How sad is this?

As Good As It Gets

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Sad, but this movie bored me to tears. Sad because I love Danny Glover and Steve Martin, and the chemistry between Glover and Kline was excellent! The plot is just, well, life is hard, at all socio-economic levels. Thanks. Got it.

Mack (Kevin Kline) lives a comfortable life in L.A. with his wife Claire (Mary McDonnell) and son Roberto (Jeremy Sisto). One night after a Lakers game with friend Davis (Steve Martin), his car breaks down in a bad neighborhood. He is threatened by young thugs when tow truck driver Simon (Danny Glover) comes to the rescue. Davis is a producer of violent films and he gets shot during a mugging. Claire discovers an abandoned baby. She is suffering from an empty nest and brings the baby home. Mack is drawn to his flirtatious secretary Dee (Mary-Louise Parker). Simon lives alone and has a deaf daughter. His sister Deborah (Tina Lifford) lives in a rough neighborhood and her son Otis is being pulled into a gang. Their house gets shot up. Mack sets up Simon with Jane (Alfre Woodard) from the office.This starts with a very memorable turn by Danny Glover. His little speech is a poetic plea for civility. The varied characters from varied backgrounds all have compelling lives. I am reminded of Oscar winning Crash (2004) except I like this one better. I feel drawn into each character's world. Unlike Crash, I don't feel manipulated. These characters have more reality and more humanity. Every one of them is trying to live within this interconnected world.

I finally got to see this movie and had to go out of my way to find it. It's been on my list for years after missing the theatrical release. Finally ordered it from a video store. This is what I would call,, a great movie, in that it is the type of movie where i enjoyed it from start to finish. It has a story and characters, and a good script that all blend together. Kevin Kline was great, and so was the rest of the cast. Although I always wanted to see it because Steve Martin played a serious role. That being said, what really surprised is the definite connection to 2004's "Crash" with Sandra Bullock. Practically the same movie. They just changed the characters and the incidents that happen. But other than that, Crash is just a remake of this movie. There is also an uncanny resemblance to Steve Martins' "L.A. Story" Very similar, which was released the same year. All in all a very enjoyable movie.

Lawrence Kasdan directs "Grand Canyon", a sprawling ensemble piece which recalls such films as "Magnolia", "Crash", "Short Cuts" and "City of Hope". With the exception of "Short Cuts", these films tend to be very contrived, filled with strained connections and spending much of their time making laboured points about fate, fragility, coincidence and the interconnectedness of life.Though better written than its imitators, "Grand Canyon" does the same thing. Set in Los Angeles, the film glides gracefully across a set of characters, all of whom share common experiences despite their different economic strata, ages and racial backgrounds. Though at times unfocused, the film is ambitious and contains a number of well written sequences, including one in which actor Kevin Kline describes the moment a stranger saved his life. Another scene, in which a father and son share a driving lesson, is particularly beautiful. It points to life's precariousness, the way every mundane activity carries with it both risk and bravery, as well as the infinite number of little "miracles" which occur everyday.On another level, "Canyon" is a "white, middle-class, suburban disaffection movie" in the vein of "American Beauty", "The Ice Storm", "Safe", "Far From Heaven" and "Happiness", most of which were released in the mid 90s. "Canyon", however, predates them all, and is resolutely upbeat. Where those films tend to end in violence, disillusionment and disaffection "Canyon" ends on a note of almost naive optimism. And while most of these films focus on a white, middle class, "Canyon" jumps from the staggeringly rich, to the middle class, to ghetto-trapped African Americans. Another distinction is Kasadan's direction itself, which isn't afraid to drop into surreal territory. The film includes several extended dream sequences, one of which recalls the Coens' "Big Lebowski", another LA flick."Canyon" indulges in two recurring metaphors or motifs, that of "The Grand Canyon" and that of permanently patrolling helicopters, the latter resembling the "med fly" aircraft of Altman's "Short Cuts". Kasdan's point: man is utterly inconsequential when stacked up against a universe that is simultaneously vast, beautiful, horrific, malevolent and seemingly time-less. Elsewhere Kasdam's patrol helicopters offer a mixed sense of guilt, danger and perhaps cosy communal safety, the world presumed dangerous, but rendered navigable alongside the watchful eyes, or even miracles, of others."Canyon" isn't as good as "Short Cuts", but it is better than all the other "ensemble movies" and "disaffection dramas" that came later. In terms of flaws, all of Kasdan's characters speak the same, regardless of their economic standing. The film is also at times very heavy handed, condescending and has that typically overproduced look of early 90s Hollywood.7.9/10 – There are a number of great scenes here, but the film can't sustain these highs. Worth one viewing.