hyped garbage

As Good As It Gets

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Saw it on Netflix streaming video.Let me start by saying I am a big fan of Janine Turner. A loved her as Maggie, the pilot, in the old and great TV series "Northern Exposure." She is pretty and sweet.In this movie she plays Vanessa Shaw, working in the family business as a buyer, often she goes to far away places to find things to bring back for sale in their business. On this trip she goes to Venice.And this is where the whole thing became de-railed for me. She is enjoying a water taxi ride when a man comes up to her, Paudge Behan as the very obnoxious Bill Fitzgerald, reporter. He comes on to her strongly, and she makes feeble deflections of his advances and very quickly they end up in bed, in her hotel room. But Vanessa is engaged to be married! Her beau also works in the family business. He is by all indications a very nice and thoughtful man. While she may not be head-over-heels in love with him, she has decided to marry him. So the whole scenario of falling for this horny cad in a matter of hours and ending up in bed with him was just so inane that the rest of the movie didn't matter to me. Maybe it is the kind of fantasy that some women like to see, but not for me.The whole story is of course about breaking free of the cords that bind you, to pursue what you really want to do. In Vanessa's case it was for fulfillment as an artist, and to find a man she really was in love with. But the way the story gets there is distasteful to me.Maggie, I would have never thought!

The location shooting in Venice was awesome. The production company took time to scout out new locales in the city. Dublin was scenic as well. The love story as well as the relationships between some of the characters was a bit rushed but it worked well enough. The characters were not stereotypical. Finally, a beautiful woman (leading lady) finding romance or seeking her lover in Europe and she can pack one bag for travel and wear sensible clothes and comfortable shoes! The actors were first rate including the veteran Fionnula Flanagan who played Bill's mother. Kudos especially to Janine Turner, as always, for her portrayal of a woman in conflict with her own heart and needing to be herself. Paudge Behan has not been seen in another film since or has he? Finally, I just saw this film via DVD which my sister purchased for me online (because of the Venice location). So it is available for anyone who would like to see it again and did not tape it!

Ok, so this movie is kind of hokey. But I still loved it. Janine Turner is beautiful, the Irish guy was a real dish and most charming. It's not deep, it didn't make me think. But for me, it was entertaining and fun. I've watched it several times.

I found this to be a beautiful story about relationships. I thought there was wonderful acting, photography and directing and a moving love story. It was great to see the relationships develop and deepen. There seemed to be a thread of being true to oneself through it all.