Synopsis:
As Good as It Gets is about a man named Melvin and his two acquaintances: Simon and Carol. Melvin is a cranky writer who has obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). After his neighbor/acquaintance (Simon) was robbed and hospitalized, Melvin was forced to watch over his dog. Over the course of a few weeks, the dog grew on Melvin and later in the movie we saw that the dog preferred Melvin over his original owner, Simon. After being robbed and hospitalized, the medical bills made Simon broke. He needed money and the only way he could get some was to ask his parents which he never talks to. Meanwhile, Carol, Melvin’s waitress of choice and acquaintance, has a son who is in and out of mediocre emergency rooms multiple times a week and is in need of a real doctor. Melvin had a very distinguished doctor go to Carol’s house and take care of her son (at Melvin’s expense) so that Carol could go back to work and serve Melvin (an odd act of kindness). Melvin was “guilted” into driving Simon to his parent’s home in Baltimore and made Carol go along with him. On this trip, Melvin “ticked off” Carol a great deal by his negative comments and lack of censoring what comes out of his mouth. The pissed off Carol became close with the depressed and broke Simon, pushing Melvin out of the picture. In the end, Simon moved in with Melvin and Melvin and Carol’s relationship grew to the boyfriend/girlfriend stage.
Reflection:
At first, Mr. Udall bothered me immensely. I could not stand how he treated Simon and Frank. Don’t get me wrong, it is still unsettling for me, I just better understand why he treated them the way he did. Simon and his puppy, Verdell, were so cute and I could not help but smile when they came on the screen. Verdell, I believe, really contributed to Mr. Udall’s change, but it made me sad when he became more attached to Melvin than his actual owner. Simon loved Verdell so much and after losing his home, his possessions, and his health, it must be devastating for him to lose his best friend too.
Carol and her son Spence have such an unfortunate circumstance, for his health is slowly deteriorating. Mr. Udall’s generous contribution to his recovery was so kind that I could not help but forget his mean treatment to Simon. The compliments Carol receives are also so kind-hearted and thoughtful. When Simon is beaten in his home, I was confused why those criminals had to hurt him so severely. It is not like he fought back or was an impending threat to them. Was it because they thought he was molesting the boy? What also confused me was Carol’s demeanor with Melvin. I did not get why she does not understand his illness and that he cannot control his outbursts. In addition, I am rather perplexed about how Mr. Udall’s psychiatrist treats his patient. I grieved with Melvin when he is kicked out of the restaurant, for having the same daily routine is beneficial for his recovery.
Overall, I thought the movie was okay. It is unquestionably not my favorite movie, but it is entertaining none the less. The plot of the movie is cute, but there are times when it just does not flow well. It is an interesting movie and is very insightful, yet there are flaws. The storyline is quite cliché, but the addition of Simon makes it different from any other romantic-comedy.
As Good as It Gets is about a man named Melvin and his two acquaintances: Simon and Carol. Melvin is a cranky writer who has obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). After his neighbor/acquaintance (Simon) was robbed and hospitalized, Melvin was forced to watch over his dog. Over the course of a few weeks, the dog grew on Melvin and later in the movie we saw that the dog preferred Melvin over his original owner, Simon. After being robbed and hospitalized, the medical bills made Simon broke. He needed money and the only way he could get some was to ask his parents which he never talks to. Meanwhile, Carol, Melvin’s waitress of choice and acquaintance, has a son who is in and out of mediocre emergency rooms multiple times a week and is in need of a real doctor. Melvin had a very distinguished doctor go to Carol’s house and take care of her son (at Melvin’s expense) so that Carol could go back to work and serve Melvin (an odd act of kindness). Melvin was “guilted” into driving Simon to his parent’s home in Baltimore and made Carol go along with him. On this trip, Melvin “ticked off” Carol a great deal by his negative comments and lack of censoring what comes out of his mouth. The pissed off Carol became close with the depressed and broke Simon, pushing Melvin out of the picture. In the end, Simon moved in with Melvin and Melvin and Carol’s relationship grew to the boyfriend/girlfriend stage.
Reflection:
At first, Mr. Udall bothered me immensely. I could not stand how he treated Simon and Frank. Don’t get me wrong, it is still unsettling for me, I just better understand why he treated them the way he did. Simon and his puppy, Verdell, were so cute and I could not help but smile when they came on the screen. Verdell, I believe, really contributed to Mr. Udall’s change, but it made me sad when he became more attached to Melvin than his actual owner. Simon loved Verdell so much and after losing his home, his possessions, and his health, it must be devastating for him to lose his best friend too.
Carol and her son Spence have such an unfortunate circumstance, for his health is slowly deteriorating. Mr. Udall’s generous contribution to his recovery was so kind that I could not help but forget his mean treatment to Simon. The compliments Carol receives are also so kind-hearted and thoughtful. When Simon is beaten in his home, I was confused why those criminals had to hurt him so severely. It is not like he fought back or was an impending threat to them. Was it because they thought he was molesting the boy? What also confused me was Carol’s demeanor with Melvin. I did not get why she does not understand his illness and that he cannot control his outbursts. In addition, I am rather perplexed about how Mr. Udall’s psychiatrist treats his patient. I grieved with Melvin when he is kicked out of the restaurant, for having the same daily routine is beneficial for his recovery.
Overall, I thought the movie was okay. It is unquestionably not my favorite movie, but it is entertaining none the less. The plot of the movie is cute, but there are times when it just does not flow well. It is an interesting movie and is very insightful, yet there are flaws. The storyline is quite cliché, but the addition of Simon makes it different from any other romantic-comedy.
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