As Good As It Gets

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Travis Fine's "Any Day Now" is a heartfelt drama set in the 1970's, well before marriage equality and acceptance of gay Americans took hold; actually, the film itself was made before the Supreme Court declared marriage equality the law of the land. A struggling middle-age gay man, Rudy, works as a female impersonator in a bar. He befriends the neglected special-needs son of a drug-addicted neighbor, and, when the mother is incarcerated, takes him in and cares for him. Meanwhile, Rudy begins an unlikely relationship with a handsome recently-divorced lawyer, Paul, who aids Rudy in the legal custody battles to come. Needless to say, Rudy's noble intentions to be a foster parent to the young boy, Marco, run afoul of the conservative establishment of the period. The performances are all winning. Alan Cumming is especially good as Rudy, although his character should have realized that cutting his scraggly long hair would have improved his image in the courtroom. Also, Cumming is unconvincing as a drag queen, and his much-lauded voice does not merit the praise given. Garret Dillahunt's Paul is a bit bland, not unusual in a lawyer, but his attraction to Rudy is unconvincing, and their odd-couple pairing generates no heat. However, young Isaac Leyva is Marco, and his endearing performance likely rests on his being himself, which in this case is a major asset to the film."Any Day Now" also suffers from a generic title that elicits no interest and relates to little in the story. Marco's tale of woe certainly tugs at the heart, and Rudy and Paul's desire to support and nourish the badly treated boy is admirable and understandable, but their obstacles are also understandable in the context of the period. The film lacks nuance, and the script presents the issues as black and white; Rudy and Paul are the heroes with few allies, while the judges, lawyers, and social workers are the villains. However, audiences who can overlook some credibility issues and a lack of a balance in presenting the case will relish a good performance by Cumming and lose their hearts to Leyva.

Besides all the wonderful things that have been said about this movie of which i too was impressed and which my spirit responded to quite easily along with my tear ducts, i feel i should say more about Rudy. Rudy's character was gentle and quick and moved so easily into believability. from my trans woman point of view i felt a female perspective develop in "him"; i would like to say her.... his defense of Marcos was like a mother's, true and sure and verging on violent abandon. i was totally drawn into Rudy and felt overwhelming compassion for her. when she was nestling into Paul's arms i felt a warmth and intimacy. her smile held the wisdom, mystery, acceptance and understanding of a woman ready to be a mother. and with her voice i felt emotion and directness of energy. her songs always had feeling in them. during the film i expected to see the character development that was deployed, from my initial read of her mind and actions. i feel Rudy made this film in so many ways. without her heart we would not have seen caring love for Marcos. and what a brave heart she had. that alone started the tears flowing. i guess from all the people i have known who show such heart and courage? i could identify their will in her. and yes i will watch this movie again.

This has so much potential, but much in the same way as Sean Penn's "Into the Wild", it lays on so much sentimentality that it becomes risible (slow-mo turning heads to show pain, cheesy music when you're meant to feel sad, TERRIBLE OTT montage to show the progression of the relationship between the child and new parents). In the hands of a more experienced director, who would have allowed the powerful story to speak for itself, instead of piling on the amateur gimmicks, this would've been amazing. Instead, I'd say it's a bona-fide box of tissues, ice-cream schmaltz-fest to be tolerated by only the most "sex-in-the-city" of audiences.

this movie was simply fantastic well-written, moving, and passionate. Alan Cummings take on the character Rudy Donatello was quite superb. i said to myself before i started the movie i know this is going to make me cry, i was right. this is a very beautiful story that left me in tears. my heart beating and pounding for the characters on-screen. their passion for the film, and the story made what would have a been a rioted film from bigots and hardcore Christian's, a beautiful story that says Even though they are gay, they could love and raise a child just the way a heterosexual couple could. i simply want to thank whoever wrote this story and made it, to me, an instant classic. so in short, thank you for this film.