About Schmidt (DVD)

It is hardly surprising that Jack Nicholson’s latest outing is something of a mystery among many people. Indeed, you’d be forgiven for not even knowing of About Schmidt up until now, what with today’s slew of generic, shallow and massively marketed blockbusters such as xXx littering our cinema listings. However, this hasn’t prevented it from receiving the critical attention it deserves, picking up two of it’s five Golden Globe nominations; Best Actor, Nicholson and Best Screenplay, Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor. So please – take a moment to read this review on one of the best, but sadly unacknowledged, comedies of recent times.

The film is set solely around the thoughts and tribulations of one central character; Warren Schmidt (Nicholson), who is much like a less exaggerated and emotionally troubled Victor Meldrew, as he constantly finds himself in unfortunate or unlucky situations. But About Schmidt is not a movie of hilarity – it takes on a darker, yet lightly amusing comic nature not unlike that found in the television series Six Feet Under. Coincidentally, it is a theme of death that provides the main structure, as the recently retired Warren Schmidt fears dying an unimportant life. To make matters worse, his wife of forty-two years passes away suddenly, and his daughter is on the brink of marrying an idiot. Tormented and bored, Schmidt seeks to make something of his life before his time comes – taking a nostalgic trip in his thirty-five foot mobile home, the ‘Adventurer’, for inspiration. It is during this time that Schmidt realises his purpose in life – to stop his daughter, Jeannie (Hope Davis) from marrying the woefully inadequate Randall Hertzel (Dermot Mulroney).

As something of a side story, Schmidt sponsors a Tanzanian orphan named Ndugu after watching a television advert requesting people to give aid. The welcome pack from the charity invites Schmidt to include a personal letter with each payment – and these provide a vital insight into his thoughts and feelings as the plot progresses. In fact, without this thoughtful narration (such is how these messages are presented), it wouldn’t be half as good a film. It is this superb plot structure which provides fodder for emotive and amusing writing in the script – and this is exploited to great effect.

To put it simply, About Schmidt is a brilliantly written piece. Films based on everyday scenarios can often turn out dull – this isn’t one of them. In retrospect, you can see that About Schmidt has few ‘major’ occurrences – it’s just a short story based on a small portion of one man’s life – but the script is so sharp, so witty and quick, that it is utterly compelling. It is also the excellent character development that kept me watching; from the start, it is easy to understand Schmidt’s thoughts and feelings and so the viewer is motivated to continue watching how his emotions develop. Indeed, you’ll be hard pressed to find a weak character, and while the film revolves around Warren Schmidt, the sub-characters are developed in the way Schmidt reacts to each different personality, and the way they do to him.

The director (and co-writer), Alexander Payne, has done the script great justice. Aswell as a good job in the casting department, each scene is delivered flawlessly – with a clear purpose and smaller touches for the more perceptive of us to pick up on. The film is also accompanied by a brilliant score, not unlike that in Six Feet Under. This is used nicely whenever the director wants to let the audience recognise or think about something, or sometimes to emphasise a specific emotion or remind us of the recurring theme throughout the film (Schmidt’s fear of his looming death). By conveying this theme so strongly, Payne has created a powerful film in About Schmidt.

You cannot fault the acting. As Warren Schmidt, Jack Nicholson delivers one of his finest performances to date (those who enjoyed As Good As It Gets would do well to watch this) – picking up a very much deserved Golden Globe for his effort earlier this year. It is refreshing to see him playing his age, and he delivers a perfect act as the secretly scared and sad Schmidt. Kathy Bates is excellent as ever, as the eccentric and sexually stimulated in-law, giving a fine comic performance. As does Dermot Mulroney, as her fool of a son, and Hope Davis is equally excellent, playing Jeannie Schmidt, the independent yet caring daughter.

About Schmidt is a film you must see once, for it is such a powerful production all round, it’ll give you a feeling of fulfilment thanks to its wholly satisfying ending and thought provoking nature. It doesn’t really have that ‘must see again’ factor to it, but then again, it’s not made to be that kind of film. While it lacks mainstream appeal, it’s something that deserves to be appreciated by everyone – you just have to be willing to give it a go. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.