Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Maleeha Vincent It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Michael Speiser This movie is great. I'm probably not surprising anyone who's seen the name Alfred Hitchcock before. Even then, I was surprised at how much I loved this movie. It has to be one of the most well written movies I've seen, it blows modern movie writing out of the water. It's an interesting and fast paced plot that has plenty of turns, but is never anywhere near convoluted or distracting. It's got pretty much everything you could want from an action movie, and then some. Cary Grant is entertaining as ever, and fills his role perfectly. There's not much more I can say about this movie without giving away the plot, but it's hard to think of anyone who wouldn't like this movie.

Steven Torrey Like all absurdist theatre, this is suffused with comedy. It is absurd like Gregor Samsa turned into a cockroach. Absurd like the prophet Job tested by God at the behest of Satan to test Job's faith. And we all know by now, that the Book of Job should be read with a laugh track: Eliphar, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu provide irrelevant (and hence unintended absurdist comedy) commentary to Job's affliction. Absurdist like the twists and turns of Oliver Twist... You get the idea.Cary Grant is not playing Cary Grant, he really plays a man bewildered by the chain of events that have beset him. Watch his facial expression as he is drunk driving the car and drunk in the police station; that is acting. He plays the role of absurdity straight, unaware till the end of the parameters of the absurd. And there is nothing more absurd than the spy agencies with the numerous twists and turns in the defense of a nation's integrity. And in the end, the assertion of love (Grant & Eva Marie Saint) is an assertion of sanity and denial of absurdity.But there is unmistakable and intentional comedy in the auction scene where Grant seemingly channels Leo G. Carroll's TV Cosmo Topper's vocal cadences in making irrelevant bids which end up as absurdist non-sequiturs just as Cosmo Topper did. And Grant played the role of ghost George Kirby to Roland Young's Cosmos Topper; while Leo G. Carroll was the TV Cosmo Topper; now that is Hitchcock comedy at its finest!How long should the drama be? As long as it takes to explain something. And sure enough, each part of the unfolding drama contains the needed time for the suspense: the endless road in the corn field adds for the cinematic suspense as does the lone individual waiting for a bus. ("Waiting for Godot") The scene in the Restaurant where Eva Marie Saint shoots Grant with a fake gun. ("The Sting")The scene with Eva Marie Saint in the Hotel Room. The scene at the house just before he warns Eva Marie Saint, that she has been found out. And so on. Each of these scenes have suspense from beginning to end. Even as they harken to other dramatic performances encapsulating absurdity, even if planned absurdity as in "The Sting." This may be Grant's best and finest performance; this may be Hitchcock's best and finest film production, to rival "The 39 Steps". the cast of Grant, Mason, and Eva Marie Saint give the proper balance; Leo G. Carroll is a plus.

tmpsvita Hitchcock is undoubtedly one of the greatest, more visionary and brilliant directors of all time, he had made films that are still admired and studied in schools for their incredible technical quality to say the least in the vanguard. Among the various cult that bear his signature one of the best known is this "North by Norhwest" a film that deserves to be remembered as such but which suffers, perhaps more than its other major films, of an aging fairly felt as far as it affects the rhythm and fluidity of it, unfortunately this affects the general vision, especially in our days when we are accustomed to extremely fast thrillers to appear almost exasperated. It is incredible, however, that despite this great obstacle due to its age (about sixty years) the film manages to transmit, in the first half in a more fluctuating manner and in the second in a more diluted and concrete way, a strong suspense, element that distinguishes virtually all movies of the master, which allows the whole story to be followed with great interest, fundamental aspect in a film of this kind. To make this possible is the excellent screenplay that, among ingenious narrative cues, sought-after twists and iconic and intelligent dialogues, makes everything an amiably elegant and fascinating package in full spy style that is still envious today. Also giving away the excellent characters interpreted in a particularly natural and credible way by names such as Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, which make them irresistible and absolutely pleasant to see. Hitchcock, in addition to its tasty initial cameo, gives the film an admirable direction: each shot is chosen with great attention to detail, especially those concerning the environment, each functional and peculiar, and shows a genius in always choosing the 'angle that can enhance the scene at best. Unfortunately, as I said the film is not light, although this is really subjective as an aspect, and because of this it fails to reach its full potential and losing a bit of its charisma and character that would make it a film easier to remember and, in a sense, to be seen; but one thing is certain any cinephile should see it just to learn something more about the cinema.

AugustGib This is a masterpiece in the way the narrative is handled, one of Hitchcock's best films. This film is home to some of the most memorable shots in cinematic history, for me. More specifically; the aerial establishing shots outside of the UN. The influence that Hitchcock has had, with his unique directing style, in many contemporary films. I've seen more than a few Cary Grant films, as well, and this is my favorite. That he has starred in.