As Good as It Gets is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by James L. Brooks from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mark Andrus.
It stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic, bigoted and obsessive–compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt as a single mother with a chronically ill son, and Greg Kinnear as a gay artist.
As Good as It Gets premiered at the Regency Village Theatre on December 6, 1997, and was released theatrically in the United States on Christmas Day.
He uses soap bars only once to wash his hands, uses 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.
Melvin's compulsive need for routine and aversion to change is aggravated when Carol decides to work closer to her 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.
Irrationally fearing Simon may make a pass at him (his cover story), Melvin invites Carol along on the trip, reminding her that she owes him a favor, and she reluctantly accepts.
Relationships develop among the three on the trip as Simon discusses the root of his estrangement with his parents, who cannot accept his homosexuality; Carol commiserates; and Melvin’s acerbic remarks gradually become more sympathetic.
Melvin's conversation during the dinner initially flatters her—he tells her that her “no sex oath” made him start taking medication to become a better man.
[13] Chicago Reader film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum wrote that what director James L. Brooks "manages to do with [the characters] as they struggle mightily to connect with one another is funny, painful, beautiful, and basically truthful—a triumph for everyone involved.
[15] The Washington Post critic Desson Howe gave a generally negative review of the film, writing that it "gets bogged down in sentimentality, while its wheels spin futilely in life-solving overdrive.
The consensus states that "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.