“As Good as It Gets” is an 1997 film about an awkward, obsessive-compulsive novelist, Melvin Udall (played by Jack Nicholson), and his interactions with his artist neighbor, (Greg Kinnear) Simon Bishop, and a single mother who works at his favorite restaurant, Carol Connelly (Helen Hunt). The film was nominated for seven Oscars, winning two, one for best actor and one for best actress.

I stumbled across this film on Netflix with very little knowledge of the film or what it was about. All I knew was that it won some Oscars and that Nicholson’s face was on the front of it with a dog. I like Jack Nicholson and I like dogs so I figured it was worth a watch, and I’m glad I gave it a shot.

Kinnear gives a great performance as an artist, who is also gay and is life is falling into financial ruin and Hunt similarly delivers with her performance as a single mom with a chronically ill son, but Jack Nicholson steals the show whenever he’s on screen. His peformance provides the audience with an interesting look at obsessive compulsive disorder and how people with the disorder deal with it. From his need to step over the cracks on the sidewalk, to his quick temper that goes off whenever his routine is disrupted, the discomfort, anxiety and anger that can be incited by this disorder is portrayed perfectly by Jack Nicholson. 

While Melvin is grumpy, awkward and has a lot of prejudice, he is still sympathetic and endearing because Nicholson portrays the character’s pain and emotional turmoil perfectly along with some charm and humor. A notable scene that stood out was when Nicholson’s character runs to his therapist unannounced asking for help and some sort of comfort to help alleviate his mental anguish and the doctor turns him away. Dejected and hopeless, Nicholson looks into a room of people and says, “What if this is as good as it gets?” A simple line that reflects the pain and hopelessness many people with mental illness feel. 

Nicholson’s character is heightened by the relationships he has with other characters. The strange dynamic he has with his neighbor (Greg Kinnear) and his love interest (Helen Hunt) and the social unawareness he has in those relationships. The strange dynamic between his gay neighbor and the unlikely friendship they develop throughout the film is very interesting. The initial disdain and prejudice Nicholson’s character has for his neighbor slowly changes into a strange respect and unconventional friendship that is beneficial for both characters. 

The emotional center of the film is his relationship with Helen Hunt’s character. The deeper connection he begins to feel for her and his inability to express how he feels due to his social difficulty is very compelling. He’s someone who secretly cares a lot but he demonstrates a grumpy attitude and says the wrong thing a lot. Watching him develop relationships with others was my favorite part of this film. The difficulty he has and his poor communication makes you feel even more deeply for him despite his prejudice and his rude comments. It helps that he brings quite a bit of humor to the table, which Jack Nicholson delivers perfectly.

After watching this film, I would consider it to be one of my favorite films. The deep character struggles and relationships are very interesting and leave you wanting the characters to succeed.