History Film / AsGoodAsItGets

''As Good As It Gets'' is a 1997 RomCom from the mind of JamesLBrooks, and starring JackNicholson, Helen Hunt, and Greg Kinnear. Featuring a relatively small cast, the crux of the story revolves around a reclusive novelist named Melvin Udall: his harassment of his neighbour, Simon (Kinnear) and his [[strike: fixation]] dependence on Carol Connolly (Hunt), a down on her luck single mom with a perennially-ill son. The main characters are as follows:

From here, RuleOfDrama ensues. Being a JamesLBrooks production, natch, it intersperses all the emotional weight with heaping doses of [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome awesome]] & [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming heartwarming.]] Also, [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome the soundtrack]], by no less than HansZimmer, is also the [[UnusualEuphemism kitty's pajamas.]]

--Simon Bishop (Kinnear): Melvin's neighbor. A painter whose two passions in life are his beloved Brussels-Griffon, Verdell, and painting. His dreams get dashed violently when a street ruffian and his friends [[spoiler: rob Simon and beat him to within an inch of his life.]] Hereafter, while Simon's away getting treated, Verdell the dog falls under the care of Melvin--who has trouble adjusting. Then gets over it. Then has trouble dealing with the absence in his life once Verdell [[spoiler: goes back to Simon.]]

-->''"A Comedy From the Heart That Goes For the Throat"''

* RetroactiveRecognition JamieKennedy, MayaRudolph, Wood Harris

* WhyDoYouHateTheDog: deconstructed.

* CampGay: Melvin certainly seems to think Simon is one. Aside from a positively {{Squick}}y attachment to his dog, he's fairly [[IncrediblyLamePun straight up]].

** Although he is rather close with Frank, and even admits to Melvin he had no interest [[spoiler: in Carol beyond their night at the hotel.]]

--Simon Bishop (Kinnear): Melvin's neighbor. A painter whose two passions in life are his beloved Brussels-Griffon, Verdell, and painting. His dreams get dashed violently when a street ruffian and his friends [[spoiler: rob Simon and beat him within an inch of his life.]] Hereafter, while Simon's away getting treated, Verdell the dog falls under the care of Melvin--who has trouble adjusting. Then gets over it. Then has trouble dealing with the absence in his life once Verdell [[spoiler: goes back to Simon.]]

* HeyItsThatGuy: The Jewish couple sitting at Melvin's table? That's ''[[{{House}} Cuddy and Taub.]]'' No, really.

* AntiHero: Melvin is an homophobic, racist and misanthropic man who puts off the neighbors in his apartment building and nearly everyone else with whom he comes into contact. However, he becomes more gentle towards the end.

* DescriptionCut: Carol shoots down Melvin's invite to come with him and Simon to Maryland; it then cuts to her packing for the trip.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Melvin often undoes his good deeds immediately because he can't keep his snarky comments in check (and doesn't know how to be tactful in social situations). While taking Carol out to dinner, he complains offhandedly that he had to buy a dinner jacket while they let her wear a "housedress", which of course, pisses her off. Then when he gives her the "best compliment of her life" moments later (see NoMedicationForMe) and getting a BigDamnKiss, he again negates it by making a remark about suggesting that Carol should have sex with Simon.

-->'''Carol''': ''When you first came into the restaurant, I thought you were handsome. [[DeadpanSnarker And then you spoke.]]

* MsFanservice: There really is no reason for Helen Hunt to get a WetSariScene other than this, and there's more than just that instance.

* GoodIsNotNice: Melvin and how !!

* MsFanservice: There really is no reason for Helen Hunt to get a WetSariScene other than this.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: ''Melvin''. Especially once they get back from Maryland.

* PrecisionFStrike: Three times, but especially this:

''As Good As It Gets'' is a 1997 RomCom from the mind of JamesLBrooks, and starring JackNicholson, HelenHunt, and GregKinnear. Featuring a relatively small cast, the crux of the story revolves around a reclusive novelist named Melvin Udall: his harassment of his neighbour, Simon (Kinnear) and his [[strike: fixation]] dependence on Carol Connolly (Hunt), a down on her luck single mom with a perennially-ill son. The main characters are as follows:

[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]

--Melvin Udall (Nicholson): a reclusive, Obsessive-Compulsive bigot and, in classic Nicholson style, the name at the top of the marquee; Udall also happens to be his publisher's highest-selling novelist (62 books, on par with StephenKing, for a sense of scale), and chronically dependent on waitress Carol Connolly, who waits on him--patiently--in the Manhattan restaurant at which he dines daily.

* BerserkButton: Carol is as patient as one can humanly be when dealing with Melvin, but when he makes a snarky comment that everyone eventually will die, including her sick son, she chews him out in public, with a PrecisionFStrike (as an noun towards Melvin). It is such a shock that even Melvin is rendered speechless, and quietly apologizes.

** Frank ''briefly'' references having one, but he may just be pretending to be a ScaryBlackMan to keep Melvin from picking on Simon so much.

* {{Gayngst}}: Lampshaded when straight Melvin asks Simon after all the horrible things that have happened to him if he thinks his life would have been easier if he were straight, which causes Simon to ask back: "Do you consider your life ''easy''?"

* PetHomosexual: Simon is a {{Deconstruction}} of this character type. [[spoiler:Essentially what happens when the PetHomosexual has a HeroicBSOD and [[{{TheDogBitesBack}} starts biting back]]. ]]

-->'''Doctor:''' It's okay. Actually, I think that's their technical name.

* UnderdressedForTheOccasion: Melvin on his dinner date with Carol.