Simply A Masterpiece

As Good As It Gets

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

...and proves it with this tale-telling adventure that might be autobiographical; and even a real glimpse into the future. If you are a filmmaker, this would be your ideal student film. Science fiction; multiple dimensions of past, present and future; knock out actresses like Charlotte Rampling and l'actress Francoise Marie- Christine Barrault... Let me just say that the screenplay is one of the great inspirations of my career as an artist, moviegoer, and film- enthusiast. Aside from all of the jazz, though, it is a very sensitive story: a stark depiction of a tragic movie star romance, reminiscent of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. Allen might also be writing a script to say that becoming famous makes you a magnet for insanity. It's a Hollywood movie without the Hollywood ending. I daresay that's why critics trashed it. In actuality, this movie is a classic in the ranks of Federico Fellini and Louis Malle. I say it's one of Woody Allen's best films ever, and if you want to experience a gem from the world of independent films, this would be my pick. ~CME

Perhaps Allen's most underrated film. Personally, he has called it one of his favorites. Some critics get hung up on it being some sort of mean-spirited autobiographical picture, the same mistake they make with Deconstructing Harry. The reality is, despite how messed up Allen appears to be personally, this is not about him per se, but is more a general commentary on how detached artists are from their fans and vice versa and how fame and fortune is often little compensation for the neurosis that both inspires and tortures many artists.The film borrows heavily and openly from Fellini in general and 8 1/2 in particular. This allows Allen to engage in some grotesque close-up scenes with sycophantic followers(i suppose this is where many people find the file insulting but I find humorous) and to allow for some wonderful flights of fancy, such as the UFO enthusiast scene.The recurring gag of people (and non-people) saying "We love your movies, especially your early, funny ones" is actually quite funny and poignant. It actually goes a ways toward supporting the theory I argue against that this is a bitter autobiographical film, and I am quite sure it is something that Allen did hear. Despite that, I find it a surprisingly warm film and actually it has a somewhat upbeat ending.

Review: This film felt more like a series of sketches than a whole movie. The storyline is all over the place and I didn't have a clue what was going on most of the time, but I understood the main concept which was that the popular filmmaker is fed up with the critics questioning his work and his love life is a right mess. Basically, it's your usual Woody Allen movie, were he uses every chance to get his leg over. As this movie was made in the early 80's, I can actually imagine Woody Allen's life being like it is in the movie, with the paparazzi constantly on his tale, fans asking for autograph and many beautiful women on his tale but it eventually leads to him losing the plot. He eventually becomes tired of making funny movies and I have actually witnessed this after watching a lot of his movies. He seems to sway from comedy to drama through his career so he obviously had this problem in his real life. Anyway, the film is funny in parts but the storyline is sketchy. Watchable! Round-Up: After watching a few of Woody Allen's movies, I'm beginning to see a pattern with the box office takings, which isn't that great. He only started to make serious money when he decided to stick to writing and directing, which must have been a tough decision because he seems to be the main character in most of his earlier projects. He still adds some of his warped sense of his humour to his latter scripts, but he doesn't have that million words per minute, annoying humour, which I saw in some of the scenes in this movie. At the end of the day, this is a watchable movie which is better than some of his latter projects, but I'm still struggling to understand the mind behind his work.Budget: $10million Worldwide Gross: $10.3millionI recommend this movie to people who are into there Woody Allen movies about a popular director who is going through a nervous breakdown because of the pressure of being a comedy genius and his constant problems with relationships. 5/10

Alright so every great artist takes some inspiration from the colleagues in their field in modern times. And clearly u can tell throughout Woody Allen's work the inspiration he receives from European directors, Fellini and Bergman. But in this movie he hits u over the head with 8 1/2 directed by Federico Fellini, and unlike Hannah and Her sisters, which was largely inspired by Fanny and Alexander directed by Ingmar Bergman, his tribute falls short of worthy. Woody Allen is a Dissatisfied Director who agrees to spend a weekend at a film festival honoring his movies. He's swarmed by fans trying to tell him story ideas, asking for autographs and telling him how much they like his earlier works. Throughout the weekend, He meets and falls in love with different women too. Like I said earlier, this film feels a lot like a dream or a fantasy in parts like 8 1/2. It also feels like Woody is saying to his fans to back off after his previous movie was criticized. I think the story is great and the cinematography fits well in black and white. Te acting also works with the story but no performance is special. And the music is typical Woody Allen jazz.Overall above average movie but fails to be a great tribute to Federico Fellini, and 8 1/2.6/10