Day 5 - As Good As It Gets
First Impressions:
Why hasn't this movie ended yet? I would also say it's more of a dram-com, light on the com.
We go from a kitschy west coast LA greeting card company to '90s New York. I tried to pretend it was Seinfeld.
Please don't reference the name of the movie in the movie.
Minor appearances by Maya Rudolph, the guy who plays Avon Barksdale in The Wire, and Seth Green.
Personal Reflection:
"Why can't I have a normal boyfriend? Just a regular boyfriend, one that doesn't go nuts on me!"
I found myself mentally playing 'kill, marry, fuck' throughout. I decided on kill Helen Hunt, Marry Jack Nicholson, Fuck Greg Kinnear. Only because Jack would die the soonest.
Being from the late nineties, Jack Nicholson tells Cuba Gooding Jr not to knock on his door even if, "...some fudge packer you date becomes the first queer President of the United States..." When asked how he writes women characters so well, he says, "I think of a man and then take away reason and accountability." I was irritated. I understand his character is a curmudgeonly OCD sufferer and it's probably not the opinion of James L. Brook, but it still bothered me that this was supposed to be the 'comedic' portion of the movie. It wasn't funny the way You know how I know you're gay is funny.
The best moment of this film for me came when Helen Hunt's character demands that Jack pay her a compliment or she will leave him at the restaurant. He has insulted her by saying that he had to wear a special dinner jacket and here she is in a common house dress. I admired her sticking up for herself and demanding that he say something nice. I can't help but wonder: Is this as good as it gets? Why would she put up with that? Later on, she says she doesn't like the way Jack makes her feel bad about herself. Why do women stay with men who make them feel like crap? Do we see a sliver of goodness where others only see irredeemable? Or is this just as good as it gets no matter who you choose?
I found the idea of Jack and Helen inconceivable, not because of their age and obvious physical disparity; however, as per the ladder theory, which for all its shortcomings seems to apply to this movie - Helen is moved by the money/power Jack sends her way to heal her son, and Jack is moved by Helen showing up at his doorstep in a wet t-shirt. The reason I found it unbelievable is the lack of chemistry. I think if they had cast Richard Gere or Dustin Hoffman it might have worked.
On the other hand, could the lack of chemistry be the point? Do/Should we choose partners more pragmatically once we give up on passion and have other things to consider like kids? I felt there was a chemistry between Helen and the guy who bails when he finds out she has a sick son: "Just a little too much reality for a Friday night." But, she has to think of her son and makes her decision based on factors like the security of having a doctor on hand should her son regress on his miraculous recovery.
I believe the intention was for there to be chemistry between the characters. I really had no idea if Helen was going to hook up with Jack or make Greg straight again. You know how I know two characters are going to hook up when I watch a movie? There is some indication, like a flirtatious glance or a prolonged gaze. Not so much here. I didn't know which way Helen would go, and I also found that I cared less as the movie continued. This could be the most unintentionally suspenseful movie of the 30 days.
Perhaps it was a little too much reality for a rom-com?
Rom-Com Tropes:
1. The odd couple. Two people who shouldn't be together end up together.
2. Attraction transcends appearance.
3. When a woman shows up in a rain-soaked tee and says she doesn't want to sleep with a guy, she totally does because...women are just men without reason. This movie could have ended a lot sooner if Jack had pulled her into his apartment. This could also be me wishing the movie ended an hour earlier. This is not even a trope.
Soundtrack:
Not much in the song and dance numbers, which is why I can't officially declare "As Good As It Gets" a rom-com.
1. Van Morrisson - Days Like This
Why hasn't this movie ended yet? I would also say it's more of a dram-com, light on the com.
We go from a kitschy west coast LA greeting card company to '90s New York. I tried to pretend it was Seinfeld.
Please don't reference the name of the movie in the movie.
Minor appearances by Maya Rudolph, the guy who plays Avon Barksdale in The Wire, and Seth Green.
Personal Reflection:
"Why can't I have a normal boyfriend? Just a regular boyfriend, one that doesn't go nuts on me!"
I found myself mentally playing 'kill, marry, fuck' throughout. I decided on kill Helen Hunt, Marry Jack Nicholson, Fuck Greg Kinnear. Only because Jack would die the soonest.
Being from the late nineties, Jack Nicholson tells Cuba Gooding Jr not to knock on his door even if, "...some fudge packer you date becomes the first queer President of the United States..." When asked how he writes women characters so well, he says, "I think of a man and then take away reason and accountability." I was irritated. I understand his character is a curmudgeonly OCD sufferer and it's probably not the opinion of James L. Brook, but it still bothered me that this was supposed to be the 'comedic' portion of the movie. It wasn't funny the way You know how I know you're gay is funny.
The best moment of this film for me came when Helen Hunt's character demands that Jack pay her a compliment or she will leave him at the restaurant. He has insulted her by saying that he had to wear a special dinner jacket and here she is in a common house dress. I admired her sticking up for herself and demanding that he say something nice. I can't help but wonder: Is this as good as it gets? Why would she put up with that? Later on, she says she doesn't like the way Jack makes her feel bad about herself. Why do women stay with men who make them feel like crap? Do we see a sliver of goodness where others only see irredeemable? Or is this just as good as it gets no matter who you choose?
I found the idea of Jack and Helen inconceivable, not because of their age and obvious physical disparity; however, as per the ladder theory, which for all its shortcomings seems to apply to this movie - Helen is moved by the money/power Jack sends her way to heal her son, and Jack is moved by Helen showing up at his doorstep in a wet t-shirt. The reason I found it unbelievable is the lack of chemistry. I think if they had cast Richard Gere or Dustin Hoffman it might have worked.
On the other hand, could the lack of chemistry be the point? Do/Should we choose partners more pragmatically once we give up on passion and have other things to consider like kids? I felt there was a chemistry between Helen and the guy who bails when he finds out she has a sick son: "Just a little too much reality for a Friday night." But, she has to think of her son and makes her decision based on factors like the security of having a doctor on hand should her son regress on his miraculous recovery.
I believe the intention was for there to be chemistry between the characters. I really had no idea if Helen was going to hook up with Jack or make Greg straight again. You know how I know two characters are going to hook up when I watch a movie? There is some indication, like a flirtatious glance or a prolonged gaze. Not so much here. I didn't know which way Helen would go, and I also found that I cared less as the movie continued. This could be the most unintentionally suspenseful movie of the 30 days.
Perhaps it was a little too much reality for a rom-com?
Rom-Com Tropes:
1. The odd couple. Two people who shouldn't be together end up together.
2. Attraction transcends appearance.
3. When a woman shows up in a rain-soaked tee and says she doesn't want to sleep with a guy, she totally does because...women are just men without reason. This movie could have ended a lot sooner if Jack had pulled her into his apartment. This could also be me wishing the movie ended an hour earlier. This is not even a trope.
Soundtrack:
Not much in the song and dance numbers, which is why I can't officially declare "As Good As It Gets" a rom-com.
1. Van Morrisson - Days Like This
Comments
Post a Comment