Word: simonal
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...isolated life is complicated by developing relationships with two acquaintances: a gay painter (Greg Kinnear) who lives in the apartment next door, and a lovely, down-to-earth waitress (Helen Hunt) who serves him lunch every day. Melvin doesn't technically befriend either character. His first words to Simon, the painter, are bigoted and vicious, and all he wants from Carol the waitress is his bacon and eggs done right with as little small talk as possible...
Friendship is thrust upon Melvin, and he doesn't quite know what to do with it. When Simon is beat up in his apartment and Melvin winds up caring for his dog (the very one he tried to dump earlier), Melvin develops an attachment to the animal that sets the stage for actual interaction with humans. Similarly, he becomes so dependent on the daily routine of Carol's service that, when she takes time off to care for her asthmatic son, he is virtually forced to involve himself in her life and set things right again. In the process...
...scene, after Melvin's inability to pay her a compliment has nearly destroyed her self-esteem, Simon gets a flicker of inspiration and draws her in the nude, boosting her confidence in her femininity. The attention the camera lavishes on her might seem excessive if her performance wasn't also so disarmingly real: Hunt makes it clear that gutsy Carol, after so much time spent worrying about her son and so many days serving lunch to Melvin, has earned these moments of beauty. Most important, she has an answer for most of Melvin's zingers--which might...
Kinnear, rounding out the trio, graciously avoids stereotypes and earns his own fair share of the audience's attention and sympathy. Other films would use Simon as a wheel in the plot, but As Good As It Gets is sensible enough to create complete portraits of all its major characters. Cuba Gooding Jr. is amusing in a smaller role as Simon's art dealer, and Shirley Knight gives an understated performance as Carol's mother, who wants nothing more than to see her happy. She offers the sage piece of advice that "a normal boyfriend" simply doesn't exist...
...Citizen Soldiers (Simon & Schuster) Stephen Ambrose, author of Undaunted Courage, last year's best seller about Lewis and Clark, thought there were still some untold stories to tell about World War II in Europe, and he was right. His mixture of narrative and oral histories brings to unforgettable life the G.I.s who slogged through...