FilmSkool — a free film school
As Good as It Gets
A misanthropic author, a single mother and waitress, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship after the artist is assaulted in a robbery.
1997 · Directed by James L. Brooks · 139 min · Drama · Comedy · Romance · Screenplay in the scene database · 17 frames
Tagline
A comedy from the heart that goes for the throat.
Plot
Misanthropic NYC best-selling romance novelist Melvin Udall has OCD. He uses soap bars only once to wash his hands, and paper towels to touch public restroom faucets and door handles, avoids stepping on sidewalk cracks, has rituals with switches and locks, sticks to rigid routines, and always eats breakfast at the same table in the same restaurant while bringing his own plastic flatware. Carol Connelly is the only server at the restaurant who tolerates his rude and compulsive behavior.
Melvin's apartment neighbor, gay artist Simon Bishop, starts working with a new model, Vincent Lopiano. Vincent uses the opportunity to case Simon's apartment and give entry to his friends, who assault and nearly kill Simon during a robbery. Simon's agent, Frank Sachs, intimidates Melvin into caring for Simon's pet dog Verdell, a Griffon Bruxellois, while Simon is hospitalized. Although Melvin initially does not enjoy caring for the dog, he becomes emotionally attached to it. When Simon is released from the hospital, Melvin tolerates a neighborly relationship with him so he can continue to see Verdell.
Melvin's compulsive need for routine and aversion to change is aggravated when Carol decides to work closer to home in Brooklyn to be more accessible for her acutely asthmatic son, Spencer. Unable to adjust to a different waitress, Melvin arranges to pay for Spencer's considerable medical expenses for at-home care―if Carol returns to the restaurant. While Carol is overwhelmed by Melvin's generosity, thanking him profusely, she is suspicious of his motives, declaring emphatically that she will never have sex with him. Melvin is humiliated.
Plot summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
Crew
- Screenplay: Mark Andrus, James L. Brooks
- Cinematography: John Bailey
- Edited by: Richard Marks
- Music: Hans Zimmer
- Production design: Bill Brzeski
- Produced by: Bridget Johnson, Kristi Zea, James L. Brooks
Cast
- Jack Nicholson as Melvin Udall
- Helen Hunt as Carol Connelly
- Greg Kinnear as Simon Bishop
- Cuba Gooding Jr. as Frank Sachs
- Shirley Knight as Beverly Connelly
- Jesse James as Spencer Connelly
- Yeardley Smith as Jackie Simpson
- Lupe Ontiveros as Nora Manning
- Skeet Ulrich as Vincent Lopiano
- Harold Ramis as Dr. Bettes
Production
- Country: United States of America
- Language: English
- Studios: TriStar Pictures, Gracie Films
- Budget: $50,000,000
- Box office: $314,178,011
- Themes: new york city, friendship, waitress, single parent, restaurant, lone wolf, dogsitter, road trip, racist, neighbor
Own the film
FilmSkool earns a small commission from qualifying Amazon purchases, at no cost to you.
More by James L. Brooks
On this film
This is the plain index, shown because JavaScript is off. Every lesson here is a free video published by the channel credited on it and plays through that channel's own embed — FilmSkool hosts nothing.