Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

As Good as It Gets Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 1, 2022

Sony has released the classic 1997 film 'As Good as It Gets,' starring Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, and Greg Kinnear, directed by James L. Brooks, to Blu-ray. At time of writing, this Blu-ray disc is exclusive to the third volume of the prestigious 'Columbia Classics Collection' boxed set, where a UHD copy of the film, and five other films, are included. The film was previously released to Blu-ray by Twilight Time in 2012, a disc which is now out of print. Much of the supplemental content is new to Blu-ray and this set includes much more than was available on the Twilight time disc. Also included is new 1080p video sourced from the 4K master and 5.0 lossless audio.

Official synopsis: Jack Nicholson gives a show-stopping Academy Award-winning performance as Melvin Udall, an obsessive-compulsive novelist with Manhattan's meanest mouth. But when his neighbor Simon is hospitalized, Melvin is forced to babysit Simon's dog. And that unexpected act of kindness, along with waitress Carol Connelly (Helen Hunt, in an Academy Award-winning performance), helps put Melvin back in the human race.

For a full film review, please see Jeffrey Kauffman's excellent analysis accompanying the 2012 Twilight Time release by clicking here.

As Good as It Gets Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sony delivers As Good As It Gets to Blu-ray with a new 1080p picture sourced from the 4K master. The presentation is excellent. It's lightly grainy and holds to a beautiful filmic appearance. Grain distribution is even with no spikes or drops, and there is no evidence of unnecessary digital manipulation to reduce it. The result is a crisp, cinematic image that boasts excellent textures available through the film's well-realized locales: apartment interiors, cafe interiors, and so on. Viewers will be able to soak in every available texture with ease, reveling in art supplies, furniture, and the like. Facial textures are of course substantial in depth and density. Colors are pleasing with a mild push to warm but certainly full, though not quite impactfully vivid, output. Whites are crisp and black levels are deep and true. Skin tones carry that mild warmth. There are no compression or encode problems to report.

As Good as It Gets Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This Blu-ray release of As Good As It Gets includes the original 5.0 soundtrack in the DTS-HD Master Audio configuration. The presentation may lack a subwoofer channel, but it is certainly not thin. There is nice weight and depth to music, which is full even in the deep strings, never feeling playing as flat. Music is nicely spaced with quality front side stretch and engagement, including precision discrete instrumental elements giving the illusion of a full orchestral presence. This hold for gentle score, but it also holds for more aggressive musical beats, such as at a party at the five-minute mark. A few more aggressive sound effects pop in on occasion, such as during the robbery and beating, while some light ambience lingers around the stage inside of restaurants and other busy locales. Mostly, though, this is a dialogue intensive film, offering center-focused, well prioritized, and always clear speech.

As Good as It Gets Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release includes many more extras than the Twilight Time disc. All of it, beyond the trailer, is new to Blu-ray but not newly produced. The only thing missing from the Twilight Time disc is the isolated score. As it ships in the above-linked "Columbia Classics" boxed set, a slipcover and a digital copy code are included.

• NEW! Audio Commentary: A legacy track featuring Director James L. Brooks; Actors Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, and Greg Kinnear; Editor Richard Marks; Producer Laurence Mark; and Composer Hans Zimmer.
• NEW! Behind the Scenes Footage (480i, 12:21): Raw on-set footage.
• NEW! Deleted Scenes: Included are "Kiss Her, Man!" Alt Ending (480i, 3:56), "Melvin Stalls Vincent" with Commentary by James L. Brooks (1080p, 2:23), and "Melvin Stalls Vincent" Script Excerpt (1080p) which is a manually advanced excerpt from the original script.
• NEW! The Making of As Good As It Gets (480i, 8:08): Exploring the film's story and themes, cast and characters, the role of the dog in the film, and more.
• NEW! Theatrical EPK Selected Soundbites (480i, 22:00): Very brief soundbites about the film from cast and crew. Included are Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear, Cuba Gooding Jr., Skeet Ulrich, Shirley Knight, James L. Brooks, and Hans Zimmer.
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:24).

As Good as It Gets Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As Good As It Gets is a masterwork of scriptwriting, acting, and filmmaking. The story is engaging, the direction is steady, and the performances are spot-on. Sony's Blu-ray delivers expert video and audio as well as a healthy allotment of bonus content. Very highly recommended.