Great Movie: ''As Good As It Gets''

Melvin Udall is not a nice man. We gather this from his first moments of introduction to us. He grabs a small, adorable dog and throws it down the garbage shute, while uttering a few choice words of meanness. With that one horrible act against Dogkind everywhere, we start a comedy........ ''As Good As It Gets'' walks the fine line of hard comedy and genuine pathos. There are times in this movie where it almost dares you to like and embrace it. The screenplay, by James L. Brooks and Mark Andros, has sharp observations about human behavior and the universal need to be loved, no matter how nasty and difficult the person is. Jim Brooks mines this territory with confidence, because, he is experienced in dealing with his movies the discomfort that sometimes comes with being a living, breathing human being. He co-created the legendary shows, ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', ''Rhoda'', ''Lou Grant'', and ''Taxi', while writing, directing, and producing ''Terms Of Endearment''---- another movie with tangled relationships mixed with tangled emotions. On ''As Good As It Gets'', he also does double duty as director. Which is good, because with his having such a beast as the main character, it takes the deft hand of the author to pilot the direction of the plot. Without him living the characters and their fears and triumphs personally, the whole intention of the movie could be lost in translation....... The plot is simple: three lonely human beings, as diverse in life as can be, find the common ground of love. The main plot involves Melvin Udall, a racist, homophobic, anti-women, anti-world, OCD, successful author. His routine in life is to be a professional nasty person. The public Melvin is hiding the private Melvin, who is a man easily hurt and looking for someone to understand him and to love him. Clearly, as the movie progresses, there is a good man lurking underneath all of the hostility, a man desperately in need. And, he finds that need in the second major character, Carol the waitress. She works in the coffee shop that Melvin goes to everyday. Carol is a worn-out victim of the world. She has a son who is always sick, although, the doctors she takes the kid to are of no help. She is single, lonely, in her desperate need to be loved and cared for. The third major character in the story is Simon, the gay artist who has the misfortune to live right across the hall from Melvin. Simon and his lifestyle are ripe targets for Melvin [it is also Simon who has the dog that Melvin discards to the trash bin] and Melvin is never shy of saying what is on his mind. Simon also is a victim, but of a prejudiced world that does not accept homosexuals. His parents disown him, for the most part. But, he finds his love in the world of art, not in a person. Soon, however, he is taken by a street hustler he has paid to pose for a new portrait he is painting. Simon is beaten up and loses the desire to work.......... James L. Brooks has set up the movie nicely. Separate stories that freely mingle with the central theme. There are much laughs up to this point. And, in a remarkable example of Brooks and his genius, touching moments involving human behavior settle in, along with the rollercoaster story of three lonely people. Naturally, this is a tricky area, a virtual landmine of possible miss-steps. It takes talented actors to steer the course for the rest of the movie. And, James L. Brooks has cast his actors well....... Greg Kinnear was just from the TV show ''Talk Soup'' when he signed on to play Simon. He had another movie under his belt, the poorly received remake of the Humphrey Bogart/ Audrey Hepburn/William Holden movie, ''Sabrina''. The updated version starred Harrison Ford and Julia Ormand. It was a forgettable retreat of the classic original. But, it did boast the presence of Kinnear. That movie showed he had real acting chops. Greg Kinnear brought depth and understanding to his role of Simon. When homosexuals are portrayed in movies, there is a real temptation for the actor to play the stereotype, all swishing and prancing. But, Kinnear [aided by a smart script] does not fall into predictable behavior. Along with the depth of the role, Greg Kinnear brings an enormous likability, which seems innate to him. You care about Simon and want him to find someone to love because he deserves to be loved. A strong supporting performance by Greg Kinnear that rightfully garnered him an Oscar nomination. [He lost to Robin Williams in ''Good Will Hunting'']......... Helen Hunt plays the waitress, Carol. Helen Hunt just has a few speeds to her talent, not much versatility. Which is fine for certain roles. And, her portrayal of Carol strikes all of the right notes. She is sassy, brassy, able to take charge. But, Hunt is also vulnerable, sad, emotionally stunted in the part. All of these ingredients add up to a tasty stew of acting choices that shine. I should also add that she does show a sexy side in the part, albeit, kinda covered in drabness. But, the resilience of Carol is the strongest impression that she makes. Her best moment happens early on, in the restaurant in which she works. Melvin has carelessly made a comment about her sick son. All of the action stops and a range of emotions flashes across Hunt's face. She is hurt, angry, indignant, and proud in these few seconds onscreen. And, then, she lets Melvin have it, full-barred. It is a marvelous moment later cited by critics as the moment she earned her Best Actress Oscar that year. For the rest of the film, Helen Hunt treats her Carol with weary optimism and curiosity, as she opens up her heart to Simon and the impossible-to- tolerant, Melvin......... And, now we come to Jack. Big Jack. He is such a beloved movie star that he only needs the one name, we all know when someone mentions ''Jack'' in a film. Nicholson plays Melvin Udall with his wonderful and unrivaled sense of dastardly behavior and warm moments of caring. Udall suffers from an intense desire to piss off the public and every opportunity. He does not care whom he offends, the man has no people filter. Except, Carol the waitress. We infer from the early parts of the story that Melvin deeply cares for Carol. Perhaps, he sees in the waitress the same wounded soul that he is. They are fellow travelers of the same emotional landscape----the walking and sad population. Melvin needs love, maybe, even more than he realizes. Beneath his venom is a man who wants to be understood and cared for. These feelings are at odds with the dominant Melvin, a man who takes on all comers and delights in the nasty, appalling front he puts out. It is a testament to the brilliance of Nicholson that he can make this character so appealing. We, almost against ourselves, root for him to find salvation, to find the better angels of his nature. Through great comic delivery and poignant moments, Jack Nicholson rightfully earned his Oscar for Best Actor......... The middle section of the movie involves a trip of the three principals. Carol and Simon get to know and care for each other as both of them try to break through the Melvin hard shell. Simon has medical bills that are choking him and he needs the emotional support of his new friends to confront his parents. But, his parents do not want to see him. At first, this deeply hurts Simon. Reaching into his hurt, Simon pulls out his independence, and the spirit of the artist is reawakened. Carol sees this and gains momentum and confidence in herself. She has recently had a big-time doctor [ wonderfully played by Harold Ramis] give her son the needed medical care he was deprived of---- and is shocked that the medical bills will be paid by Melvin. The obvious care in which Melvin goes about arranging the sick kid's welfare touches Carol and she begins to see Melvin in a new way beneath his anger and belligerence. And, in the film's very best scene, Melvin and Carol find themselves on a date in a fancy restaurant. The dialogue in this scene is quite sharp and crackling. The dinner conversation starts off in typical Melvin-form as he unkindly makes fun of Carol's dress. She instantly rises to leave as her Irish is up. But, Melvin talks her in to staying by promising a compliment to her. It is obvious by now in the film that Melvin and Carol should be together, if only he can shut up the Old Melvin and bring forth the New Melvin. And, in this fine moment, it does come forward in a wonderful confession. Melvin tells Carol his doctor prescribed pills for him--- basically, to control his moods and level out his hard-edged personality. But, Melvin explains that he doesn't like to take pills. He states that the day after a night she came to his apartment, he started taking the pills. Carol does not understand what this has to do with her. He replies, with deep feeling, ''You make me want be a better man.'' This stops Carol in her tracks. She is shocked and honored by his statement. Why this is a great scene is not just what Melvin said, but, the aftereffects of his declaration. He seems uncomfortable with what he said and reverts back to his Melvin self. Soon, she storms out, vowing never to talk with him again. The scene rings very true for the characters and their life. One minute, they are One. The next, they are back to battling.......... The final act of the movie involves the resolution of the characters and finding love. It all works superbly. The final scene earns its smile from the audience. But, there is also the question: will Melvin and Carol last, long-term?...........''As Good As It Gets'' is a comedy and a drama, a real human being picture. There are flaws and imperfections in the main characters. Just like in life. But, there are also quite touching moments to treasure. We know, in the back of our minds, where this movie may go by the end. Still, there is some doubt as to whether they will make the finish line. The message is of tolerance and understanding of those who may different from us........ Not a bad message to live by.

9/11 World

With the solemn anniversary of 9/11 approaching, I was scratching my head on what to say about something that really does not need to be stated. We all remember where we were. It will forever be seared in our brains. You remember who was around you, what room the news came to you in. You also will remember it was a fine weather day---- both here and out East where the horror happened. And, you will never forget your feelings. It came in this order: Shock......Disbelief........Anger.........And, mostly, Grief........ How could you not feel otherwise? You are human, and, we decent human beings feel the pain and sadness of fellow decent people. In your mind's eye, you planted yourself in those final moments of the victims. How you thought you would react, the actions you would take. Of course, I will never know this for sure, but, I'm thinking, in those final moments for those people, they were walking in the same numbness we had. But, theirs was a much more horrible numbness. The numbness of impending doom about to descend on them....... I also like to think the numbness they felt gave them some kind of peace amongst the madness happening around them. Of course, fear was a constant, unwelcome companion that day. That would never cease. But, let us hope, if they didn't die fast, that the fear was not the dominant emotion. Let us hope that they experienced a graceful love of the life they lived. And, a sense that they were about to go home to God......... Those images haunt us all. The planes going into the towers. The massive explosion of fire and the endless parade of smoke. And, the realization that people were dying in front of our eyes. The planes passengers were gone quickly, as were the initial victims that felt the impact of those planes. But, we also saw the remnants of this holocaust. We knew that there were people trapped in the buildings and that they were doomed to die. Along with this realization came the nervous system jarring feeling that those people in the buildings also KNEW that they were going to die. Imagine, the terror. Imagine, the chaos. And, imagine, that they were, hopefully, in that tranquil state I talked about above.......... In Washington, D.C., the terror continued. A plane flew right into the Pentagon, our center for all things defensive, and exploded. That is when we knew that we were being attacked by an unseen enemy. We thought so after the New York attacks but this sunk it in. We were at War. With whom, that would soon come........ And, over Pennsylvania, there was a struggle raging on a plane.  Flight 93 was up in arms over whom was going to win, the cowards who were hijacking it, or, the heroes who were fighting back. The heroes won the battle but lost their lives in the war......... This is all familiar territory I am covering. You know the facts and the story as well as me. You know the emotional toll it took on all of us. It is as if, a black cloud descended over us, never to depart. 9/11 is the dividing line between the Old World we used to live in and this New World. Certain times in history there are benchmarks that change the landscape of the world. Pearl Harbor was one, the Kennedy Assassination was another. 9/11 joins that group to form an Unholy Triumvirate. Never again will we be innocent. Never again will we look at the world the same way. You cannot look at what happened on 9/11 and not be changed. For the worse....... If there was one good thing that day---- and there wasn't, but I keep looking for that elusive silver lining---- it is that we showed that under the madness and horror, we can gather as a people and unite. Everyday life separates people---- by gender, race, religion, economic status. On 9/11, that was erased, if only for a small amount of time. Nothing else mattered to you than to know that your loved ones were safe. That was the universal feeling at that moment. To hug your loves. I remember in the days following the tragedy, there was a suspension of the usual public feelings, like what used to bother us about our fellow human beings was not important anymore in the wake of the disaster. People seemed a little gentler out there. An interesting thing I noticed was in the driving habits of the public. There was no competition to get somewhere fast, like normal days. No, there was an ease, if someone cut you off, so be it. That was not important anymore. I noticed in stores there was a quiet respect going on, a feeling that expressed itself in the soft way people talked. The day before we all hollered and wept our grief.  On 9/12, there was a passiveness and weary acceptance that it wasn't a bad dream after all, that humanity had suffered a jolt and we were staggering. Maybe, you were kinder that day to a stranger. Maybe, you were lost in your own thoughts. But, the overwhelming feeling was that a national tragedy had befallen us. It was time to heal the soul......... We have not recovered from that September day on 2001, nor will we ever. It is forever with us. I would like to say that the feelings in the days after the tragedy stayed, that we humans grew to become more tolerate of each other, more loving. Of course, that did not happen. We went back to our regular selves, content on just caring for our little world and the people we love. We just hoped that the outside world out there would leave us alone and let us live in peace. But, the world of craziness and madness never goes away. It seems to get closer to us, whether it is a car bombing in Beirut or a school shooting in this country. The outlaw nature of human beings seems to be getting stronger, the circle of madness tightening around us closer and closer...........

Go Cubs Go

There is just something about Wrigley Field that invokes warm memories. Maybe, it is because it is legendary in baseball as being one of the last of the old relics, a field in tribute to bygone days. Babe Ruth allegedly called his famous home run shot there in 1932 [although, that is open to debate], and the boys named Tinker, Evers and Chance plowed down runners who were foolish enough to try to get on base. Sure, there were also many World Series played there from the early to mid-20th Century, for the Cubs were the dominant National League team of that glorious era of baseball. But, there is also something else that is special about that ballpark: for us Cubs fans, it is our Second Home........ More than any other professional sport, baseball rightfully claims the spot in your heart that is also reserved for where you were born. Childhood and baseball---- for millions--- are interchangeable, they go together like hot dogs and mustard. There is a simplicity about baseball. It is easy to learn and to play. The rules are fairly easy to learn. And, the equipment you use is just as simple: a bat and a ball and a glove. We all know how to hit a ball, we all know how to catch. Whether you are good at it is another matter. But, baseball, unlike other sports, is leisurely. Some call it boring but I call it easy listening music for the sports fan. Football is more monstrous, the heavy metal music that pounds at you from all sides. Basketball is rap music, a gangland style of watch your back or you will get hurt. Hockey is a hodgepodge, a musical sports amalgam of the crazy and the talented. Baseball is the calm oasis in sports, the kind of activity that everyone can play. It cries out for the average person, the working class Joe and Jane, to suit up and play between the golden lines. You want to take it easy and not drive your system to the brink of exhaustion? Baseball is it......... I don't think it is a coincidence that baseball is played during the summertime. Yeah, it starts in the spring and goes to the fall, but, it is a summer sport, played in the best weather of the entire year. Sunshine and blue skies overhead compliment that poetic beauty being played below. Inside the baseball diamond, the young play. You start out playing baseball as children, young innocents who are fresh-faced enough to embrace the game fiercely, without conflict or prejudice. There are no jealousies and no rivalries. Just youngsters playing to have fun---- the rock cradle of any sport. The smell of the glove is forever sealed in your memory, along with the freshness of holding the bat for the first time. Grabbing a baseball and fixing your fingers in the shape of a certain pitch [the best: the two-fingered curve] and pretending to throw with all your might. And, there is also the joy of throwing the ball back and forth to someone else. It is the baseball bond of brothers who love the game. You can whip the ball hard to the other person, but, the best throws are gingerly, just extending the arm and letting the baseball loft in the air. The leisurely way.......... Somewhere in childhood, the innocence of the game is lost and competition rears its ugly head. Competition: the feeling that will follow you in life, whether in sports or in the real world. Its strange how your feelings change as you get older. When I was younger, I wanted to win like everyone else and I cheered for my team to beat the tar out of the opposing team. Never during those times that I won, or, my team I was rooting for won, did I ever think of the losing side. Yes, it is thrilling when my team cracks the winning home run and we, as fans, go crazy. But, now, as a mature man, I find part of me feeling bad for the loser, the guy who gave up the home run. I see sadness and heartbreak now as an adult fan that I bypassed as a kid. Maybe, it is only natural because of the pain and sadness we all acquire as the years pass........ But, the thrill of baseball never gets old. Oh, there were many years when its importance was never on my life radar, for, as the Smart Beatle sang in one of his last songs: ''Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans.'' Everyday life takes your thoughts and interest away from a leisurely sport. But, baseball has always been in the background for me. It was always there when I was ready to embrace it again. A loyal friend who would wait for me. And, it has. The Cubs were my first love as a kid and you never get over your first love. I lived and breathed the Cubs. I knew all of the players and what their numbers were. I had the Cubs hat and shirts. The Cubs were important to me, certainly, more than school. The only thing about school I liked were my friends there [and, a growing interest in girls that I can track from, I think, birth on]. The Cubs have broken my heart more times than any woman. And, like a woman, I have been angry at them, frustrated, and willing to walk away. But, I will never leave the Cubs, flaws and all. And, I will never leave Wrigley Field......... Part of my attraction to Wrigley Field in my Mom. She grew up in that area in the 30's and 40's and was a rabid Cubs fan. She knew all of the players and had her favorites. Later on, when us kids came along, Mom gave us the love of the North Siders for us to keep forever. She saw them go to the World Series several times in her youth. But, they never won. Til her dying day, she remained a Cub fans and hoped to see them win it all......... I write this because this Cubs team now is proving to be something special. They have come out of nowhere and surprised us [and, I believe, themselves] on how good they are. Very good. Possibly, great. We Cubs fans know it is not wise to put the cart before the horse because this organization is notorious from snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. But, there is something in this team. Dare I say it, but, this team reminds me of the ''69 Mets''. The team that literally came out of nowhere and won it all. It could be another miracle!!!........ Or, not. If not this year, maybe, next. Unlike previous Cubs teams that have gone to the post-season, this Cubs squad looks like they have a huge future of victories and championships ahead of them. Recent winning Cubs teams---- 1984, 89, 98, 2003---- were teams for the moment. With those teams, it was a case of ''we have to win this now because we will be bad next year, most likely.'' Not this current crop. These young guys are GOOD!! They kick ass and take no prisoners!!! And, what is even more exciting is that there are more players in the farm system just itching to come to the Big Show. The rebuilding process we were promised that would bring results HAS BROUGHT RESULTS!!! AND, THEY ARE STUNNING!!! This team could be the future dynasty that baseball has been crying for. And Major League Baseball would love it. Just think of all of the publicity that the Cubs being in the World Series would bring to the National Pastime!!! All around the world, the Cubs would be the hot ticket. Grandmothers in Peru would be talking about the Cubs. Even in the darkest caves of Afghanistan, the ISIS monsters would be exclaiming : ''The fuckin imperialistic Cubs are in the World Series! Lets wait on our next Jihad and see how they do.''....... And, if that glorious day comes [it will] and the Chicago Cubs are in the World Series, it will be played at Wrigley Field. 1060 W. Addison. The original ''Field Of Dreams.'' There will be thousands there cheering. Those cheers will be mixed with the ghosts of Cubs fans of the past, also cheering. And, in the midst of that cheering, one voice will stand out for me. A little girl who grew up in that area and became a beautiful woman, both inside and out. Her voice will rise above all of the others for me and my sister, Lisa, to hear. And, we will cheer with her........ GO CUBS!!!!!