So much average

As Good As It Gets

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Four men, displeased with the overcrowded, under lit and noisy night club where they gather, decide to pool their funds in order to open a bar and grill, taking with them from their old hangout two favoured employees, bartender Freddie (Kohl Suddeth) and doorman Xavier (Luis Guzmán), but the entrepreneurs soon learn that the success toward which they look forward is elusive. Because their original seed funding - $100,000 - is insufficient, Freddie persuades a family member, mobster Frankie "Chips" (Bert Young), to contribute a matching amount, but after a successful opening night, the business suffers a sharp dip in receipts. The quartet is then forced to yield to a suggestion from Frankie that their type of operation be changed to an adult cabaret featuring topless dancers and, despite the vigorous objections from one of the original partners, played by a rather hammy David Herman, the new operation becomes an immediate hit, although there are expected comedic complications. The actors are well cast for the texture established by first time director Michael Bregman and the film is shot in great part at the Lucerne Hotel and its Wilson's Grill and Bar in New York City's upper West Side, while Kohl, Michael Rooker, and Guzmán give notably strong performances, the latter smoothly handling a voice-over track. Bregman's background in television is plainly apparent throughout the piece, particularly pertinent to editing. A highly episodic work, it is smoothly constructed and it is obvious that all involved have a good time along the way, with the salad of subplots blended into a film having about it a feeling of good nature.

This was a pain to sit through, and you'll find it quite trying for every mind numbingly uncool moment in this movie of supposedly "cool" guys. The acting all around is embarrassing (even great character actor Guzman is uncharacteristically inept here) and the production values are distractingly cheap. Perhapd most irritating here is the usually funny David Herman (Office Space) who portrays one of the most obnoxious lead characters of any genre in a long time. Stephen Baldwin breezes in and out coasting on the fumes of his once great charisma to collect his paycheck and look smug. This is recommended only as an endurance test for masochistic viewers hell bent on finishing any movie they start (and I guess in this case I am one of the troubled few). This type of film has been done better ("MADE" by Jon Favreau, lesser similar but just similar enough "SWINGERS" and "FREE ENTERPRISE") so why not watch one of those instead?

This is basically a bunch of New York fellas fraternizing at a posh martini bar, but a wisely chosen cast make the whole affair a genuine pleasure to watch. Subdued humor and keen comic timing gives this one an edge that overcomes it's theatricality and sitcom-style setting. Worth a look for the standout performance of Luiz Guzman, one of the screen's most underappreciated character actors. Delightful.

I recently saw this movie at the Hamptons Film Festival and found it to be an enjoyable light comedy. There is no let down when you don't have any expectations. The cast play their parts well. I enjoyed Luis Guzman as Xavier, the narrator and host of the restaurant the film centers on and Micheal Rooker, the aging hockey player. The film focuses on four friends that are interested in meeting women. They are misfits in the New York City social scene and can't seem to pick up any women. They come up with the idea of opening a restaurant and with the help of a gangster get the funds to open it. After that it focuses on the guys and their continued stumblings. It is worth seeing; let's hope it gets picked up.