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About Schmidt
Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) is not finding life after retirement quite as easy as he expected. In fact, after his reluctant departure from the insurance firm to which he gave the best years of his life, and the sudden death of his wife, he finds that he actually has very little life left at all. And so he sets off on a soul searching, cross-state journey in his motor home, to try to stop his daughter from marrying a 'nincompoop' waterbed salesman, and to 'find himself' - or what's left of him.
'About Schmidt' is a simple, melancholy story, carefully and deliberately told through the eyes of one man who wakes up one morning to find that his life is devoid of meaning and, in whatever way he can, begins to look for an answer. And it's this slow paced yet quietly adventurous journey we find ourselves embarking on with him, a voyage of self discovery with a cantankerous old man who doesn't particularly want to be 'discovered'.
Jack Nicholson
steals the show, with a heart-rending, engaging and incredibly personal performance, making up for the lack of any obvious plot by allowing us into the very core of his emotional journey. Due to the stripped back, laid bare, unelaborated, tell-it-like-it-is style plot there are very few things which would be able to hold our attention for the duration of the film, except Schmidt himself. This was a brave decision from writer and director Alexander Payne, and a lesser director would have resorted to cheap gags and the school boy humour of the 'Road Trip' movie as an insurance policy against the audience loosing interest. But Payne didn't, he invested everything he had into his central character and relied on one man to carry the whole show. This is why Nicholson puts in a performance worthy of an Oscar. The title could easily have been 'About Jack' and still been perfectly fitting.
That said the supporting cast are fantastic in the time they do occupy the screen, and Kathy Bates' 'larger-than-life' appearance as the mother of the groom produces many side-splitting moments. But it's Schmidt's isolated and emotionally inept character who carries us through the film, allowing the audience close enough to root for him, without manipulating their affections through overt sentimentality.
The film is both subtle and stark from start to finish, and Alexander Payne's screenplay and direction allow his central character to shine, without ever shedding too much 'artificial' light on him. Payne uses a series of letters from Schmidt to a sponsored African child as a clever form of narration throughout the film, giving us a few valuable insights into otherwise well guarded inner workings of his world. The narration is often touching and humorous but also serves to show how self-absorbed Schmidt has become in his older age, and how helpless he feels in the face of the circumstances which seem to affront him at every turn. Life happens to Warren Schmidt, he doesn't live it, it just sort of happens around him.
And this is not by any means an easy film to watch, and the dark comedy often skims a little too close for comfort, hitting raw nerves and exposing familiar social mishaps with alarming frequency.
The pace is often painfully slow; dawdling and meandering alongside Schmidt as he comes to terms with his loss, his life and his purpose in his own inimitable way. The film requires a large emotional investment from the audience, with little initial guarantee of a return, but the end result is rewarding and quietly satisfying, as we are shown, without fanfare or ceremony, that sometimes life hides meaning in the most unusual places.
Soul searching, humorous, gut-wrenching and thought provoking, 'About Schmidt' shows that real life is made up of a collection of unique small stories, and this is one of them. Beautifully told and wonderfully written with tight direction and excellent performances this is a rewarding, if not always side-splittingly entertaining, investment of a few hours.
---------------------------------------------------------The DVD extras include:
Deleted footage
DVD-Rom content
Trailer
Interactive menus
Scene selection
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Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
I wish Nicholson was 30 years younger because I am very selfish and I want to see him in hundreds more movies. And after this film, Sideways and his segment in 'Paris, je t'aime' (which I thought was the best segment by far) I am looking forward to whatever Alexander Payne gets involved with next.
Punkychik 31.03.2007 23:55
great review, might watch this as its on tv soon. Hannah xxx
Warren Schmidt (Nicholson) has arrived at several of life's crossroads all at the same ... more
time as he is forced to deal with an ambiguous future as he enters retirement. Soon after his wife of 42 years passes away and he must come to terms with his only d...
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Wareen Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) has arrived at several of life's crossroads all at the ... more
same time. To begin with, he is retiring from a lifetime of service as an actuary for Woodmen of the World Insurance Company, and he feels utterly adrift. Furthermor...
Advantages: Jack Nicholson on Oscar winning form Disadvantages: Kathy Bates' big old boobs - though I don't doubt these would be seen as an advantage by many (Karen? anyone?)
ShoppingGirl 31.01.2003 ·
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Review of About Schmidt (DVD)
Advantages: Jack Nicholson on Oscar winning form Disadvantages: Kathy Bates' big old boobs - though I don't doubt these would be seen as an advantage by many (Karen? anyone?)
ShoppingGirl 31.01.2003 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of About Schmidt (DVD)
![About Schmidt [DVD] [2003]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78524990.jpg "About Schmidt [DVD] [2003]")
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