Slipping suavely into a role written for Burt Reynolds, Nicholson carved himself a new rom-com sideline when he played retired astronaut Garrett Breedlove in this tear-jerking box-office smash from writer-director James A. Brooks. Nicholson's unusually sweet, charming performance earned him an Oscar, and he would win another when he reunited with Brooks for As Good as It Gets in 1997.