This scene starts out with Melvin saying, "I have a great compliment for you." This frightens Carol but she braces herself because she knows there's no stopping what's to follow.
And what follows is one of the greatest compliments I have ever heard.
It's a little complicated (like Melvin himself) and requires some setup and explanation. But it's worth it.
"You make me want to be a better man."
Nicholson's delivery and acting is superb as he fidgets and fumbles to say the lines as Melvin would. But what is priceless . . . perfection . . . and unforgettable . . . is the speechless changing expressions on Helen Hunt's face as Melvin's meaning dawns on her.
Watch her face. The camera zooms ever so slightly. There are actually about 5 different phases to her expression. Her eyes glisten with tears and ungraspable emotion.
I can watch it (and I have) over and over again. It always touches me.
"And the winner of the award for best female actress in a leading role is: Helen Hunt!"
She has my vote.
When Melvin says, "You make me . . ." Carol knows that he is describing something that is coming from a different place than all of the other voices and demons that he is a slave to every moment of his life.
He's not talking about a compulsion . . . he's not obsessed with her . . . he loves her. And what is coming from him now is something that he genuinely wants to give to Carol.
He's saying, "You inspire me," "You stir me," "You lift me up," "You empower me."
Is there anyone or anything in your life that makes you want to be a better man, a better woman?
This is what puts every thing that I "hate" (I'm using the word "hate" here) or every thing that I don't like or every thing that I wish was different in my life or in the the world in general a proper perspective.
I can do it, I can bear it, I can withstand it, I can surpass it. Because those very things -- my troubles, trials, and tribulations . . . have the greatest possibility of making me a better man.
And I want that.
OK. Here I go . . . . Lord, I want to offer you praise. You make me want to be a better man.
Give someone a great compliment today.
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