As Good As It Gets

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Given the cast and the type of story being told, I had high hopes for this movie. Within about 10 minutes, however, I was beginning to realise I'd been sold a pup. The main fault lies with the writing. The characters just aren't developed well enough to be even remotely believable, and what psychology they have is all wrong. Danny Glover's character, for instance, is a Vietnam vet who's taken himself off to the backwoods and turned his back on society. The only real face-to-face contact he has with another human comes once a month at the grocery store - and that's hardly a memorable or happy communion. But then, within a few short scenes, he's reconciled to this difficult child of an army pal he hasn't seen for decades. The child has lost her father - the emotional centre of her life at that point - but doesn't seem to suffer much in the way of grief (unless you call a few nights of tears grief). There was a great movie to be made here. Unfortunately, due to the bad writing, that movie didn't materialise. I disagree with critics who say it was badly acted. The actors did their level best with the script they were given. You can only be as good as the material you have to work with.

Missing in America should be compared with European drama; I am thinking of titles like La Dentelliere and Una Giornata Particolara. The similarities are striking, though the stories are very different. Movies like these focus on character, relations and yes, they manipulate the spectator. There is nothing wrong with that.The secret is in the dosing. Alas the end of Missing in America is an overdose. Like others have noted, the death of Lennie was not necessary. The two subsequent scenes, especially Katie's instant healing, were absolutely not trustworthy. As a result the scene at the memorial wall s***s.Docketerman is a talented director, no doubt about it. She has the talent to get the best from her actors. Every role, not matter how small, looked like or was (essentially the same) like played by a top actor. The way she used the flashback scene reminded me of For a few dollars more; the effect was the same, though in a completely different setting. Also Docketerman made a very good use of the beautiful landscape - again the influence of Leone? She succeeded in giving the veterans a credible background. I am sorry for okieindian, but the hundreds of hurt veterans are more interesting for a drama than the millions of normal ones. These don't need comrades like Jake. It is nonsense to state, that this story is an insult; it is not about them. Neither is Missing in America a political movie like that Oliver Stone/Tom Cruise one; it is a drama of individuals.I strongly recommend Docketerman to study the titles above; another suggestion is the melodrama part of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Blondie comforting the soldier). She also must learn, that in such situations absolute silence works better than wining hobo music. It is a strong tendency in American movies to "support" emotional scenes with pseudo-emotional music. The result is always predictability and distraction. I sincerely hope that she, like all the greats, analyzes the flaws of Missing in America.It is a pity, that Docketerman spoiled a potential masterpiece. She has a great future though.

This is one of the better movies exploring the lives of Vietnam veterans still struggling with life after the war. Very timely when you think about the thousands of Iraqi vets who will be the next generation of forgotten heroes. Fantastic acting by Danny Glover and Zoe Weizenbaum (I hope we see more of her in the future). The plot is a little weak but very engaging. The running time is surprisingly short at 105 minutes. There was lots of unexplored territory in the plot (the relationship between Glover and Linda Hamilton's character, the potential search for his son) but perhaps keeping the plot simple is part of the appeal. I would have rated it higher but the ending was a big letdown. I don't mind sad endings as long as it feels like it's part of a greater message.

I could go on about the various flaws of this movie. There are problems with the screenplay, obvious manipulation of the viewer's emotions, some predictable characterization and plot development, but never mind that.If I shove all that aside, I still find that I liked all of the major characters, and really cared about them. Danny Glover does a bang-up job. He has his character nailed, dead on. Zoe Weizenbaum is just downright stunning. Even if you're a misanthrope, like me, who can't stand children, you'll find yourself drawn in by her. Linda Hamilton, who we don't seem to see enough of, lately, plays a damaged, but likable storekeeper who pulls it all together. The actor who played "Red", even though he had no dialog, drew me into the horror of his past, in the scene at the cliff. For an instant I felt the pain of having his memories, which have left him twisted and isolated. Thankfully, only for an instant. I confess to having a few tears jerked by this movie. That doesn't happen often. I find the word "damaged" coming to mind a lot while thinking about this movie. It's true that life has a 100% fatality rate, and hardly anybody reaches their last moment undamaged. Some people, like those who got stuck with the job of being soldiers in Viet Nam, got a lot more damage then some of us luckier ones. This is a movie about damaged people, doing what they can for each other, even when most of society has abandoned them.I DO agree with a lot of the reviewers, here, that the ending unfolded in an unnecessary way. I can't say more without having to turn on the spoiler flag. I'm probably spoiled, myself, by the standard American cinema's penchant for "feel-good" happy endings, so don't you mind.Go rent this. See it on cable. It'll provoke a thought, evoke a tear, enrich Blockbuster by about a dollar-ninety-nine and bring you 102 minutes closer to your last moment. A little better for it, maybe?