Review: The film I have to review here today is quite different that my last review of The Bunny Game. This time around I have the dramedy "As Good As It Gets" which stars Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, and Greg Kinnear. I have not seen this film since it was originally released on VHS many years ago so this is definitly a re-visit to this film for me. I think the time since I last seen it was a good thing because I didn't understand it and appreciate it for what it was. Well lets get into this review.
As Good As It Gets follows three different New Yorkers with very much different lives. There's Melvin (Jack Nicholson) who is a obsessive compulsive writer with a foul attitude, Simon (Greg Kinnear) who is a very sensitive gay artist, and Carol (Helen Hunt) who is a waitress who has a difficult life that surrounds her severely asthmatic son. The three become the best of friends after an incident where Simon is beaten badly by 3 guys trying to rob him. Melvin has no other choice thanks to Simon's friend Frank who makes him watch his dog. Melvin quickly becomes attached to the dog and from there and after many interesting interactions between the three of them the film ends just the way you'd expect, very touching and heart warming.
Now I know this may not be the typical film I would review on here, but this is seriously one of the best of it's kind. As Good As It Gets has some many good things going for it. First off of course is the cast, they are and were some of the best stars of the time. Jack Nicholson was still bringing amazing performances (not to say he still can't), Helen Hunt was at the top of her game doing plenty of emotionally charged films, and Greg Kinnear was just off the mildly hit film "Dear God". Also there was the funny Cuba Gooding Jr. in a small but important performance as Simon's friend Frank in this film. As you can see this film did have a great cast. Each one of them did exactly what they do best, if you've seen any of these actor's other film you know what I mean without me describing it to you.
The other thing it has going for it is the great pacing and offbeat humor. Really this whole film is a little offbeat but in the best of ways. Instead of having everything feel and be like a typical romantic comedy you do get some suprises, espcially the interactions between Melvin and Carol. One moment you think it could be a magical moment and it goes the other way fast. Hell about every single interaction will Melvin seems to not always work the way it typically would in any other romantic comedy or like what I like to call a dramedy. His blunders happen often, but as you would guess he tries one way or another to correct them. If you like offbeat films then this one is right up your alley.
Twilight Time has once again done a stunning job on putting out another release that looks fantastic! The picture is great, I personally could not find anything wrong with it. The colors are vibrant but not over done. The detail and textures are great. The sound is also fantastic as well, it's very clear and free of any imperfections. Really this is the best I have seen it and I think it will the same case for you. Overall if you love this film or haven't seen it yet but want to I highly suggest you snag this blu-ray up asap because it's only limited to 3,000 made! Great film and great release!
-Daniel "Damnation" Lee
Director: James L. Brooks
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Blu-Ray Release Year: 2012
Theatrical Release Year: 1997
Time Length: 138 mins.
Company: Twilight Time
Website:
www.screenarchives.com
(You Can Only Buy Directly From Screen Archives!)
THIS TITLE IS LIMITED TO ONLY 3,000 COPIES, SO GET IT WHILE YOU CAN!
