I have to get something off my chest right up front. I don’t like Jack Nicholson. He just bugs me.

Maybe it’s his voice, maybe it’s those annoying arching eyebrows. Whatever the reason, I generally try to avoid pictures Nicholson is in.

So I approached “As Good As It Gets” cautiously. I went because it was the only Best Picture nominee I hadn’t seen yet. I did my best to put my Nicholson prejudice aside and remain objective. It wasn’t easy.

Nicholson plays Melvin, a character who is the absolute embodiment of the word curmudgeon. He also happens to be obsessive compulsive.

Melvin needs to do things like turn lights on and off five times upon entering a room or tap his toe on the ground three times before putting on his slippers.

Melvin has his M&M’s sorted into different jars by color. He has stacks of soap in his medicine cabinet because, after using a bar once, he has to toss it in the trash. Some of the little quirks are very amusing.

Aside from the compulsive behaviors, Melvin is not a very nice man. He works alone in his apartment, writing novels.

I liked Nicholson in this role, a fact that surprised me. The caustic character was a perfect fit for the actor as he spews off racial, sexist and homophobic insults. Still, every time he arched that damn eyebrow I wanted to scream.

The other performances in “As Good As It Gets” are also very good. Along with Nicholson, Helen Hunt and Greg Kinnear got Oscar nominations for their roles in the movie.

Hunt is Carol, a waitress in the only restaurant Melvin will eat in. Of course, he has to bring in his own plastic silverware to eat with. Carol doesn’t like Melvin, but she is the only one in the place that can deal with the man.

Kinnear is Simon, a gay artist who is Melvin’s neighbor. Here’s a glimpse into the character of Melvin. When Carol and Simon meet for the first time, Melvin introduces them to each other as “Carol the waitress meet Simon the fag.” What a sweet guy, huh?

“As Good As It Gets” follows these three people as we watch what effects they have on each other. And we watch and we watch and we watch.

I’m beginning to regret one of my main complaints about movies. You know I’m always harping about character development. This movie had two dimensional characters, that movie had characters that weren’t realistic.

Well, that’s all “As Good As It Gets” is — character development.

For two and a half hours absolutely nothing happens. Luckily, there are some very funny moments sprinkled throughout along with some very well written dialogue.

The scenes with Melvin and the dog have to be the funniest. When Simon gets attacked, Melvin is pressured into caring for the animal while the artist recovers. Of course, the cute little dog starts to bring Melvin out of his shell.

Over the course of the movie, Melvin slowly comes out of his shell, bit by bit. Actually, inexorably might be a better word to describe the process.

The funny and touching moments didn’t seem to be very well connected, like they all exist independently of each other. Plus, every plot development seems a little contrived and predictable.

At one point, the three main characters all get in a car to head for Baltimore. Why? Well, so we can hear them all talk some more and Simon can recover from his trauma by sketching Carol and Carol and Melvin can have an almost romantic evening together, etc.

From the beginning, we all know the movie is heading for the inevitable happy ending. Simon will be OK and paint again, Carol and Melvin will end up together.

That’s kind of a nasty thought, isn’t it? Helen Hunt and Jack Nicholson? That’s just a little, well, yucky. (Sorry, but “yucky” is the only word I found to sum up my feelings.)

Overall, “As Good As It Gets” has some great performances, interesting characters and some very funny moments. It’s just the story that is lacking. Even great characters need to do something.

3 1/2 stars out of five

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Mike Milik is a senior in advertising from West Des Moines.