About Schmidt
|
List Price: Our Price: $1.89 You Save: $4.08 (68%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Canada
Movie Reviews of About Schmidt
Movie Review: I'm all about Schmidt !
Summary: 5 Stars
What a rare find. I saw "About Schmidt" today (randomly, because we were too late to see the other movie). I'd seen some previews, but didn't know what to exactly what to expect. The film starts out with Jack's character, Warren Schmidt, sitting at his desk at work, staring at the clock. Interesting way to start the movie -- it was hard to tell what direction the movie was going to go in -- luckily, I thought it went in a brilliant direction. This Dramedy is so touching and heart-wrenching -- yet happy and sarcastic at the same time. In the theater, there were very old people, very young people -- men, women -- a very broad range of audience members. I think most people will either love it or hate it. It may be too "thought-provoking" or "sappy" for some. It was a long movie (atleast it seemed that way) but you get so caught up in Schmidt's life, you don't care. He's an unpredictable character you never know what he's going to do or say next. The "Dear Ndugu" scenes were sad -- on the outside he seemed to be somewhat of a cheap, irritable and blunt man -- but deep down inside you realize he's actually more sad inside and lonely than anything else. This movie covers everything -- it's a broad spectrum of Schmidt's life within a weeks time. Jack is great in this role. He WAS Schmidt. He didn't say a lot in the movie -- but he didn't have to. His face said it all.
I could have done without the hot tub scene with Kathy Bates, but maybe some comic relief was in order at that time in the movie. The part where he goes into Dairy Queen in the beginning of the movie and orders a blizzard was interesting ... random ... he ordered a Reese's & Cookie Dough Vanilla Blizzard. Medium. I wonder if there was some hidden meaning in that...
Some people who wrote reviews on here didn't like the ending - I did. I don't want to give too much away so I'll just say this: About Schmidt had a lot of depth. If you are looking for a quality movie -- with good character development, great acting, intriguing plot, a movie that will suck you into it's world for a few hours -- this is it.
Movie Review: Call The Cops Because Jack Was Robbed!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently watched the films "About Schmidt" and "The Pianist" back-to-back, and what I found was that the Oscar went to the wrong guy!! Sure Brody was magnificent in "The Pianist," but if someone ever wanted to learn how to act, and act well I might add, they need look no further than Jack Nicholson's magnificent portrayal of Warren R. Schmidt. From beginning to tear-jerking finale(yes, I did indeed cry at the conclusion of this film), Jack shows why he is not only the greatest living actor in the world, but arguably one of the finest actors of all time. He hides pain, sadness, anger and confusion in the character of Warren so well, that I almost felt as if this were a documentary about an actual person. I have not seen such magnificent character acting since Kevin Spacey's portrayal of Lester Burnham in "American Beauty." I was so moved by Jack's performance and his ability to steal the spotlight of every scene that he is in. Alex Payne, much like he did in the absolutely hysterical "Election," has brought a blistering sense of dark humor to the film, so much so that I had to pause the film several times because I was laughing so hard. Take for instance the letters between Warren and Ndugu, the 6 year old boy from Africa that Warren has 'adopted' for $22.00 a month. Warren writes down his inner most feelings in these letters - from his disappointing marriage, to the guy who replaced him at work to his thoughts about life and death. Of course a 6 year old would have no idea what he was talking about, but the manner in which Warren communicates is quite comical. These letters are also the cause for the heart-warming and teary-eyed finale. Overall, I found this character to be more realistic and easier to realte to than Adrien Brody in "The Pianist." Not to take away from Mr. Brody, he was a marvel in that film - but it's because of actors like Jack Nicholson who paved the way for him. Jack is by no means ready to retire from Hollywood. He has put forth one of his finest roles in quite some time, and just like Warren R. Schmidt, the future is bright for Jack.Movie Review: Five Easy Pieces for Your Bucket List
Summary: 5 Stars
Jack Nicholson is an authentic genius of acting. And there are some impressive bookends to his contributions to our culture (at least if you don't count the science fiction b/w movies he started out with).
"Five Easy Pieces" depicts a young man's rebellion and struggle to achieve intimacy. A great trope of that movie was his "dualogue" with his demanding, artistic and remote father, who has been struck dumb by a disease. So Nicholson talks to his non-replying dad, pouring out his issues and trying to gain an understanding.
The Bucket List says that an old man, knowing that he is dying, can do the things he's always dreamed of, given the right combination of money and companionship. A zest for living is the trope.
Then there's this one. Warren Schmidt has had no dreams. He has managed his life rather than living it. He had no expectations, but to sigh deeply at the demands of his job, his wife, his daughter. Life for Warren is duty, not joy. Do the right thing and do it carefully. This path will provide its own reward.
Then he loses his wife. Then he confronts not only the loss of his daughter (which has already mostly occurred), but also her complete alienation (by the doing of Warren's duty to counsel her not to marry the man she loves).
Warren's soliloquoy at the end completes the cycle started with "Five Easy Pieces." Imagine the father in that film able to speak...here's what he would say...
Someday soon, either in a few days or in twenty years, I will die. When I'm gone and everyone who knew me is gone, it will be as though I never existed.
It's enough to make a grown man cry, and he does, finally.
Folks below debate whether this is drama, a melodrama, or a comedy. If it must be anything, I'd call it a divine comedy. Watch and laugh if you want, but you know you're just whistling past the graveyard. If you've laughed, the joke's on you.
[And it sure makes a guy wonder what Nicholson will NOW do for an encore.]
Movie Review: Average beyond extraordinary
Summary: 5 Stars
Warren R. Schmidt is a man with little future. His career is over, his wife has passed away and his daughter will soon be married. A man with no future must look long and hard at death, especially when he is 66 years old.
"About Schmidt" is not a comedy. It has spots of hilarity and certainly some scenes appear to have been put in for comedic value. This is the ice-cream on the pie, however, as the main message is one not often seen in entertainment. The message is that THERE IS NO MESSAGE. No point. So often in movies we are drug by the nose by a gigantic plot, encompassing more than any ordinary life could handle. "About Schmidt" avoids this... no all-consuming vengence or dire needs in this movie. Warren Schmidt is simply living his life, living it the way most of us do, unable to make our desires reality. The 'no point' message is a translation of life... seemingly random occurances tied together by the fact a person lived through them. Warren Schmidt examination of his life, an ordinary life, is the theme of the movie.
In the end, Warren realizes a few things. He failed to achieve all he could in his career. He failed to be the husband he believed his wife deserved. He failed to be the father he felt he should be. He failed at life. In his own words, "What in the world is better because of me?" "Once I die and everyone who knew me dies as well, it will be as though I never lived. What difference has my life made? None that I can think of."
"About Schmidt" is about something that doesn't get much air time or get talked about too much. This movie deals with the harsh reality that there may be no light at the end of the tunnel. We, as humans, may live our entire lives without ever feeling truely sucessful or ever accomplishing a goal. Warren Schmidt learns that he has made a difference in the world after all; and everyone should learn his lesson. We may fail at all that we do, but the only way to truely fail is to die... until that fateful day one may strive.
Movie Review: Superb
Summary: 5 Stars
I am surprised by the wide range of opinion about this movie. Synopsis aside, this is a movie about regrets, old friendships, finding meaning, and finally, redemption. I would like to add how hard it is for a movie to really draw out an emotional response from me, and how this movie did so with such fervor that I was completely unprepared for it. I was left completely spent.I am only 31 but remain haunted and deeply moved by About Schmidt. In fact, I have shown the movie to others and it has affected all of them as well. It was much more than a movie - it was an opportunity to examine your own life, and, in my case, choose to make changes to avoid the kind of isolation and regret Warren Schmidt experiences as he discovers the life he never realized he had. There were so many ways to connect with Warren Schmidt, by the end of the movie I was emotionally overwhelmed. Even the soundtrack lingers long after you've seen this film.
There have been a lot of criticisms of Nicholson on this thread; I wholeheartedly disagree. Nicholson proves that his talent and artistry is unmatched in Hollywood today precisely BECAUSE he can play something so different from The Shining or One Flew... and remain completely convincing. He makes you feel exactly what Warren Schmidt is feeling, and he is a theatrical titan for it. The rest of the cast pulls out near-perfection in playing less than flattering, very REAL human beings. You forget that these are Hollywood icons on screen: they are your next-door neighbors or that weird guy down the block. You connect with them because the performances are real, earthy, and decidedly lacking in typical Hollywood glamor.
Watch this movie expecting to be taken on the journey of one man's self-discovery. Like our own lives, some of it is funny, some of it is tragically sad, some moments filled with anger, regret, worthlessness, and gratitude. You cannot claim to have any grasp of emotional maturity and not be moved to tears by the ending moments of this movie.