AS GOOD AS IT GETS

HANS ZIMMER

Rating:

Original Review: People who continually accuse Hans Zimmer of being unoriginal (as I myself have done in the past) should take a listen to As Good As It Gets and eat their words. Zimmer defends himself from these claims by saying that there is not a definitive "Hans Zimmer Sound", rather a "Jerry Bruckheimer Sound", but as those scores are the most popular, people tend to equate the two. As Good As It Gets is about as far away from The Rock, Crimson Tide and The Peacemaker as it is musically possible to be and, instead of blasting you out of your seat, weaves a charming spell of delicate humour and delicious whimsy.

As Good As It Gets tells the tale of Melvin Uday (Jack Nicholson), a successful New York-based writer whose interpersonal skills leave a lot to be desired: his intolerance for other people and his unusual obsessive habits create an invisible barrier around him and his neighbours, and his unapologetic racism and homophobia drive his gay artist neighbour (Greg Kinnear) and black partner (Cuba Gooding Jr.) mad. It is only when in the presence of a waitress at his local diner (Helen Hunt) that Melvin shows the slightest glimmer of humanity and, as the two embark upon a hesitant courtship, Melvin's ways ever-so-slowly begin to change. Both Nicholson and Hunt won the two top acting Oscars for their work in 1997, but the film was beaten to the punch in the other categories by a film about a certain ill-fated boat. Zimmer's score was also nominated in the Comedy category, but was unceremoniously (and undeservedly) pipped at the post by The Full Monty.

Surprisingly, Zimmer uses no electronics whatsoever during As Good As It Gets. A fully orchestral romance with emphasis placed upon woodwinds, strings and piano, the score is not unlike Rachel Portman's cheerful comedy scores Only You and Benny & Joon in tone, and is a supremely enjoyable listening experience quite unlike anything Zimmer has ever written before. The six tracks, amounting to almost half an hour of original music, broadly maintain the same mood throughout, with a series of playful themes. 'A Better Man' is probably the best track on the album, encompassing all the main melodies over the course of six minutes, including the comically haphazard string theme for Nicholson and the tender clarinet melody for Hunt. In other cues, Zimmer employs several cello-led tango rhythms (in 'As Good As It Gets', 'Humanity' and the finale 'Greatest Woman on Earth'), dreamy solo pianos, and a truly lovely romantic theme that gets full renditions in several cues, but most notably the aforementioned 'A Better Man'.

The score is rounded out by seven pop songs, including three original ballads by performed Phil Roy and Danielle Brisebois, a gushy rendition of Nat King Cole's 'For Sentimental Reasons', and a somewhat bizarre cover version of the Monty Python classic 'Always Look On The Bright Side of Life' by Art Garfunkel, featuring the deep, powerful male chorus from Crimson Tide singing in hilarious counterpoint. British listeners will get a special kick out of this one because, for the past couple of years, this song has become a regular crowd chant heard emanating from soccer stadiums up and down the country every Saturday. Although some of the lyrics have been altered (life's a counterfeit, eh Art?) I still can't listen to this without recalling the final scene from the film The Life of Brian and breaking into a big grin.

In the very detailed, very truthful and equally amusing liner notes, director James L. Brooks pretty much calls Hans Zimmer a genius, talking about his class and dedication and that, when he gives his best shot, it is the very best shot there is. I have to admit that, with scores like As Good As It Gets, my admiration for Zimmer grows tenfold. Although, for better or worse, Zimmer is solely responsible for ushering in a whole new style of film scoring that is now sounding rather tired and stale, when he diversifies and sends out a beautiful curveball like this, I can't help but be left stunned.

Track Listing: Running Time: 54 minutes 22 seconds

Columbia/Sony Music Soundtrax 489502-2 (1997)

Music composed by Hans Zimmer. Conducted by Harry Gregson-Williams and Lucas Richmond. Orchestrations by Bruce Fowler and Suzette Moriarty. Featured musical soloists Mike Lang, James Kanter, Ralph Morrison, Brian Dembow, Steve Erdody, Armen Ksajikian, Nico Abondolo, James Walker, Philip Ayling, David Riddles, Ronald Sannelli and Katie Kirkpatrick. Recorded and mixed by Alan Meyerson. Edited by Adam Smalley and Zig Gron. Mastered by Patricia Sullivan. Album produced by Hans Zimmer and Adam Smalley.

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