About Schmidt

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Hope Davis, Kathy Bates, Dermot Mulroney
Directed by: Alexander Payne
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
2002

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A man (Jack Nicholson) struggles with retirement and loneliness as he sets off on a road trip to his daughter's (Hope Davis) wedding.

Review:

Tim: I think Alexander Payne is a very talented director, but I don't think he has reached his full potential. I also happen to believe he is a bit overrated. I strongly disliked Election. I know it helped push him into the conversation, but I didn't care for it at all. About Schmidt is his follow up, and once again, I think it shows promise, but it's unrealized. Payne certainly has his own style and isn't afraid to show a darker, more realistic side to his characters. It's just not always a very fun ride.

This film is an agonizingly slow, depressing film. We basically watch a small man struggle with life, behave poorly, and ultimately, possibly, find some redemption. Ususally that is a recipe for an uplifting, inspiring film. About Schmidt is none of those things. It just felt heavy and depressing without much payoff.

Jack Nicholson is good as Warren Schmidt, although I didn't love his character. He plays a small, selfish, petty man. This isn't much of a protagonist. I could never really identify with the character. He seemed absurd and unlikable to me. I suppose he gets credit for being realistic, because there are a lot of people like this in the world. They just typically aren't the type of people I want to watch a movie about. Nicholson is good, but he gets a lot of credit because he lets himself go in the role. This is a very unglamorous, almost embrassing role, and Nicholson embraces it. I applaud him for that, but I'm not sure I agree with his nomination for Best Actor. Still, this movie is all about him, and he mostly pulls it off, so kudos for that.

Hope Davis is his daughter, and I didn't particularly care for her, either. Dermot Mulroney is funny because he's almost unrecognizable and is just such a moron and a buffoon. Kathy Bates gives a strong performance and shows it all in a pretty grotesque (but quick and unexpected) nude scene. She gives a good supporting performance, and I suppose the Best Supporting Actress nomination wasn't wholly undeserving. I'm glad she didn't win, though.

Now, as you might expect, the main character goes through quite a transformation in the film. If you think about Schmidt at the beginning and then at the end, it's pretty impressive how much he has changed. And yet, the film is careful to make sure we know that while he's evolved, he is still the same person. I just felt like this journey was a bit unsatisfying. There's a big scene at his daughter's wedding that just fell flat to me. It didn't have the power I wanted in it.

About Schmidt is a movie that a lot of people liked, and it did generate two Academy Award nominations. I just found it to be far too slow and lacked any sense of enjoyment. I suppose the film gets credit for its depressingly real portrayal of unlikable people, but that's not very fun to watch. I also didn't laugh much for a film supposedly marked as a comedy. The drama is overpowering. So, while Payne shows more promise, I still disliked this film.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Election, Sideways, The Descendants