It Can't Get Any Better (As Good As It Gets)

Production and year: USA, 1997 Genre: drama, comedy, romance Screenplay: James L. Brooks, Mark Andrus Director: James L. Brooks Music: Hans Zimmer Cast: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear Medical topic: obsessive-compulsive disorder Description: Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson), a writer working from home, suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, which manifests itself in behaviors that seem bizarre to people without the condition. He must lock the door five times, washes his hands in boiling water, opening a new bar of soap each time and throwing it in the trash after a single use; when going for a walk, he avoids stepping on the lines connecting two sidewalk slabs, and upon returning home, he throws away his gloves. He eats only at one restaurant, always at the same table, using only the plastic cutlery he brings with him, and he must be served by the same waitress every time. Above all, he is extremely caustic and constantly insults the people he interacts with, especially his gay neighbor (Greg Kinnear). It turns out, however, that there is one person for whom Melvin is willing to change, at any cost, even when his own psychiatrist has given up on him and refuses to treat him any longer. With the right determination, the writer is able to overcome his illness and become a new man, though the traits characteristic of him—which repel other people—will still plague him. The film’s lead actors, Nicholson and Hunt, performed their roles so well that they won two Oscars for Best Actor and Best Actress in 1997.