Giving Proper Credit

In his laudatory and welcome review of “As Good as It Gets” (“No Tricks, Just Magic,” Dec. 23), Kenneth Turan leaves the clear impression that this picture was written by its director, James L. Brooks, with a co-screenwriter--Mark Andrus--from a story of Andrus’.

In fact, it is a film made--brilliantly by Brooks--from an original screenplay by Andrus, a screenplay containing all of the characters, most of the situations and a preponderance of the dialogue of the final film, a screenplay that (as his then agent) I had the privilege of selling to TriStar Pictures considerably before Brooks’ involvement in the project. Brooks himself is a superb writer, as well as a great director, and his subsequent invaluable contributions to the screenplay are reflected in his shared (second position) screenplay credit.

No one could have made a better film of Andrus’ screenplay than Jim Brooks, and everyone associated with the project (specifically including Andrus) is grateful to him. I believe, however, that Brooks would would be the first to acknowledge Andrus as the “creator,” a term given by Turan to Brooks. It’s hard enough for writers in Hollywood without critics neglecting their real roles in the movies that get made.

ROBERT J. WUNSCH

Los Angeles

The credits for “As Good as It Gets” read, “Story by Mark Andrus, Screenplay by Mark Andrus and James L. Brooks.”

As the executive director of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America, I was surprised and personally gratified with how “As Good as It Gets” accurately portrayed the plight, and finally the salvation, of a young boy with asthma who was able to get proper and consistent care from a medical specialist, thereby turning his life around.

I hope that people take the message to heart that through the proper diagnosis and medical care, asthma can be controlled and the quality of life significantly improved.

Kudos to the writer who, for the first time, dealt so knowledgeably with a subject that is often the butt of satire and bad jokes.

FRANCENE J. LIFSON

Los Angeles