Great Scene: “As Good As It Gets”

Melvin and Carol take a pre-dawn walk leading to a compliment, a kiss … and another kiss.

The ending scene from the 1997 movie As Good As It Gets, screenplay by Mark Andrus and James L. Brooks, story by Mark Andrus.

Plot summary: A single mother and waitress, a misanthropic author, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship after the artist is assaulted in a robbery.

Here is the movie version of the scene:

That little bit of business at the very end where Melvin is “forced to step back on a crack” and he “notices… this momentous fact” is such a great way to end the movie. Yes, Melvin still has issues. But in this tiny occurrence, the fact Melvin doesn’t freak out, in fact rather casually handles what would once have caused him to freak out… it suggests that his character has changed and has the potential to change even more.

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