Official Trailer
As Good as It Gets(1997)
Sign in to rateBe the first to rate
1997 · FILM
As Good as It Gets
Obsessive‑compulsive romance author Melvin Udall must abandon his rigid rituals to safeguard his dying neighbor’s beloved dog, thrusting him into a chaotic battle against ruthless intruders who will stop at nothing to destroy everything he meticulously controls.
“A comedy from the heart that goes for the throat.”
Directed by
Written by
Rated
MPA · PG-13
Runtime
139 min
ComedyDramaRomance
Synopsis
A misanthropic author, a single mother and waitress, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship after the artist is assaulted in a robbery.
Credits
Actors
Production Designer
Director of Photography
Writers
Related titles
No curated related titles yet. Use the edit affordance to add "More from this director", "Same franchise", or "Adaptation source material" entries — every change goes through the wiki review queue.
How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 275+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Richard MarksShot by John BaileyScored by Hans ZimmerDesigned by Bill BrzeskiSound by Ron Bartlett Nm0058897Costumes by Donna Casey AiraStunts by Bj DavisVFX by Tim Mcgovern
Box Office
1997 · Box office
💰 Box-office hit — grossed 6.3× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$314.2M
Budget$50.0M
Worldwide gross$314.2M
break-even (2.5×)
US & Canada: $148.5M — 47% of worldwide · International: $165.7M (53%)
Opening weekend: $3.6M — 2% of its US run. It had legs — it kept earning long after opening weekend.
Opening week (7-day): $3.6M — 2% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 1,572 theaters
Full synopsis
Also known as
- Besser geht's nichtde
- Mejor... imposiblees
- Pour le pire et pour le meilleurfr
- Qualcosa è cambiatoit
- (French)Pour le pire et pour le meilleur
Release dates around the world2 countries · showhide
- United StatesDec 6, 1997
- CanadaDec 23, 1997
Companies
ProductionTriStar Pictures, Gracie Films
Community tags
Be the first to tag this page — tags appear right away. Try a theme, capability, or subject (e.g. WWII, heist, slow burn, time travel, A24).
Cast & Crew
275 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Jack Nicholson
as Melvin Udall
Helen Hunt
as Carol Connelly
Greg Kinnear
as Simon Bishop
Cuba Gooding Jr
as Frank Sachs
Skeet Ulrich
as Vincent
Shirley Knight
as Beverly
Yeardley Smith
as Jackie
Lupe Ontiveros
as Nora
Jill The Dog
as Verdell
Timer The Dog
as Supporting Dog
Billy The Dog
as Supporting Dog
Bibi Osterwald
as Neighbor Woman
Supporting cast
69Ross Bleckner
as Carl
Bernadette Balagtas
as Caterer
Jaffe Cohen
as Partygoer
Laurie Kilpatrick
as Partygoer
Alice Vaughn
as Partygoer
Brian Doyle Murray
as Handyman
Kristi Zea
as Mother at Table
Annie Tippe
as Daughter at Table
Patricia Childress
as Cafe 24 Waitress
Rebekah Johnson
as Cafe 24 Waitress
Missi Pyle
as Cafe 24 Waitress
Leslie Stefanson
as Cafe 24 Waitress
Tara Subkoff
as Cafe 24 Waitress
Shane Black
as Cafe 24 Manager
Peter Jacobson
as Man at Table
Lisa Edelstein
as Woman at Table
Stan Bly
as Cafe 24 Customer
Randall Batinkoff
as Carol's Date
Jesse James
as Spencer Connelly
Jamie Kennedy
as Street Hustler
Justin Herwick
as Street Hustler
Maya Rudolph
as Policewoman
John F O Donohue
as Detective Ray
David Kipper
as Hospital Doctor
Mary Elizabeth Still
as Nurse Receptionist
Chloe Brooks
as Child at Cafe 24
Cooper Brooks
as Child at Cafe 24
Sharon L Alexander
as Female Passerby
Holly Denys
as Female Passerby
Lawrence Kasdan
as Dr. Green
Alison Rose
as Psychiatric Patient
Kathryn Morris
as Psychiatric Patient
Wood Harris
as Cafe 24 Busboy
Linda Gehringer
as Publisher
Julie Benz
as Receptionist
Harold Ramis
as Dr. Bettes
Antonia Jones
as Nurse
Kaitlin Hopkins
as Woman in Lobby
Jimmy Workman
as Sean from the Bakery
Danielle Spencer
as Veterinarian
Todd Solondz
as Man on Bus
Tom Mcgowan
as Maitre D
Danielle Brisebois
as Singer
Matt Malloy
as Men's Store Salesman
Paul Greenberg
as Bar Waiter
Kirk Ringberg
as Food Waiter
Dave Hawthorne
as Bartender
Alba Albanese
as New Yorker
Roger Ferreira
as Restaurant Patron
Amy Anzel
as Ballet Dancer
Alex Ballar
as Flower Store Customer
Joe Beachy
as Restaurant Patron
Laura Mayes Byrnes
as Restaurant Patron
Jason Thomas Campbell
as Valet
Bronwyn Cornelius
as Bartender
Dunya Djordjevic
as Art Dealer
Eddie L Fauria
as NYC Transit Cop
Peter Godoy
as Police Officer
James Gosnell
as Boyfriend
Daniel D Harris
as Upscale Restaurant Diner, Dancer
Eliza Harris
as Ballet Dancer
Maurice Lamarche
as Fred Bishop - Simon's Dad on Phone
Johnny Mansbach
as Restaurant Patron
Bradlee Park
as Waiter
Nicole Salter
as Not Credited
Frank Slaten
as Miffed Partygoer
Joey Sontz
as Bus Passenger
Oriana Nicole Tavoularis
as Restaurant Patron
Justin Isaac Ward
as Diner
Directors
1Writers
2Producers
12Aldric La Auli Porter
associate producer (as Aldric Porter)
Bridget Johnson
Producer, Producers
George Merkert
visual effects producer: Sony Pictures Imageworks
James L Brooks
Producer, Producers
John D Schofield
co-producer
Kristi Zea
Producer, Producers
Laura Ziskin
executive producer
Laurence Mark
executive producer
Maria Kavanaugh
associate producer
Owen Wilson
associate producer
Richard Marks
co-producer
Richard Sakai
executive producer
Other crew
190Stephen Douglas
additional artwork: by Film Art, Los Angeles
Barbara Harris
adr voice casting (uncredited)
Raymond W Beal
animal trainer
Mathilde Decagny
animal trainer (as Mathilde DeCagny)
George Campos
apprentice sound editor
Rochelle S Allen
art department assistant
Philip Toolin
Art Director
Teresa Carriker Thayer
art director: New York
Giela Fredman
assistant accountant
Jodi Shapera
assistant accountant (uncredited)
Tamsin Anstey
assistant accountant (uncredited)
David Burnett
assistant chief lighting technician (as David R. Burnett)
Parents Guide
AI Personalities
Advisory Bot AI
I keep the family-safety picture honest — community advisories, AI-moderated, summarized without spin.
Loading parents guide…
Ratings & reviews
Official ratings
MPA·PG-13USRe-ratedBBFC·15GBRe-ratedFSK·FSK 6DERe-ratedACB·MAURe-ratedCBFC·AINRe-ratedClassInd·LivreBRRe-ratedKAVI·K-7/4FIRe-ratedCNC·Tous publicsFRRe-ratedICAA·TESRe-ratedItaly·TITRe-ratedKijkwijzer·12NLRe-ratedIFCO·15IERe-ratedRTC·BMXRe-ratedKMRB·15KRRe-ratedUNITED ARAB EMIRATES·PG-15Re-ratedTURKEY·13+Re-ratedTAIWAN·12+Re-ratedSWITZERLAND·7Re-ratedSWEDEN·11Re-ratedSINGAPORE·PG13Re-ratedRUSSIA·12+Re-ratedPORTUGAL·M/12Re-ratedPOLAND·16Re-ratedPHILIPPINES·PG-13Re-ratedPERU·AptRe-ratedNORWAY·11Re-ratedNEW ZEALAND·PGRe-ratedICELAND·LRe-ratedHONG KONG·IIARe-ratedEGYPT·RRe-ratedECUADOR·12Re-ratedDENMARK·11Re-ratedCHILE·TERe-ratedCANADA·GRe-ratedBELGIUM·KT/EARe-ratedAUSTRIA·6Re-ratedARGENTINA·13Re-rated
Loading reviews…
RegionShowing providers available in United States.
We’re attempting to crowdsource this data.
Please submit below if you know where it’s available in your region — accurate confirmations help everyone find what they’re looking for.
Earn reputation for verified submissions Lose reputation for intentionally false reports
Where to watch
Live · bot-verified- Paramount+Stream
Gallery
Add imageNo community images for As Good as It Gets yet
Add a still, a storyboard, or concept art — every image gets its own page where members can discuss it.
Trailers
Official Trailer
As Good as It Gets(1997)
Media & Uploads
0 filesReader-moderated
Scripts, set photos, storyboards, score sketches — community-curated reference material for film students and industry professionals.
Did you or a loved one work on As Good as It Gets?
Every stage matters — pitch decks and treatments from development, location scouts and table-reads from pre-production, set photos and crew anecdotes from production, edit-bay notes from post, and press kits, festival memories, or marketing ephemera from distribution. Any moment that didn't make the press tour, any document or photograph that's been sitting in a box — please share it so it's not lost to time.
We particularly welcome contributions from writers, producers, cast, crew, festival programmers, distributors, marketing teams, their families, and anyone who was there at any stage.
Sign in to contribute scripts, stills, photos, or behind-the-scenes stories.
Be the first to share something on As Good as It Gets.
Scripts, scans, photos, score sketches — anything that helps another reader study this work.
Memorable quotes
Browse all →No quotes logged for As Good as It Gets yet — add the first memorable line below.
Got a quote we’re missing?
Submit a line from any film, show, or game.
The conversation
Loading the conversation…
Comments (0)
on As Good as It GetsNo comments yet. Be the first to share what you think.
Edit history
Loading edit history…