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Simply Perfect

As Good As It Gets

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

I enjoyed this movie. Phoenix was great in it, his performance was worth the movie; he outshone his less talented co stars. The story is off the wall and kooky, its a story telling piece, its also true that many people are a version of a criminal, at least their inner life even if not played out. I kind of thought there was a jab at the self righteousness of academia in this film also. One criticism: too much of the same song for a soundtrack, but in general I like a very light touch with music in film. Also, I don't care who made the film. That should not color your assessment of the work. Much human creativity came from flawed people. A lot of these reviews and even it seems some weak minded actors feel the need to bandwagon and personally attack the director. Weird. Idgaf what the guy did, whats that got to do with being an artist and creating art. Leave the condemnation for a courtroom and just review the show.

Woody does such great stuff to horrid...this is horrid...i started it and realized i've seen it...Like Clerks and other 'writers' films i just watch 'puppets' mouth Woody's words as he is still struggling to 'understand it all' and 'try to figure it out'...Midnight in Paris, Blue Jasmine, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Match Point are great flicks...'Match Point' answers the questions put forth in this film or does a better job of creating the right questions...the entire show can be summed up with the professor's statement 'philosophy is verbal masturbation'...i think Woody may have put a stop to actual masturbation for awhile and replaced it with the words in this show to stick in actors mouths...Norman Mailer was asked about masturbation and said he doesn't masturbate because 'it all goes up in the hand'...writing is masturbation...the trick is to disguise the ego so the words look like they could be said in 'real life'...there is nothing real about this...i've walked campuses with many a professor and no good professor or student has such corny tones of voice like these actors do...they sleep walk through this...and the entire flick was mis-cast with the start of Phoenix being a terrible choice...words words words all amounting to psychobabble jabberwocky. the show is not worth watching

Surfing through the channels, I found this film, which I had never heard of before. When I saw that Emma Stone is in the cast, I decided to check it out.The number of voice-overs was a possible distraction. After about ten minutes, Joacquin Phoenix's internal thoughts reminded me of a Woody Allen voice-over. And it occurred to me that I would actually enjoy it more if Woody was the actor playing that part. Of course I discovered--on checking--that Woody was indeed the writer and director of the film.Joaquin Phoenix plays Abe Lucas, a college professor overcome by impotence in a broad sense of the word. His philosophical musings lead to an emotional breakthrough that frees him from societal norms and his neurotic nebbishness.As the story develops, it is obvious that his actions will lead to unforeseen (by him) consequences. Viewers are, of course, ahead of the curve. Abe thinks he is Hemingway, a man who takes action, but he is really Robert Walker from "Strangers on a Train", celebrating his warped view of life. Allen borrows from that film and also from Hitchcock's "Rope". There is a moral sterility in the outcome. And the jazz soundtrack feels inappropriately celebratory in many sections of the film.The film's basic message--that if you trust your instincts without deferring to the rational mind, the results are unpredictable--is fine. It's just that its delivery that falls short. And the plot includes some unnecessarily neat coincidences.

Another tick in the box for a Woody Allen film you can like. Not quite a classic but it has its moments and the leads are as good as the are in anything else. In terms of being a comedy, this is not going to make you laugh out loud - its more of a Woody Allen knowing smirk that stays with you throughout. Naturally it is smart, neurotic and melancholy. It plays like Crimes and Misdemeanours lite. So if you liked that one (and why wouldn't you? That one is a classic) then definitely give this a go. Perhaps most interesting as part of the journey leading Emma Stone from Superbad and The House Bunny less than ten years ago to Oscar glory in 2017.