I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

As Good As It Gets

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

Some films play the eccentricity card too much in their attempts to be "different", and from the moment you meet Shirley MacLaine's Grandma Millicent Mirabeau, you will find yourself torn between whether or not you like her or find her a total pain in the butt. This wacky woman is her attempt to be Auntie Mame, but she actually comes closer to Roz Russell's absurd mother in "Oh, Dad, Poor Dad...". Whether locking herself in a dressing room over the fact that a sale on a VCR ended (and asking her granddaughter for toilet paper!) or constantly berating her grieving widowed son for neglecting his three daughters, MacLaine takes every single eccentric character she's ever played and pulls an Emeril ("Takin' it up a notch!") to create the first on-screen granny that needs a "time out". Yes, this grandmother can certainly say she lives life to the fullest, using clichés like "Two tacos short of a combination plate" and "You live, and then you die" to express her independent view of life. She's got a flashy wardrobe, isn't afraid to express every element of her soul to the girls she is raising, yet somehow seems more over-medicated than just "feisty". And yet, in spite of that, you can't take your eyes off of her, as if MacLaine was being possessed by the spirits of Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead or any other eccentric actress that had passed before her.If MacLaine's character does anything, it is the fact that she exposes what the new generation gap has become. Today's youth (besides taking themselves and life too seriously) are afraid of living to the fullest, walking in their own paths and trying new things in fear of rejection of a technology obsessed society. It shows that the rules have switched to where the young are seeming older than their youthful ages, while the older folks are simply marching to their own drumbeat as if their evian bottles contained champagne rather than water. Take MacLaine's three granddaughters, all named after states (with the exception of the state of confusion), all neurotic beyond reasonable belief. Oldest granddaughter Julia Stiles lives with a man that seems perfect for her, yet they are only friends, and he is unapologetically heterosexual. (Apparently cool enough to grab two "Cleaning Queens of West Hollywood" to take care of an after Christmas dinner mess). Middle granddaughter Azura Skye is pregnant but in denial of who the father is, while youngest Mika Boorem is obsessed with the lottery and dresses up provocatively to try to appear over 18 in order to buy a ticket. Needy messes all, they defy likability in spite of loving their grandmother and just cause head-scratching when trying to find one quality to even care about these character's lives.Ultimately, there seems to be little point here other than showing the comedy of the absurd that reveals little warmth about identifying with a new generation in the "Me!" era. Alessandro Nivola is charming as Stiles' roommate, and Edward Atterton has no real purpose in being there as the British date whom Stiles considers like an Italian suit she has no place to wear it to. Then, Jennifer Coolidge, as MacLaine's much younger Madame sister, comes in, serving no purpose other than to add more unappealing eccentricity into the convoluted mix. Randy Quaid is poorly treated as the troubled son/father who gets bashed every time he shows up. No wonder he only comes around to drop off his newest offspring. So in retrospect, this is a depressing view of family with comic and tragic elements, on the other side of the railroad tracks where they obviously rode in on the Bi-Polar Express.

This picture is billed as a romantic comedy but it's really more about family and how that can affect romances. While this is definitely a fluff piece, Shirley MacLaine's character and acting knock it out of the ballpark.Julia Stiles, by contrast, is wooden and unsympathetic in her role as the female romantic lead. I kept wanting to see her in some 1970's BBC drama where emotionless, physically dull acting was more the rage.Azura Skye does a nice turn in the predictable role of "the trashy sister" who gets pregnant after a one-night stand. Randy Quaid and the rest of the cast practically disappear except to act as foils to MacLaine's outrageous "tough love/live life my own way" Grandma.This is not great art or even great romantic comedy. You won't need to see it more than once. Watch it for MacLaine's performance and be ready to fluff your way through the rest!

*may contain a few spoilers*Carolina is an unusual movie (and character) in the fact that even in a family as dysfunctional as hers is, family always comes first. Rather than be weighted down by her past Carolina does her utmost to rise above it and make her life a bit more complete than the fractured past which she had grown up with, all the while she (and others) continue to make the same mistakes that got them there to begin with. Overall the movie had a decent flow, and outstanding acting by all parties involved. There were a few areas it lacked in, one of the most notable was the ending which was as fractured as Carolina's family was. There were too many paths revealed without anything coming to fruition. There was also the possibility of more conflict (which was implied by the families action) which was never capitalized on. Apart from the fact that family stayed together, it failed to show any other values you would hope from a family movie. Instead you see each person falling into the same mistakes that their parents had without truly overcoming anything.Overall it is very watchable, but expect to be left with a few questions at the end.

This movie has been a long time coming. After waiting a year for Miramax to release it in the US, I picked up the DVD via Canada. Although not perfect, it was sweet and very well acted. Ms. Stiles continues her skill of creating a new personality for each of her screen appearances, and she has NEVER looked better. Her range is amazing. She once again delivers a very powerful performance. In fact, all of the actors were impressive. Shirley MacLaine's role is more than a cameo, and she delivers. Randy Quaid was a pleasant surprise. In a role where he could easily have gone over the top; he didn't. Azura Skye did a great job and had several very memorable moments. I look forward to seeing her again. The child actress chosen to play the young Carolina is an uncanny young version of Ms. Stiles. Along with the acting, the dialog was consistently smart and sharp. Miramax should release and promote this film for no other reason than it contains some of the all-time great movie lines. Not every aspect or scene worked for me, but most did. I enjoyed and recommend it.