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As Good as It Gets

Play trailer 2:31 Poster for As Good as It Gets PG-13 1997 2h 18m Romance Comedy LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
86% Tomatometer 84 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson) is an obsessive-compulsive writer of romantic fiction who's rude to everyone he meets, including his gay neighbor Simon (Greg Kinnear), but when he has to look after Simon's dog, he begins to soften and, if still not completely over his problems, finds he can conduct a relationship with the only waitress (Helen Hunt) at the local diner who'll serve him.
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As Good as It Gets

As Good as It Gets

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Critics Consensus

James L. Brooks and Jack Nicholson, doing what they do best, combine smart dialogue and flawless acting to squeeze fresh entertainment value out of the romantic-comedy genre.

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Critics Reviews

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Duane Byrge The Hollywood Reporter Dec 23, 2019
With terrific lead performances by Jack Nicholson as a demonic novelist and Helen Hunt as a Manhattan waitress, As Good as It Gets is as good as mature adult entertainment gets on the silver screen. Go to Full Review Anupama Chopra Film Companion Aug 28, 2018
This is the stuff of formula but director James L. Brooks and co-writer Mark Andrus elevate it with terrific writing. Go to Full Review Jason Bailey Vice Jan 2, 2018
On one hand, it's Brooks's film that most betrays his TV sitcom roots; it's also one of his more ambitious works, packing in subplots and subjects by the handful-indicative of a filmmaker who seems to genuinely struggle with the confines of the genre. Go to Full Review James Croot The Post NZ Aug 28, 2023
4/5
Despite seemingly being given pretty much free rein to ham things up mercilessly, he [Jack Nicholson] shines without ever becoming too much. Go to Full Review Dan DiNicola The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY) Jan 19, 2023
A-
A charming romantic comedy that will make you laugh and feel good. Excellent performances all around. Go to Full Review Wesley Lovell Cinema Sight Jan 7, 2023
3.5/4
James L. Brooks’ screenplay is fantastic, we are in their lives, it feels as if we are PART of their lives and watching it from right up close. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Robert P @Superbad Sep 9, 2026 This movie is a 4.5 Star Movie... See more Julie D @RT40892224 Sep 5, 2026 As Good as It Gets is a romantic comedy for people who find romance deeply inconvenient. Melvin Udall is a walking human disaster with a typewriter, a dog, and approximately zero interest in becoming a better person. Naturally, he meets two people who make that impossible. Jack Nicholson is spectacularly awful in exactly the way that makes you keep watching, while Helen Hunt and Greg Kinnear give him the kind of reality check he desperately deserves. The movie is funny, prickly, surprisingly tender, and packed with lines you want to steal immediately. It’s about love, friendship, and the terrifying possibility that even the biggest asshole in the room might still have a heart somewhere underneath all that damage. See more Cork B @RT87142816 Apr 15, 2026 If you are going to do a romcom, do it like this. Not really my kind of movie, but it is so well done it is hard to stop watching. Two (or 3 maybe) damaged people get together to make their lives better. It is funny and distressing and all the things you had hoped for in a modern day romance. My main knock here is, yeah he is Jack Nicholson, but by all that is good out there the guy is way too old for her... I was thinking maybe he should get together with the mother. See more Levi J @Lev77 Mar 29, 2026 Just plain wonderful acting from Nicholson & Hunt in one of the greatest romantic comedies! See more thiago s @Thiagostone Feb 1, 2026 Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom, e as atuações do Jack nicholson e da helen hunt salvaram o filme. See more Oggie B @OGDawg Nov 29, 2025 As Good As It Gets features a masterclass in writing, directing, and acting while reminding us that people can grow and evolve in their lives See more Read all reviews
As Good as It Gets

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Cast & Crew

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James L. Brooks

Director

Jack Nicholson

Melvin Udall

Helen Hunt

Carol Connelly

Greg Kinnear

Simon Bishop

Cuba Gooding Jr.

Frank Sachs

Skeet Ulrich

Vincent Lopiano

Movie Clips

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As Good as It Gets

As Good as It Gets: Official Clip - Sell Crazy Someplace Else As Good as It Gets: Official Clip - Sell Crazy Someplace Else 1:34 Now Playing As Good as It Gets: Official Clip - The Greatest Woman Alive As Good as It Gets: Official Clip - The Greatest Woman Alive 2:13 Now Playing As Good as It Gets: Official Clip - Verdell the Dog As Good as It Gets: Official Clip - Verdell the Dog 2:01 Now Playing As Good as It Gets: Official Clip - You Make Me Want to Be a Better Man As Good as It Gets: Official Clip - You Make Me Want to Be a Better Man 2:01 Now Playing As Good as It Gets: Official Clip - Who Needs These Thoughts? As Good as It Gets: Official Clip - Who Needs These Thoughts? 2:13 Now Playing As Good as It Gets: Official Clip - Good Times, Noodle Salad As Good as It Gets: Official Clip - Good Times, Noodle Salad 2:12 Now Playing As Good as It Gets: Official Clip - We're All Gonna Die Soon As Good as It Gets: Official Clip - We're All Gonna Die Soon 2:01 Now Playing As Good as It Gets: Official Clip - How Do You Write Women So Well? As Good as It Gets: Official Clip - How Do You Write Women So Well? 1:57 Now Playing View more videos

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As Good as It Gets

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As Good as It Gets

As Good as It Gets (1997) As Good as It Gets (1997) As Good as It Gets (1997) As Good as It Gets (1997) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson) is an obsessive-compulsive writer of romantic fiction who's rude to everyone he meets, including his gay neighbor Simon (Greg Kinnear), but when he has to look after Simon's dog, he begins to soften and, if still not completely over his problems, finds he can conduct a relationship with the only waitress (Helen Hunt) at the local diner who'll serve him.
Director
James L. Brooks
Screenwriter
Mark Andrus
Distributor
TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co
Gracie Films, TriStar Pictures
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Romance, Comedy, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 19, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$147.6M
Runtime
2h 18m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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