As Good As It Gets

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear, Cuba Gooding Jr.

Year: 1997

This is one of those gems that, sadly, I forgot about over the years. Although I have to say, after watching it now, in 2020, I'm not too sure it would be as accepted as it was then. So much that comes out of Melvin's (Nicholson) mouth is so inappropriate. Sure, he's got misanthropy (a dislike and distrust of all humans) (had to google it!😋) and obsessive compulsive disorder, but, wow. It shows how much things have changed. Well, at least I hope they have.

Melvin is a mean man, with a foul mouth and only thinks about himself. He's a novelist, lives on his own and hates pretty much everyone. He eats breakfast at the same diner, sits at the same table, with the same server, Carol (Hunt), every day. Carol - he surprisingly likes. Carol tolerates him, barely. Next door to Melvin live Simon (Kinnear) and his dog Verdell. Melvin despises both. One day, after an unfortunate incident, Simon is hospitalized and Simon's agent (Gooding Jr.) forces Melvin to look after Simon's dog. Reluctantly he does. But it doesn't take long for the furry fella to find a soft spot in the mean man's heart, and they become friends.

Carol is a single mom with an ill son. Missing a lot of work to take care of him, and yet also working her butt off in order to pay the medical bills. One day Melvin goes to the diner to find Carol not there. Which of course puts his neat little routine into a chaotic frenzy. Melvin decides to help Carol. His intent may be for entirely selfish reasons, but he soon discovers how much it changes Carol's world; and his own - softening his somewhat stone heart even more.

Favourite Scenes: #1 When Simon sees Carol having a bath #2 Every scene with the dog! #3 Every scene with Greg Kinnear! 😍 #4 Whenever Melvin tries to make a compliment.

Fun Facts: #1 Six dogs played the part of Verdell # 2 When Verdell is stepping over the cracks, they actually put little obstacles in the cracks so that the dog would have to step over them - and then they digitally removed the obstacles # 3 Jack Nicholson was 60 years old. Helen and Greg both 34. #4 Greg Kinnear was scared to work with Jack Nicholson. #5 The role of Melvin was originally offered to John Travolta.

Jack Nicholson is brilliant. Helen Hunt SO incredible. Honestly! Greg Kinnear fantastic. The dog? Steals the scene every time! All together, making one amazing, strong, believable cast.

As Good As It Gets is the story of three misfits who form an unexpected bond. It's heartwarming, touching, funny, romantic. It's about friendship, acceptance, vulnerability, trust and love. If you haven't watched it in a while (or not at all), it's about time you did!

Favourite Lines:

*Sell crazy someplace else. We're all stocked up here!

*You make me want to be a better man.

*When you first entered the restaurant, I thought you were handsome. Then, of course, you spoke.

*To hell with sex? It was better than sex! We held each other!

*You're why cave men chiseled on walls.

From one movie "buff" to another....get that popcorn popped, the lights dimmed and the movie rolling.

Only You

Starring: Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey, Jr., Bonnie Hunt, Fisher Stevens, Billy Zane

Year: 1994

I remember seeing this movie when it first came out and loving it. So much that I watched it over and over again. But then, never really watched it again. Until now. It was such a treat! It was as if I was watching it for the first time.

Faith (Tomei) has always believed in romance and destiny. As a young girl, she asks an Ouija board the name of the man she will marry. When she's a bit older, she asks a gypsy at a fair, the same question. Both come up with the same name. Damon Bradley. Faith is convinced that this is truly the man she is destined to marry. But as she gets older, and perhaps a bit wiser, she realizes that Damon Bradley probably isn't really her destiny, and becomes engaged to someone else. Until one day, when she receives a message left for her fiancee. A friend from school, sending best wishes as he won't be able to attend the wedding since he's in Italy. The friend - Damon Bradley. This puts Faith's heart aflutter once again and she decides, ten days before her wedding, to fly to Italy to meet her future husband. Her destined-to-be future husband. Her soul mate. Her best friend Kate (Hunt), joins her on the adventure. An adventure neither of them will forget.

Once in Italy, after a few twists and turns, Faith finally runs into Damon Bradley (Downey Jr.). Literally runs into him. And her world is forever changed. She is in love. He is everything she imagined him to be. Everything is as it should be. That is, until he admits that he isn't actually Damon Bradley. His real name is Peter Wright, only pretending to be Damon Bradley so she would be willing to get to know him. Forgetting that she actually fell in love with Peter, she immediately fluffs him off and continues her search for the real Damon Bradley. The man she is supposed to marry. But who is Faith's Mr. Right? Is it Mr. Bradley? Or, Mr. Wright? 😉

Favourite Scenes: #1 When Faith is getting ready for an evening out and Peter knows exactly what she needs #2 When Faith and Kate are driving along the coast in Italy #3 Most of the scenes with Faith and Kate. Bonnie Hunt is so funny and perfect for the role of the best friend. #4 When Faith and Peter are at the Mouth of Truth (made famous by movie Roman Holiday). #5 Every scene with Faith because I love her clothes!

Fun Facts: #1 Marisa and Robert are both twenty-nine years old #2 Robert Downey Jr. actually doesn't appear until forty-three minutes into the movie #3 Marisa and Robert reunite again in two more movies. Captain America (2016) and Spider-Man (2017) as Tony Stark and Aunt May. #4 Robert Downey Jr. is related to Harry Connick Jr. and Barbara Walters.

Only You is like an old classic movie. It's corny, whimsical and non-realistic. But who cares? It's magically romantic and sometimes that's exactly what we need. The movie is filmed in Rome, Venice and Positano, Italy, bringing with it breathtaking, gorgeous scenery and romantic locations. Robert Downey Jr. is forever the charmer and Marisa Tomei adorable. Both so suited for the roles, adding so much chemistry you just can't imagine them not ending up together.

Favourite Lines:

*I know he loves you. He'd kill tigers for you.

*You make your own destiny. Don't wait for it to come to you.

*I don't believe in anything anymore! I don't believe in the moon or the stars, or the sun. Or destiny or magic, or men!

*I was born to kiss you.

*I can't believe you're gonna let a few little letters of the alphabet keep us apart.

*You're a lucky, lucky man. You've got the right name.

From one movie "buff" to another....get that popcorn popped, the lights dimmed and the movie rolling.

This Is Where I Leave You

Starring: Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Jane Fonda, Timothy Olyphant, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn, Dax Shepard, Connie Britton

Year: 2014

I honestly can't pin-point why I love this movie, but I really do. I am not Jewish. I don't know anything about sitting shiva (which btw, is a week-long mourning period with immediate family, after the passing of a loved one). But I am drawn to this movie over and over again. Maybe it's because it has an amazing cast. Strong amazing cast. Jason Bateman. Adam Driver. Tina Fey. Timothy Olyphant. Rose Byrne. Corey Stoll. Kathryn Hahn. Jane Fonda. Or maybe it's because it's about family. I seem to gravitate to movies about family. I love squishing my way into the lives of fictional families and all of their dysfunction, chaos and love.

After the death of their father, four siblings (Bateman, Fey, Driver, Stoll) are requested by their mother (Fonda) to sit shiva (dying wish of their deceased father). All grown adults coming home for a week, to live under the same roof, bringing with them their own personal baggage.

The story is narrated by Judd (Bateman). It's his story. And it begins with him struggling to cope with losing both his marriage and his job at the same time. Then on top of all that, he receives the news of his father's passing. Bad goes to worse when he is asked to come back to his childhood home, to gather with his family for a week, to mourn the passing of his father. Spending time with his sister Wendy (Fey) isn't too bad. She's a force but he loves her. Respects her. They have always been close and have always had each other to lean on. His two brothers, Phillip (Driver) and Paul (Stoll), on the other hand, bring with them a whole bunch of complicated stuff, which he really doesn't need right now.

Favourite Scenes: #1 When Judd and Wendy are sitting outside on the roof. #2 When Judd and Penny (Byrne) are laying on the ice. #3 When the brothers are in a classroom at the synagogue.

Fun Facts: #1 Even though Corey Stoll plays the oldest sibling, he is actually younger than Jason Bateman and Tina Fey in real life #2 The movie is based on a book by Jonathan Tropper - who is also the screenwriter of the movie. The book is a lot darker than the movie apparently. #3 Jason wasn't expected to cry in a scene with Jane Fonda. He's not an emotional guy normally. But Jane delivered her lines so well, so convincingly, that it brought him to tears. #4 Adam Driver is a former Lance Corporal in the United States Marine Corps.

This is Where I Leave You is about love, life, loss and family. It's about accepting truth, finding forgiveness and loving unconditionally. It's about sharing a history as a family and reconnecting after years of misunderstanding, stubbornness and distance. It's about siblings that don't like each other very much, but at the same time, hold each other up. It's not a light movie. It delves into some serious issues, with some emotional moments, and yet, it has you smiling, laughing and warming your heart as well.

Favourite Lines:

*I've spent my entire life playing it safe; just to avoid being exactly where I am right now.

*It would be a terrible mistake to go through life thinking that people are the sum total of what you see. *Being angry is just another bad habit, like smoking, and you keep poisoning yourself without thinking about it.

*Three months ago I had a great job and a nice apartment and I was in love with my wife. No you weren't. She was sleeping with somebody else for a year and you never noticed. How in love could you have been?

From one movie "buff" to another....get that popcorn popped, the lights dimmed and the movie rolling.