Torah Goes To The Movies: As ‘Goad’ As It Gets

As “Goad” As It Gets –

What if this is as good as it gets

Jack Nicholson

Is that all there is, is that all there is, my friend?

Song rendition by Peggy Lee

Sure™

A deorderant

          The quest to avoid extinction and the derivative actions of seeking to “acquire (Cain)”certainty, continuity, permanence ironically increases alienation, and decreases intimacy. At the extreme, the quest becomes obsessive compulsive from routinely turning two house locks 5 times “to be sure, ” to avoiding superstitiously treading on sidewalk cracks.

          Talmud indicates changing a habit is harder than learning all the tractates. Yet if “man moves an 1/8 of an inch, G-d will provide the other 7/8ths.”

          Crack-ing the habit – the 1/8^th of an inch is the changing – Teshuvah.

          For the obsessive compulsive romance writer Nicholson plays in “As Good As It Gets” three cracks occur in his permanence, certainty, continuity quest turning toward intimacy regardless of the bolts he has affixed and the fissures avoided.

          A small griffon canine moves the well defensed hard boiled Nicholson to tears, “for a dog, for a damn dog” and the first crack in his im-maginot line. Canines provide openings to people where relatives, friends, acquaintances can’t even “jimmy” ajar. (The writer finds it of no coincidence G-d spelled backwards). Next, in juxtaposition to his literal ordering of “hard shell crabs,” he compliments Helen Hunt with “you make me want to be a better man” putting into action the intimacy he only reveals in the protected realm of his romance novels. In this trespass, he goes from knowing about to knowing – starting to real-I-ze. His reflexive prejudice towards his gay neighbor (Greg Kinnear) cemented with taunts, teasing, and denigration becomes begruding kindness actually boarding the gay neighbor whose fortunes have turned awry.

          Both Nicholson and Kinnear in not “knowing myself anymore… what happened to me, where did I go” unlock doors to themselves as they turn – re-turn.

          Metaphorically, the cementing of the turn from the habit – the 1/8 of an inch – is bridged when he walks on the sidewalk cracks – as he accompanies Helen Hunt into the bakery at 4:00 A.M. for warm rolls.

          Hot cross-ed buns?

          He stepped over the line – toward intimacy and faith and away from crack-pot certainty, permanence, and continuity obsessions of the Amulak. He knew he should have “danced with her.”

          But, still, “he could have been nicer.”