Fiction can
sometimes give us characters who start out evil, but wind up heroic. That is quite a transformation and difficult
to accomplish. At the beginning of the 2013
Brazilian telenovela, Amor A Vida, the
lead character, Felix (pronounced “faylix” and played superbly by Mateus Solano),
selfish and egotistical, puts his new born niece into a trash dumpster, hoping
she will not survive. What a
villain! However, in its conclusion,
Felix is selflessly and heroically caring for his father, who has recently suffered
a debilitating stroke. He is transformed
by means of his total humiliation. He
went from being the president of a prestigious hospital to selling hot dogs on
the street.
In the 1997 movie,
As Good As It Gets (perhaps ours lives
will never get any better), we see a similar transformation. This is the story of a best selling novelist
(Melvin Udall, played by Jack Nicholson who won the Academy Award for Best
Actor) who suffers from obsessive-compulsive behavior. He works at home in his apartment and eats
breakfast at the same table in the same restaurant every day, using his own
plastic disposable knives and forks. He
alienates everybody he comes in contact with with his anti-social
behavior. He throws his neighbor’s pet
dog down the garbage shoot. Does that
sound familiar? He makes anti-semetic
comments in public (“There are Jews at my table” plus worse). He refers to his neighbor’s agent as a
“colored man.” He insults one waitress
referring to her as “elephant girl.” He
also makes disparaging comments about gays and Latinos. Melvin is a bad guy.
Do people
change? Can people change? I think life is a process where human beings need
to adapt to an ever changing environment.
Many people use the same old formula in dealing with this problem either
because that is all they know or they believe it is the one and only correct
answer, at least for them. Others learn
from their mistakes and alter their course over time in order to adapt. When and if people are ready to change, they
can change.
At his
favorite restaurant, Melvin starts to develop a relationship with his waitress
(Carol, played by Helen Hunt, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress), the
only one he wants or will accept. She is
also the only server who will tolerate his unpleasant behavior. When Carol is unable to work because of her
son’s chronic illness, Melvin bribes another employee in order to track her
down. When he discovers the cause of her
absense, Melvin enlists the help of his editor’s husband, a doctor, to care for
Carol’s son so she can return to work and serve him his food.
When his gay
neighbor is hospitalized after being assaulted at home by thieves, Melvin
reluctantly agrees to take care of his dog, who survived the trip down the
garbage shoot. Shockingly, Melvin and
the dog start to develop a relationship.
When the neighbor returns home, the dog seems to actually prefer
Melvin.
These two
relationships, with the waitress and the dog, start the transformation of
Melvin into a human being. It won’t be
easy or without pain. Eventually, Melvin
invites his gay neighbor to move into the spare bedroom in his apartment after
he loses his apartment. And finally,
Melvin is able to launch a romantic
relation with Carol, the waitress. The
transformation from bad to good seems to be on its way.
As Good As It Gets was also nominated for the Academy
Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Greg Kinnear as the gay neighbor,
but lost to Robin Williams in Good Will
Hunting), Best Editing (won by Titanic),
Best Picture (won by Titanic), Best
Original Score (won by The Full Monty),
and Best Original Screenplay (won by Good
Will Hunting). There is some great
dialogue in the movie such as:
Receptionist: I can't resist!
You usually move through here so quickly and I just have so many questions I
want to ask you. You have no idea what your work means to me.
Melvin: What does it mean to you?
Receptionist: That somebody out there knows
what it's like to be in here (she places her hands over her head and heart).
Melvin: Oh God, this is like a
nightmare.
Receptionist: Oh come on! Just a couple of
questions. How hard is that? How do you
write women so well?
Melvin: I think of a man, and I take
away reason and accountability.
Carol: OK, we all have
these terrible stories to get over, and you-...
Melvin: It's not true. Some of us have
great stories, pretty stories that take place at lakes with boats and friends
and noodle salad. Just no one in this car. But, a lot of people, that's their
story. Good times, noodle salad. What makes it so hard is not that you had it
bad, but that you're pissed that so many others had it good.
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Melvin (to neighbor): Never, never,
interrupt me, okay? Not if there's a fire, not even if you hear the sound of a
thud from my home and one week later there's a smell coming from there that can
only be a decaying human body and you have to hold a hanky to your face because
the stench is so thick that you think you're going to faint. Even then, don't
come knocking. Or, if it's election night, and you're excited and you wanna
celebrate because some fudgepacker that you date has been elected the first
queer president of the United States and he's going to have you down to Camp
David, and you want someone to share the moment with. Even then, don't knock.
Not on this door. Not for ANY reason. Do you get me, sweetheart?
Carol: Why can't I have a normal boyfriend? Just a
regular boyfriend, one that doesn't go nuts on me!
Carol’s
mother: Everybody
wants that, dear. It doesn't exist.
Melvin (to
bartender): Well, it's not right to go into
details, I got nervous. I screwed up, I said the wrong thing... Where if I
hadn't, I could be in bed right now with a woman who, if you make her laugh,
you got a life. Instead I'm here with you, no offense, but a moron pushing the
last legal drug.
Melvin: I can't get back
to my old life. She's evicted me from my life!
Neighbor: Did you really
like it all that much?
Carol: Come on in, and try not to ruin everything by
being you.
Melvin: Maybe we could live without
the wisecracks.
Carol: Maybe we could.
Carol: Is it a secret
what you're doing here?
Melvin: I had to see you.
Carol: Because?
Melvin: It relaxes me.
Melvin
(to Carol): You make me want to be a
better man.
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