Hypocrisy. It’s great isn’t it? Call it what you will – pietism, casuistry, glibness, insincerity, self-righteousness - you have to love the act of "feigning to be what one is not, or to believe what one does not". An example brought to mind are fans of the (s)hit film Star Wars, people who whine consistently about the sheer awfulness of the last instalment, who then proceed to queue six months in advance to see the next one because “it’s Star Wars and it’s great, all of it”. Similarly, writing an epinion in which you advise against the use of bad language on the site, and then proceeding to do just that just three days later, is also pretty two-faced (guilty as charged, your honour).

Then of course, we have people who praise a TV show such as The Simpsons for it’s harsh, anti-PC humour and then in the same breath criticise a film such as As Good As It Gets for doing the exact same thing. What’s that? It stars Jack Nicholson as someone suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder? And it’s not some sappy, Lorenzo’s Oli-esque Disease Of The Week slice of patronising pap that meanders to all and sundry? And the main character is racist, xenophobic, anti-Semitic, homophobic, misogynistic and, for good measure, nasty to a small dog? Well take my picture and stick it in a frame, isn’t that just shocking? Well… actually no, because not only is Nicholson’s rude and bigoted central character his best performance in years, but As Good As It Gets is also one of the most refreshingly honest films of the last ten years.

Nicholson, y’see, is at his sneering, eyebrow-arching best as Melvin Udall, a cynical loner who is habitually obnoxious and offensive to everyone who crosses his path. He has no time for people and even less patience with them. The only excuse offered is that he suffers from the aforementioned OCD, and ergo is nuttier than a fruitcake - which gives him licence to howl such disgraceful one-liners as would probably get a real person beaten up or arrested. The worst part is that you shouldn't find it funny. And yet you do, despite yourself.

Always striving for originality, director James L. Brooks and scripter Mark Andrus pitch this absolute horror of a human being as someone who earns his crust, absurdly, by writing cheesy romance novels, and lives as reclusively as he can in a Manhattan apartment, his disdain for political correctness or even simple good manners all too apparent. Sure, the typical Nicholson traits are all present and correct, but they're subtlety integrated into a refreshingly offensive and somehow endearing character.

One of his obsessive rituals is breakfasting daily at a cafe where only salty waitress Carol (Helen Hunt) - a single mother with her own stressful woes - will tolerate Melvin's diatribes and sass him back. Things start to go pear-shaped when Simon (Greg Kinnear), the gay artist who lives across the hall, is hospitalised, and old misery-guts Melvin is coerced by Simon's agent (Cuba Gooding Jr.) into caring for his despised neighbour's ugly but endearing mutt and - you betcha! - bonding is soon afoot as the pooch wags its way into Melvin's corroded heart. Thus softened up, Melvin is reluctantly but irrevocably goaded into a series of grudging good deeds which are entirely motivated by self-interest but which inch him in the general direction of humanity and improbable but superb redemption.

The humour, of course, comes from the fact that Melvin Udall is already a well-established misanthropes, the modern-day Scrooge, while the main arc of the story is only helped by the audience’s viewpoint: We know nothing about Melvin at the start of the film. At first his behaviour is bizarre and repulsive, but as the film progresses we gradually warm up to his character. In the same way, Melvin is pure abomination to those around him in the film but they, like us, learn to love his human side as the film progresses.

A healthy sense of irony, and a very open mind, are required to accept the unprintable tirades from Melvin's mouth and the less malevolent jests, and it takes some getting used to its rapidly shifting moods (indeed, the entire structure of the story is evidently different from a lot of Hollywood films, starting at what feels like halfway through the story being told, and slowly guiding us through) but these are essential to any New York movie worth its salt, with As Good As It Gets alternating wildly between hilarity and compassion.

The supporting cast isn't bad either. Kinnear, in his big-screen debut, is competent as the object of Nicholson's vitriol, looking like he's about to burst into tears at any moment. Helen Hunt displays a load of charm here as the only woman in Melvin's life, dishing it out as well as she takes it, while being also genuine and moving. The lead trio get amusing back-up from Gooding Jr., Yeardley Smith (a.k.a. the voice of Lisa Simpson), veteran Shirley Knight as Carol's mother, and Skeet Ulrich as the street hustler who brings disaster into Melvin and Simon's building. The net result is a pleasingly soft-at-heart-but-tough-exterior kind of flick - much like Melvin himself. Indeed, the tone of the whole film can be summarised during the Hunt-Nicholson date scene. Watch it and you'll understand.

If there’s a pitfall, it’s that the last half of As Good As It Gets could have been better, opting for some gimmicky plot devices (a road trip) and tentatively steering Melvin and Carol into a romantic relationship that's hard to buy, resulting in a soppy ending that seems somewhat out of place. But the performances here are so strong it's a joy to watch these characters, even if their actions don't entirely make sense.

Back to the original point then: is As Good As It Gets distasteful? On the whole, no, with only those of a particularly antagonistic nature sure to take offence at the non-conformity of Melvin. This film is not mocking OCD, but merely showing us exactly how such a life could drive even the sanest of us to the brink of despair. The Brooks/Andrus pairing ensures that the film never gets too far of itself and offers a scrumptiously unique look at the oft-used love triangle story, winningly peppering the dialogue with kind of wicked one-liners that you thought you’d never see in a film again. And by using characters, only characters and nothing except characters, Brooks has produced a compelling classic of a film that came from absolutely nowhere.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older