La critique de Reelviews/Movies reviews(suite2)
 
Nicholson is wonderful as Melvin the jerk. He delivers the acid one-liners with real venom, has perfected the irritating mannerisms of an obsessive/compulsive individual, and generally makes it easy to accept the character as the last person you'd want to spend any time with.
 
As the kinder, gentler Melvin, however, he's not quiet as successful. Vulnerability doesn't come easy to Nicholson,and the prickly side of his personality interferes with our acceptance of Melvin as a new man. We get the feeling that as soon as the end credits roll, he's going to fall back into his old habits rather quickly.
 
He does have some great lines, though. (For example, when explaining how he writes women so well in his books, Melvin comments, "I think of a man, then I take away reason and accountability.")"Je pense comme un homme et je soustrait la logique et le sens des responsabilités"

 
Helen Hunt, last seen on the big screen in Twister but best known for her role in TV's "Mad About You", gives real breadth and depth to Carol, a woman who lives to serve her son and who doesn't know how to cope with Melvin's attention.
 
Like Melvin, the events in As Good as It Gets transform Carol, but her gentler, gradual personality shift is more believable. Hunt does a good job portraying Carol's weariness early in the film, followed by an almost-childlike joy as she rediscovers herself. Alas, she and Nicholson never really click, which puts something of a damper on the romantic storyline.