Is This Really as Good as It Gets?

Is This Really "As Good As It Gets?"

Melvin Udall is a mean spirited, rude, unpleasant old man who lives alone and has never connected with anyone. His obsessive-compulsive disorder along with his fear of germs, cracks and fears of intimacy has raised a wall around him keeping others out. Mr. Udall feels comfortable alone, that's what he knows and he also has a keen way of putting off anyone with whom he comes into contact. His constant ritual performances and anxiety issues prevent him from living a normal life. Melvin Udall is racist, homophobic, sexist, narcissistic, as well as showing dislike for the Jewish faith and suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder. As a man living in Manhattan, New York, Melvin Udall lives an abnormal daily life, when Melvin truly connects with other human beings he realizes there is a normal side to his erratic lifestyle and existence.

As a romance novelist, Melvin lives in a nice apartment in Manhattan. He has his own schedule, including eating at the same restaurant, with the same waitress, Carol, with his own silverware daily. His rituals include locking the door and turning on and off the lights multiple times, washing his hands with soap and extremely hot water, and never stepping on any cracks on the sidewalk or in buildings. His neighbors detest his negative attitude and complete disregard for other people. Simon Bishop, the gay, artist who lives next door takes the brunt of Melvins offensive behavior. After Simon is seriously injured after an attack in his apartment, Melvin ends up with his dog, Verdell.

Melvin hates dogs. He has even been known to throw them down the garbage chute. When he sarcastically tells Simon he loves Verdell, Simon comes back with, "You don't love anything, Mr. Udall" (Sakai, Mark & Brooks 1997). And it's true. After caring for Verdell, Melvin notices the dog picking up his unusual habits: Verdell no longer steps on cracks and mimics Melvin's emotions. After realizing he is capable to connecting with other beings, Melvin starts to care for others in different ways, he pays for a doctor for his favorite waitress, Carol's very sick son, and even offers to have Simon stay with him until he gets back on his feet. When Simon recruits Melvin to drive him to his parents home in Baltimore, Carol is invited as well, and feeling obligated due to Melvin's generosity, she agrees to go. Melvin's behavior is appalling and even with all the improvement he's made with his goal being to be with Carol, he almost turns her off for good. In the end, while opening a door for Carol, Melvin steps on a crack, proving that he is no longer completely selfish, but puts others before himself.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is "marked by persistent, uncontrollable intrusions of unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and urges to engage is senseless rituals (compulsions)" (Lloyd & Weiten 2006). After being diagnosed with OCD Melvin does not keep regular appointments with a therapist or take medication for his urges (Sakai et al. 1997). However he feels like others should treat him differently when they assume he "had some choice about [offensive behavior]" (Sakai et al. 1997). Mr. Udall's OCD is a key trait in his character even though it is only mentioned in a movie less than a handful of times. He is portrayed as a mean old man with bizarre behavior though they never go into detail about his actual medical diagnosis. In actuality there is no specific test used to diagnose OCD only with a comprehensive evaluation of symptoms, family history and emotional past (Mental Health Channel 1998-2007).

Verdell, Simon's dog, is responsible for showing Melvin he was normal enough to connect with other humans. Melvin finds it in his heart to truly love someone or something other than himself. After spending a lifetime alone, certain no one could possibly understand his odd behaviors; Verdell comes into Melvin's life. Verdell shows unconditional love and Melvin returns those feelings. When Verdell begins to show odd behavior himself, Melvin notices even though he has never been able to read people. After scolding him, "Don't be like me. Don't you be like me" (Sakai et al. 1997)! Melvin begins to reward the dog with bacon for his behavior, showing he accepts Verdells peculiarities, just as he hopes others will accept his.

When Simon returns from the hospital he is eager to have his dog, Verdell back with him to recover from his severe beating. Melvin is genuinely upset about losing the dog and instead of just slinking back to his old hard reclusive self, he begins to bond with Simon.