers the goods audiences since his TERMS OF ENDEARMENT and BROADCAST NEWS have come to expect: laughs and tears, fine writing, rich acting, social commentary, and a smile on the face as one exits the theatre..." - 02/01/1998 Box Office, p.54
"...In his edgiest performance in years, Nicholson creates a thoroughly unpleasant character....[A] smart, spiky romance..." - 01/01/1998 Premiere, p.20-1
"...There's something about Jack Nicholson that makes you want to grin....[The film] creates memorable people..." - 12/23/1997 Chicago Sun-Times, p.33
