Our Flick of the Week is James L. Brooks’ beautifully written “As Good As It Gets,” a brash romantic comedy that has a serious purpose at its core. Jack Nicholson plays a grumpy old man, a romance novelist with a mean old soul, who hates all of his neighbors in his Manhattan apartment building, particularly the young gay artist (Greg Kinnear) down the hall and the artist’s best friend and agent (Oscar-winner Cuba Gooding Jr., following up his “Jerry Maguire” success by selecting another good script).
Nicholson also is a bear at his favorite restaurant, where a pretty waitress (Helen Hunt) catches his eye and offers an opportunity for remorse — maybe even salvation. But even apart from their relationship, “As Good As It Gets” promotes the idea that if we really engage the eyes of the people we meet in daily life and recognize them as special creatures because of their human status, we have a chance to truly enjoy life. That sentimental strain of the story is then matched with the wickedly funny bile of Nicholson’s character, one of his best performances in years.
Director Brooks, who co-wrote this script from a story by Mark Andrus, is the creator of “Terms of Endearment” and “Broadcast News.” Like those distinguished films, this is one of the year’s best. Rated PG-13. (star) (star) (star) 1/2
– DECONSTRUCTING HARRY. Woody Allen makes a noble attempt at explaining his controversial life, playing a writer, he repeatedly tells us, who is good at his art but bad at life. Much of the material is recycled from Allen’s earlier, better films, and the laughs are few. What is offensive, at least to me, is a vicious, self-hating parade of Jewish characters, mostly women. R. (star) (star) 1/2
– GOOD WILL HUNTING. One of the year’s best films, a bright story that plays some of the same emotional notes as “Rain Man.” The red-hot young actor Matt Damon from “The Rainmaker” plays a mathematical genius, riddled with self-doubt, who works as a janitor at MIT, where he should really be a star student. A series of therapy sessions with an unconventional psychologist (Robin Williams) and an emotional relationship with a strong young woman (Minnie Driver) bring him out of his defensive shell. Damon co-wrote the script with his childhood friend, actor Ben Affleck, who plays his best friend in the movie. Directed by Gus Van Sant. R. (star) (star) (star) 1/2
– JACKIE BROWN. Quentin Tarantino’s eagerly awaited first film since his landmark hit “Pulp Fiction” 3 1/2 years ago. The casting of Pam Grier in the title role suggests a riff on the so-called “blaxploitation films” of the 1970s, but this is more of a funky contemporary love story involving a money-smuggling stewardess and a street-smart bail bondsman (Robert Forster). What recommends the film is Tarantino’s unique way with energetic dialogue paced with hip cultural references. R. (star) (star) (star)
– MR. MAGOO. A one-note joke that is about 15 times longer than the average Magoo cartoon. The nearsighted Magoo (Leslie Nielsen) mistakes objects, courts disaster but miraculously survives. And that’s the rhythm of scene after boring scene. The movie concludes with a politically correct apology to visually impaired people that is unintentionally funnier than anything in the movie. PG. (star)
– THE POSTMAN. The most embarrassing star vehicle of the year, an outrageous ego-trip by Kevin Costner who directs himself in a science-fiction story about a postapocalypse America in which Costner plays a rebel leader who decides to restore humanity to the nation of rag-tag survivors by organizing a mail delivery system that allows human contact. It’s overripe material, drawn out to a needless three hours, concluding with a self-congratulatory statue-unveiling ceremony that is positively laughable. R. (star)
– = New this week