FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: As Good As It Gets [DVD] [1998]

As Good As It Gets [DVD] [1998]
enlarge	Director: James L. Brooks Actors: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear, Cuba Gooding Jr., Skeet Ulrich Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Category: DVD List Price: ~~£12.99~~ Buy Used: £1.50 as of 25/11/2009 22:37 GMT details You Save: £11.49 (88%) New (10) Used (15) from £1.50 Seller: kane668 Rating: 40 reviews Sales Rank: 7242 Format: Dubbed, Letterboxed, PAL, Widescreen Languages: English (Original Language), German (Original Language), English (Subtitled), German (Subtitled), Hindi (Subtitled), Swedish (Subtitled), Turkish (Subtitled), Danish (Subtitled), Hungarian (Subtitled), Polish (Subtitled), Icelandic (Subtitled), Finnish (Subtitled), Czech (Subtitled), Greek (Subtitled) Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Region: 2 Discs: 1 Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 133 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5035822646131 ASIN: B00004CXL8 Theatrical Release Date: December 25, 1997 Release Date: December 21, 1998 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review For all of its conventional plotting about an obsessive-compulsive curmudgeon (Jack Nicholson) who improves his personality at the urging of his gay neighboor (Greg Kinnear) and a waitress (Helen Hunt), who inspires his best behaviour, IAs Good As It Gets/I is one of the sharpest Hollywood comedies of the 1990s. Nicholson could play his role in his sleep (the Oscar he won should have gone to Robert Duvall for IThe Apostle/I) but his mischievous persona is precisely necessary to give heart to his seemingly heartless character, who is of all things a successful romance novelist. As a single mom with a chronically asthmatic young son, Hunt gives the film its conscience and integrity (along with plenty of wry humoor)and she also won an Oscar for her wonderful performance. Greg Kinnear had to settle for an Oscar nomination (while cowriter-director James L. Brooks was inexplicably snubbed by Oscar that year) but his work was also singled out in the film's near-unanimous chorus of critical praise. It's questionable whether a romance between Hunt and the much older Nicholson is entirely believable but this movie's smart enough--and charmingly funny enough--to make it seem endearingly possible. i--Jeff Shannon/i

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 40 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...8 Next » One of the best scripts I've ever heard Nicholson is great April 15, 2001 21 out of 21 found this review helpful At first it seems boring. Give it time. Please give it time. One of the executive producers of the always superb Simpsons, James L. Brooks writes and direcs this superbly funny and slow moving movie about a novelist with OCD who is extremely rude to almost anyone. Full credit has to go to James L. Brooks for achivieving such a brilliant film and having the patience to direct a film where nearly every scene is a slow one and the script is so simple and so out of action. The beaty of the film lies in two areas: The writing and the acting. Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt (she plays a waitress in the restaraunte where Nicholson eats every morning) both put on exceptional performances as their characters while in the script is pure genius as we get some fantastic one liners which will make you laugh out loud every time you see it. Make no mistake, As Good as it Gets is the sort of film you can watch again and again. With great acting, superb lines and loads oflaughs, this is a film that simply cannot be missed. An epic tragedy - sprinkled with laughs February 24, 2006 Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) 15 out of 15 found this review helpful If this isn#x27;t the best film ever made, it#x27;s at least among the top ten. However, classifying this a "romantic comedy" applies a grievous misnomer to a film of great importance. Only superficially humorous, this film is rather a tragedy in the finest Sophoclean tradition. The "professional" critics, uneasy with the power of the story and Nicholson#x27;s performance, have mis-categorized this film in almost every way. It#x27;s a story of hubris, an inflated ego and intelligence, challenged by an envious world concerned only with its daily survival.pThe story concerns a professional writer [Nicholson] living alone in a New York apartment. His gay neighbour dotes on one of those yappy, scruffy dogs "cliff-house" dwellers seem to favour. Melvin Udall, the writer, suffers almost countless compulsive disorders, exacerbated by his urban life. He avoids cracks in the sidewalk, is obsessive about cleanliness and, cloistered by his work, incapable of everyday discourse with other people. Opening with him disposing of the dog, Nicholson sets the tone of the film in its first moments. What seems cruel and inhuman is simply the expression of a man easily perturbed by minor irritations. Which is crueler, disposing of the dog, or keeping one in urban confinement?pAlthough the dog, Verdell, is rescued [to go on to stunning visuals later in the film], Udall is confronted by his neighbour and blurts his aversion to Simon#x27;s homosexuality. As a writer who#x27;s set himself apart from the world surrounding him, it#x27;s not an unexpected attitude. His vehemence is an almost predictable reaction. Offending people, even when he doesn#x27;t intend it, keeps that world at bay and protects his own ego. This isn#x27;t a particularly unusual condition among creative people, who are usually viewed by suspicious envy by the rest of the world. The models for Melvin Udall are legion. Patrick White and Xavier Herbert of Australia, George Bernard Shaw in the UK, J.D. Salinger in the US are but examples. Aloof, detached from society, they rarely expressed what are commonly termed "human emotions" to their contemporaries. Udall is following an all too-common pattern.pWhat is different, but not unique, is Udall#x27;s being forced to come to grips with the aptness of his viewpoints. That this realization comes through waitress Helen Hunt is what gives this film an additional fillip of humanity. Hunt [Carol] chastises him, disciplines him, harries him, but in the last analysis, talks to him - as an equal. She refuses to submit to his overbearing demeanor which gains his grudging respect. Learning of her son Spencer#x27;s asthmatic condition, he provides help with the only resource he can give - money. He doesn#x27;t do it for altruistic reasons - he#x27;s being selfish, wanting her to return to wait on him at the restaurant. But the act opens his world which he tentatively, grudgingly begins to explore. The exploration is fraught with feints, mis-steps and errors, but he continues the effort. He#x27;s reluctant; it#x27;s a massive challenge for someone who#x27;s held himself intact alone for so long.pClassifying this film as a comedy is due mainly to Nicholson#x27;s ability to deliver stinging one-liners a viper would envy. No-one else in Hollywood could have entered this part with a finer track record in delivering the scathing character assassination, the piercing insult, the scornful rebuke. One can envision other "romantic comedy" couples [to remain unnamed] who might have been cast in these parts. The image is hollow and flat. Nicholson is unmatched at biting wit delivered with facial expressions that a Falstaff couldn#x27;t convey.pIt is, of course, Helen Hunt who emerges as the wonderful surprise as an unexpected talent as the single mother struggling for survival. Caught for years in a stultifying TV sitcom, Hunt became visible to movie audiences through some simplistic roles - until this one. From this film, one can hear the grinding teeth of envious peers who will be hard pressed to match this performance. Suffused with grace even in adversity, she achieves complete mastery of what was needed for the role. One scene alone will reside in your memory. The pressure overwhelms her and she breaks down in a storm tears. "Women#x27;s tears" have long been a mainstay of Hollywood gender allotment. Hunt, however, fights the breakdown every step of the way, her conflicting emotions flashing across her face as the camera moves to close-up. Could you do it? Can any other actress match it? Possibly, but not likely. Her Academy Award was richly deserved. She#x27;s not been given a proper occasion to display these talents since AGAIG, but we can only hope another opportunity will arise soon.pThose who#x27;ve criticised this film on these pages and elsewhere should sit down in front of their screens quietly and undisturbed and look again. If you#x27;re prejudiced by the label "romantic comedy" [which is understandable given how many such films are issued by Hollywood], strip the label from your mind and view this film again. You may join me in saying it will be a long time before the quality of this film is matched. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada] One of the finest Hollywood films ever? March 29, 2002 Mr. G. White (Fulham, London, UK) 28 out of 29 found this review helpful Let's get straight to the point. If you haven't seen this film, you're in for a treat As Good As It Gets is quite simply one of the finest Hollywood films ever made. Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt both received Oscars for their performances but you would have to search long and heard to find a film where acting awards were more richly deserved. You will find moments in this film that are some of the most touching, rewarding and uplifting ever seen on the big screen. In parts, it's hilariously funny but though billed as a romantic comedy (frankly, I usually hate the genre) it has an awful lot more than the usual platitudes with which these films tend to deal. With strong supporting roles from Greg Kinnear and Cuba Golding Jr, Director James L Brooks presents us with a wonderfully entertaining and charming movie. Nicholson's performance is as brilliant as we've have come to expect but Helen Hunt's is remarkable - a real tour de force. The nuances and strength of her acting are quite amazing. pThe DVD itself is standard - trailers, scene selection, audio set -up but no Making Of, though the Director's commentary is a useful bonus. Picture quality and sound are excellent. Absolutely brilliant February 24, 2006 ChezzyD (Swindon, UK) 11 out of 11 found this review helpful I can#x27;t remember what it was that made me go to see this at the cinema but I am sure glad I did. Read a synopsis and it sounds contrived, implausible, a Jack vehicle where he can ham it up (which he does with aplomb). But this film is so much more than that. Nicholson is truly great as Melvin, the OCD suffering romance novelist who lacks any social skills at all, he is anti-semitic, homophobic, racist, dog-ist and hates dirt, contact or any changes to his routine. He is so prejudiced you could almost say he isn#x27;t - he just hates everyone. Except he doesn#x27;t. He goes to the same table at the same cafe every day - perhaps to indulge his OCD - but maybe because he is in love with Carol the waitress who is the only person who can tolerate him. The film follows what happens when Simon, the gay neighbour (wonderfully played by the straight Greg Kinnear as a proper character rather than a cliche), gets attacked and almost dies. His dog ends up in Melvin#x27;s care and slowly but surely the little dog opens up a chink in Melvin#x27;s armour that exposes the lonely person underneath. He allows himself to feel - but this means his tightly ordered life starts to unravel and he starts to develop a relationship not only with Simon but with Carol too. As Simon wallows in depression, Carol has problems of her own as her son is asthmatic and is often in hospital. Melvin changes her life when he pays for her son to see a private doctor so that she can continue to work and the effect of this one gesture has an incalculable effect. There is an incredible scene where Carol tries to write a thank you letter and talks to her mother about the way her worries over Spencer allowed her to force down her own feelings of loneliness. Helen Hunt truly deserved her Oscar for such a nuanced and complex portrayal of a complex and real character. If only more parts as good as this were written for women. Touching, funny and painful in equal measures, each character is explored and shown to be a vulnerable human being with a story to tell. Whatever inspired James L Brooks#x27; amazing screenplay I don#x27;t know but he obviously has a genius for seeing people and for showing their complexity and inner beauty, not to mention the humour and hope that can be found in almost any situation. The musical score is whimsical, almost old school, and gives an impression of a timeless kind of New York, one that is full of diversity and community. Carol in particular is streetsmart, wise-cracking, hard-working, decent and intelligent, she has all the qualities that make a wonderful person but as Melvin asserts #x27;I bet no-one notices that about you#x27;. There are so many truisms like that within the film that it uplifts the story from a mere romantic comendy to being a truly great commentary on the nature of love and humanity itself. I have happily watched this film many times and it always makes me feel uplifted. To the people who just #x27;don#x27;t get it#x27; - it says more about you than about the film if you don#x27;t. Time for another viewing? April 15, 2006 nicjaytee (London) 9 out of 9 found this review helpful Some films need seeing more than once to fully appreciate them... and here's one. First time through the superb black comedy of this story of Melvin Udall - "a truly awful human being" - dominates your reactions. His incredible rudeness to everyone around him is unexpected, shocking and very, very funny and the tension laughs it generates grab your immediate and undivided attention but mean you miss a lot on the way. br / br /Second time through the sheer excellence of the acting really hits home. Nicholson's interpretation of Udall's incredibly complex character is superb while Helen Hunt's portrayal of a desperately lonely waitress who's inextricably drawn to him and Greg Kinnear's portrayal of a gay artist struggling to come to terms with his sexuality and Udall's incessant verbal abuse are believable and beautifully touching. And then there's the gay artist's dog... putting in an Oscar level tour de force in the "Best Supporting Canine" section, plus excellent cameo performances from just about everyone else involved. Still very funny but, devoid of the shock of it all, you've got time to fully appreciate the quality of what's on offer and how the characters combine to produce a genuinely moving, multi-layered story about people's need for love and affection. br / br /And then... well there's more to come because as you go back and explore it once again you'll still be laughing - which is some feat for any comedy film - but you may also start to realise that things are not quite as straightforward as you thought. Udall gets the girl he wants but at no time during their relationship does he do anything that isn't based on total self-interest - in fact the only genuine tenderness he shows is towards the dog and, in the end, to the gay artist, leaving you wondering whether in addition to being a suppressed dog lover he may also be a suppressed gay, or indeed whether self interest isn't such a bad thing if it also gives other people what they want, or... maybe not? One thing's for certain: it's getting much deeper, more complex and more thought-provoking than it all seemed to be. Time for another viewing? br / Showing reviews 1-5 of 40 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...8 Next »

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