this movie be bizarre because and while judge overall it story be shmaltzy and unbelievable and nevertheless each individual scene play absolutely convincingly and feel very real . it weird . i do not know if it just the greatness of the actor overcome an under think out script and or whether it just the script concentrate solely on craft great scene one after the other and but not so much in come up with a convincing through line . whatever . all i know be that this be one of the most entertaining picture i have ever see and extremely funny and quite emotionally affect in place . somehow and it just doesn not matter i like it anyway . the performance be uniformly excellent . nicholson show real range here sure and he get to be the sarcastic curmudgeon we have all come to expect and but his character also have moment of fear and repression and vulnerability which he bring off equally well . my problem with this character ( and the problem only exist a i think about him afterward and not while i be actually watch the movie ) be in his conception represent he seem to be whatever the writer want him to be at that moment and with no particular consistency from scene to scene so when he supposedly change at the end and be leave to think and change . this guy be change through the entire movie . and also and the fact that his character be a romance novelist be never really explain or examine in any way . and yet and nicholson performance make it not matter quite so much . helen hunt be a revelation in this movie she nail every scene she in and whether she force to be witty and embarrassed and angry and defiant and emotionally overwhelmed and whatever . she keep jack on his toe and and they work off each other brilliantly . also and i never think i would find myself say this and but greg kinnear be great a simon and the gay neighbor . ( it be also nice to see director harold ramis the third ghostbuster and after all in front of the camera again and if only briefly and in a small part a a doctor . ) what more can i say . good comedy and good love story and great acting . none of it and in the end and be very convincing and but if you just focus on the individual moment and not on the grand design a task make easy by the wonderful writing and play it very easy to like as good a it get .