About Schmidt
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Movie Reviews of About Schmidt
Movie Review: A searing commentary on America's soul
Summary: 5 Stars
I believe the director/screenwriter made a movie about contemporary American society and the protagonist,Warrn Schmidt, just represented the everyday man trapped in it. Thus the common name Schmidt (smith). This movie has much the same sentiments as FALLING DOWN starring Michael Douglas and AMERICAN BEAUTY starring Kevin Spacy.Even close to FARGO (Cohen Bros.) Although, ABOUT SCHMIDT is much more real and subtle, southern California's "underbelly" is as bleak and populated with stressed-out wierdos as FALLING DOWN portrayed it to be; and Nebraska (and many midwest towns)is as bleak as portrayed in ABOUT SCHMIDT. This midwest setting is also a little more "Twilight Zony" than California. Every character in this movie is looking for intimacy,authenticity and reaching out for connectedness.Emptiness and soulessness surround the characters. From the austere opening scene in Warren's office, to the vapid,insincere farewell party to the dreary surroundings and environment of typical small town America. The Dairy Queen scene. The Tires Plus franchise tenticles plopped on Warren's childhood home scene. The anal retentive milleu of the Midwest has numbed Warren (the everyday man). His daughter tries to escape this "passive aggresive" uptight,distant, cold ,"Minnesota Nice" phoniness and moves out west to Denver. And the dysfunction is no better there either. Just louder and more chaotic.Kathy Bates' character(divorced twice) needs intimacy fast. And tries to seduce Warren in the hot-tub after only a few hours of meeting him.(The camera shot showing her hand under water slowly reaching for "connectedness) His future son-in-law is a con man/loser. Ahhhhhhhh,somebody--anybody help! I'm trapped. Where's the balance? Where are the "normal" people ? Ofcourse, in Tanzania !! Warren finds connectedness half a world away. I don't know, I just think this movie has many layers. But I'm quite sure the directer and screenwriter were saying, " American society has some definite quirks and bezaaroland wierdness.In other words,small town America ain't like "IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE", it's more like,"THE STEPFORD WIVES" We all see it everyday, from the ubiquitous,ugly billboards,the overwhelimg franchising of America to the shallow,numbed pod-people eating at Diary Queen and hanging out at Tires Plus.Movie Review: an achingly bittersweet and powerful story of self-realization from the point of view of an older man
Summary: 5 Stars
"About Schmidt" is a masterwork directed by Alexander Payne, and written by Payne with his usual co-writer Jim Taylor. The fact that this movie has received so many negative reviews from customers really speaks volumes. Certainly, "About Schmidt" is not a fast-paced comedy, and certainly there is a lot of pain and sorrow expressed from the Warren Schmidt character. "About Schmidt" is what you could accurately describe as a tragi-comedy--it does have many extremely funny moments, and it isn't just depressing for the sake of being depressing. Accusing it of having little or no plot is simply ridiculous and unfair. There's a great deal of wisdom to be found here--the movie is very intelligent, very *real*, and spiced up with some great black humor. It also serves as a powerful cautionary tale for twentysomething viewers who are willing to go along for the ride and give this film a chance.
Following the sudden passing of his wife of over 40 years, as well as his retirement, the 66-year-old Schmidt goes through the emotionally wrenching process of seeing his life for what it has been, warts and all. Jack Nicholson's portrayal of the Warren Schmidt character is absolutely brilliant, and Kathy Bates is great also and extremely funny. As with his previous movie "Election", Payne displays a fondness for making substantial use of spoken voiceovers, a tactic that pays off hugely here--Nicholson does a wonderful job with Schmidt's narrations of handwritten letters to a Tazmanian foster child named Ndugu, which serve as a brillant way of letting the viewer get inside Schmidt's mind and pave the way for the heart-wrenching closing scene. Even the musical score is expertly done and a lot of fun, complementing the sly transitions of the movie perfectly.
If you're disappointed that "About Schmidt" isn't a lightweight comedy to watch while throwing down a few beers on your day off, then that's your loss--this is a powerful movie that serious viewers will appreciate and get a great deal of satisfaction from.
Nicholson and Bates were each nominated for Academy Awards for their performances here, for best actor and best supporting actress respectively--neither won, but each of them certainly deserved to.
Movie Review: one of my fav jack films
Summary: 5 Stars
i actually was skeptical about renting this one but i took it since i was due a free rental at the local blockbuster. it has been a long time since i've seen anything done by mr. nicholson which moved me this much & kept a smile on my face. in the end, i returned the disc to blockbuster & i was sad that i had to give it back. this one is definately going in my collection. for starters, you've already got a winner with the heartfelt story & simply wonderful performances all around by virtually everyone involved. the story paints a touching portrait of a recently retired gentleman who has basically lost touch with everything around him & seeks to feel welcomed or needed by someone. we are shown almost immediately in the opening of the film that mr. schmidt is a rich man becaus of the enormous heart he carries around. within the first ten minutes or so, we see him writing a letter to a sponsored child in tanzania & enclosing a check for the needy child. through this letter, we realize that he feels empty & out of place. many of us will relate to his feelings of loneliness when we watch this montage. after the first thirty minutes, warren schmidt loses his wife & is pretty much left to take care of himself. with a daughter of the verge of getting married, mr. schmidt makes a journey out to see her in hopes of interrupting or placing a halt to the marriage. along the way, he finds out a lot about himself which has either been placed to the side over time or never fully realized in the first place. when he finally does meet the groom's mother, things really take an outrageous turn & you'll be laughing your head off when you hear the hilarious dialogue from none other thna the absolutely wonderful kathy bates. while some might call this film a satire, i say it's a down to earth, slice of life film with elements of satire much like american beauty although a bit more moral perhaps. i can see myself revisiting about schmidt from time to time & i could probably leanr something new each time i watch. this is definately a film to be remembered & a modern day classic to be cherished. in my opinion, this may be one of the best jack nicholson films i've ever had the pleasure of seeing.Movie Review: THE BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR
Summary: 5 Stars
I must begin by saying, that Jack Nicholson is a man who only gets better with age.I can honestly say that this film shows him at his best. He is wiser, subtler, and quietly powerful. ... You feel as though you're cornered, like he has you all to himself.Yes it's that good!!Whilst Jack is of course, what the whole film centers around, don't let that the other performances are satisfactory. They're all wonderful, from Kathy Bates,who charms the movie with her in-your-face humor, to less well-known actors who add some ingredient to the movie. This movie is as real as it gets. People who said this movie was depressing, I find it I can't blame them. We get fed so much fluff fed to us over the course of modern cinema, that we can't accept it when a movie is made with no fluff,no glitz, and no multi-bazzilion budget written all over it. No doubt this movie takes patience, and an open mind. Now, I'm a 13 year old girl who fell in LOVE with this movie.But that's not saying much, since I may be perhaps one of the only 13 year old kids who actually did enjoy it. And maybe, many will be embarassed to go see this movie, as it circles mostly around the senior age group..., but that too may be what turned off all these people. I'll give you a tiny piece of this movie-Jack Nicholson plays a just-retired old man.He is bitter, and bored with his life.Then his wife just dies,all of a sudden. He realizes that she wasn't really so bad at all. He finds himself feeling even emptier than before.And it doesn't help that his daughter is an egocentric [person]who is to busy planning her marriage to water bed salesman Randall Hertzel(Dermot Mulroney,in perfect disguise).That's where this movie starts out. There's really not much of a plot with this movie. It really is just like life. Stripped all the things that filmmakers use to make films entertaining, and replaced by mind-blowing performances,and a sharp,dry storyline, things that are so seldom used these days.This is life presented init's truest form.I can't really say if you'll enjoy this movie, all I can tell you it that it's sad,and it's absolutely hilarious(I don't remember a time when I laughed as hard in a cinema),and it's endlessly touching,in all the right places.Movie Review: Self-discovery on the road in Kansas
Summary: 5 Stars
Self-discovery is something that everyone goes through, eventually. For some, it's a wonderful set of experiences early in life that allow them to better understand themselves. For others, such as insurance actuary Warren Schmidt, it's far more bittersweet. After spending most of his life at the same firm, Schmidt retires from his job and soon has to deal with the consequences of this decision--living full-time with a domineering, shrewish wife; being replaced at work without a hitch; and preparing to give away his daughter in marriage to a hillbilly idiot. Then his wife dies unexpectedly, and while sorting out her things he discovers a painful secret that makes him question what his whole life means, and what he's accomplished. So, he hits the road to revisit some of the pivotal places of his past, such as his childhood home (now a tire shop), his old fraternity, etc. He comes to the conclusion that his life has had little meaning, that he's touched no one, and that all he has left to do is wait for death (75% chance it will happen within 9 years, he tells us). But that's not the end of the movie.
About Schmidt is not for everyone. The subject matter and approach it takes simply make that true. However, the movie's final note is not melancholy, but upbeat. Some might say that it's meant to offend red-staters, but that simply isn't true--Schmidt himself is well-drawn, and although the groom's entourage are not exactly rocket scientists, Warren's Nebraska friends are pretty much average folks.
Jack Nicholson earns the lion's share of credit here. Everything about Schmidt is inoffensive--even his walk is timid. Nicholson sinks himself into this performance more than many of his others, and he really becomes this guy. Under Schmidt's surface, though, is a volcano of anger and fear, and Nicholson lets us know that, too. This is probably Jack's definitive film performance.
Ultimately, this is a movie that deals with questions that, sooner or later, we all must face: What have I accomplished? What does it mean to be a success? And it assures us that our impact may be beyond what we imagined. Wonderful film.