As Good As It Gets Udall Analysis

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. He brings him soup, offers to walk Verdell and at one point offers Simon a room in his apartment even though "No one's been in here [apartment] before" (Sakai et al. 1997)! Verdell teaches Melvin he is capable of connections, Simon is the first person with whom he connects. He may have ulterior motives, such as to see Simon's dog Verdell or to impress Carol the waitress, but he winds up truly caring for him. Simon teaches Melvin not to be afraid to love Carol, but to embrace it and fight for it; "Melvin, do you know where you're lucky? You know who you want" (Sakai et al. 1997). He pushes Melvin in the right direction, he knows Melvin loves Carol and she loves him right back, Simon just nudges Melvin to actually act on his feelings. Melvin Udall becomes romantically linked with Carol Connelly, the waitress. His obsessions brought her into his life; she is his waitress at the same restaurant, at the same table, everyday. His obsessions also bonded them; he was so set in his ritual of dining daily with her that he pays a doctor to take after Carol's son so she can return to work. His narcissism almost ruined their relationship before it started, "Oh, we're all going to die soon. I will, you will, and it sure sounds like your son will" (Sakai et al. 1997). Narcissism is defined as "the tendency to regard oneself as grandiosely self-important" (Lloyd & Weiten 2006). Before, Melvin was completely self-involved, no one else even existed in his world. Now that Verdell, Simon and Carol have come into his life, he is learning how to respect and consider other people's feelings and situations. What really cements their connection is the parallel lives they now lead. Carol was a single, working mother of a sick child, she in many ways lived an abnormal life the same as Melvin. After his generous gift of doctors to treat Carol's son, she has to face the changes she will feel when her daily life becomes more normal, and less stressful. Despite his mental health and intimacy issues, Melvin decides that "you [Carol] make me want to be a better man" (Sakai et al. 1997). And at that moment Carol receives "maybe the best compliment of my life" (Sakai et al. 1997). Most people bond primarily with other people, Melvin Udall first bonds with a dog before learning how to associate with the people around him. His special connection with Verdell teaches Melvin how to love and care for more than just his own needs and wants. By finding his one normalcy in this abnormal life Melvin connects with Carol, her son, and Simon. His obsessions do not need to exclude him from the outside world; they were just a barrier to his social interactions. His connections with these people actually may have broken some of his cycles of rituals, "I forgot to lock the door" (Sakai et al. 1997) after all of his encounters with Simon and Carol he has more important issues on his mind, his love for Carol, than his rituals. Melvin is able to communicate and connect with those he deems important, regardless of his shortcomings, he is finally truly able to care for others before himself.