As good as it gets - 1997

This is the story of Melvin (Jack Nicholson), a famous writer who spends his all time writing love books. He's OCD and always alone because he can't deal with other people. He's always nasty to everyone, but if you raise your voice he's immediately scared. Personally, I think he's nasty not because he likes it, but because this way people stay away from him.
He always locks his door, eats at the same place, at the same table, bringing his own plastic cutlery from home, and wants to be served always by the same waitress: Carol (Helen Hunt). When his neighbour Simon (Greg Kinnear) gets beaten up during a robbery and ends up for some days in a hospital, he's forced to take care of his little dog Vernell, and day after day he gets so used to it he becomes really fond of the little thing, so much that he changes his table in order to better check on him outside and even cries when he has to give it back. One day he goes to eat as usual but Carol is not there, so he goes to her house! He realises how sick her son is when he sees her run to the hospital with him. Melvin then asks his editor, or publisher, or agent, whatever, for a favour, and so her husband Dr Bettes takes a personal interest into Carol's son's health, sending the bills to Melvin. Now Carol can go back to work, to serve him his food! Simon, back home, is completely broke after all the hospital bills, and Melvin drives him to his parents' house to ask them for money: Melvin didn't want to go, so he wants Carol to go with him. Thanks to Carol, Simon finds himself again, and decides to go back. Since he doesn't have his home anymore, Melvin takes him in, however Melvin is very troubled because Carol is angry at him. With good reasons of course. Spending time with him, Carol had changed the way she thought of him, she had kissed him, but when she asked him for the real reason why he had wanted her on that trip, she was expecting him to confess he wanted her. Instead, Melvin tells her that his first thought had been that maybe if she had slept with gay Simon he might, who knows, change to etero maybe! Carol is outraged by this, specially if you consider that she was ready to sleep with him if only he had wanted it.
Simon is very grateful for Melvin's help, and also touched, and when he says that he loves him, I kind of expected some nasty remark, or quick back off, instead Melvin replies that he would be the luckiest man alive if that did it for him... and I don't know you but I was so impressed by that! Such a change for Melvin!
Simon talks to Melvin, and convinces him to go straight to Carol's house to talk to her and set things right. Melvin agrees and when he's about to go out, he realises he had not locked the door! Which might seem a small thing to someone, but he was totally OCD, so that's Huge!
Melvin goes to Carol and tells her that he feels better around her, that it relaxes him, and this was really cool, specially for someone always so tense and nervous, and she slowly forgives him, and they kiss, and they're really sweet, in a strange way. It's really a nice film, very nice. I like the actors involved, Nicholson as always plays a character who is a bit crazy, because crazy is what J.N. does best. Helen Hunt is an actress I like very much, because she looks like a real woman. Beautiful, talented and amazing, yes, but more importantly a "real" woman, and this is not so common as you might think!Not at all.
I liked many lines in this film, most of them said by Carol. Melvin of course said a lovely thing saying "you make me want to be a better man", which is always really lovely, but only when the man means it and if he actually does something to be a better person. Melvin does.
Among other things Carol says :
"When you first entered the restaurant, I thought you were handsome... and then, of course, you spoke"  :lol:
and I love how calm she is after he tells her "judging from your eyes I'd say you were fifty", and simply replies "judging from your eyes, I'd say you were kind, so so much for eyes" - wow
The title of the movie is mentioned by Melvin after he runs to his doctor, as if he could give him an instant solution to his anxieties : What if this is as good as it gets?
But it wasn't. He had to work hard for it, but he'll have much more :-D