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Best movie of this year hands down!

Very Cool!!!

As Good As It Gets

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Plot; A young pre-law student from the Midwest (C. Thomas Howell) spends the Summer in L.A. working for his Uncle's firm.While serving an eviction notice, he meets a washed up beach volleyball player (Peter Horton), forming an unlikely friendship that eventually leads to the two of them entering a high stakes beach volleyball tournament.'Side Out' is insultingly contrived--even for the genre--and beyond stupid. Its limited appeal lies in the trappings of its era (released in 1990, but a total 80s movie through and through) and whatever charm its game cast can scrape from the bottom of its barrel.

This popped up on the retro Antenna TV network tonight , and brought back memories of watching it back in the early 90s with my girlfriend, who was SERIOUSLY into volleyball, and very stoked about a movie on the subject. Side Out was a huge disappointment for her.... I remember her ranting about how implausible it would be for a beginner to compete at the highest level , and how the scenes with actual volleyball play were unrealistic. I watched it through tonight, and man , what a cheesy movie. Interesting only for a tongue and cheek early 90s flashback , and even that was pretty weak !

I remembered liking this back in '90 when I was 11 or 12 years old. However when I decided to watch Side Out's showing on Showtime yesterday, I did so believing that it would be awful just like the vast majority of shows from that time period that I once enjoyed. This movie surprised me though... it was funny (in a good way) and pretty well shot and well acted. You actually WANT success for Horton and Howell's characters. The women in this movie are gorgeous as well. Courtney Thorne-Smith looked hotter than ever in this (before the god awful Melrose Place)and Kathy Ireland was a pleasant surprise as part of Max's legal team. If it weren't for the horrendous soundtrack (B-52's "Roam" during a friggin' bar brawl?) I'd have given it a 7.5. Only a small gripe so I give it a 7 instead.

Seriously, if you want to learn the meaning of life, one man holds the answers - C. Thomas Howell.His embodiment of Monroe Clark is Christ-like without ever being obvious - we see his divinity in the way he sympathizes with Zach Barnes' financial plight, giving him communion through his generous offer to play volleyball with him. No other living actor could have captured the holiness and generosity of this basketball player turned lawyer turned volleyball pro from Milwaukee with such nuance and yet, such gusto. Holding hands high with Barnes at the end he evoked that incredible sense of pride, pity, and ultimately, hilarity that one gets when one sees a retard so proud of his Special Olympics participation ribbon.This movie is an absolute delight. Deserving of its place in the canon of all-time great works of art.