Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful performances but...
Review: I'd crawl to the theatre to see such remarkable performance as Jack Nicholson's and Kathy Bates'. It's especially appealing and impressive to see Nicholson in an Everyman sort of part rather than as an eccentric or dashing brute. Kathy Bates' performance is as funny as I have ever seen, and god bless her for having the gumption to do a nude scene.Fundamentally though the movie flirts constantly with Hollywood-style condescension to its average-joe characters, as though it were inherently comic to be a waterbed salesman (as Randall is) or a shipping clerk (as Janie is) or a retired actuary (as Schmidt [Nicholson] is. Part of me wanted to say 'these are honorable people if not sophisticated, leave them alone.' It's also pretty slow getting underway. It takes maybe an hour to arrive at the heart of the movie (the wedding in Denver), an entire hour bereft of Kathy Bates and all the mayhem she generates. Still, definitely worth seeing for the performances alone. If you are the impatient type, show up late, as the first half may make you fidgety.
Rating: 
Summary: I got this movie
Review: I love this movie. I have to work till 62 to get my 30 years with the company in order to retire. I can totally get Warren Schmidt (although I am a female) and how difficult it is to alter a life after a 30-year routine. Mr. Payne portraits middle class American value with much clarity and compassion. I wish Mr. Payne much luck in his future films and am looking forward to see more of his films.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligently and tastefully done...and insightful too!
Review: Just like Robin Williams' performance in last year's "One Hour Photo", Jack Nicholson may very well bring home yet another Best Actor nomination for his stunning performance in "About Schmidt". Warren Schmidt, a casually reserved midwestern business executive, is a man who basically has everything: a great job, a loving and understanding wife, a modest home, along with many friends and business associates who take to Mr. Schmidt like a fish takes to water. Now, if only he could see eye to eye with his stern yet precocious daughter, which is another story... Upon retirement, Warren sets out to find a life "unfulfilled" by travelling vicariously (with his wife) in his deluxe Winnebago mobile home. Just as he is about to savor life's victorious fruits, he loses his wife to a brain disease, thus suddenly and tragically finding himself alone. He relies on a faraway foster child from Africa named Ngudu (or is it Ndugu?), whom he has been writing to by means of conventional letters, to help Schmidt cope with his somewhat newly found struggle of meandering through life's "highways and byways". Aside from being an adventurous movie, "About Schmidt" contains a degree of tender, lighthearted comedy as well, and in healthy doses. And it's all intelligently and tastefully done in a grandesque Neil Simon-like fashion, which makes it a likely candidate for best motion picture of 2003. With this movie, it becomes exceptionally clear that Jack Nicholson is definitely back and is here to stay, and he's come full circle and then some in the process. Dermot Mulroney delivers a superb supporting role as well. Since "About Schmidt" is a grand dramatic and comedic eye-opener that's sure to catch even the most average moviegoer's attention, you'll want to sit through multiple viewings of this priceless cinematic gem. Reserve that all important ticket (or you can just wait until it comes out on VHS or DVD) real soon!
Rating:
Summary: All "About" this movie!!
Review: In the opening scenes of this movie, Jack Nicholson is sitting at his desk, packed up and ready to go, waiting for the clock to hit 5pm on his last day of work. When the time comes, he gets up from his desk and walks out, retirement is on! 2 Weeks into retirement, Mr. Schmidt sees an ad on television to sponsor hungry kids in Africa. He decides to sponsor one, and each month sends his check with a letter to Ngubu, about the events that are happenning in his life. In my favorite line, he writes to Ngubu, "sometimes I find myself waking up in the middle of the night, and looking at my wife in bed and thinking, 'who is this strange old woman that lives in my house?'" The letters start out mundane enough, but when Schmidt's wife suddenly passes away, he is left with many things to say and nobody to talk too. From the beginning, this movie is pure genius. Nicholson turns in an amazing performance as Mr. Schmidt. The best part of his performance, is not his dialogue, but his facial expressions and his narrated letters to young Ngubu. The movie runs the gamut of emotions, from sadness to laugh out loud comedy, mostly the latter. Whats best is that this movie is for everyone, but I think especially couples that have been married for a long time will especially like it. This is light and fun, a must see.
Rating:
Summary: Nicholson is great, but Alexander is a Payne
Review: When I first heard of Alexander Payne making a follow up to Election (one of the best films of the 90's), I was thrilled. And to top it off, it was going to star one of the greatest actors of all time, Jack Nicholson (see One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest). Without hesitation, I went to see the film and was surprised. About Schmidt takes it's time. Really. Jack doesn't speak for the first 15 minutes, but we see him there. We get introduced to his painful retirement and then his life with at home with his wife, how his wife dies and he trys to live on his own. But the film doesn't really pick up until a good 40 minutes into it, when Jack tries to stop his daughter from marrying a total whack-job, but after that, it's a treat. Nicholson gets into character and many humorous moments occur, but the film still crawls along. The film then gets its glow and quirky-ness from Kathy Bates and the screwball family his daughter is about to marry into. It's all funny from there on in, but turns sad once he makes an emotional speech at his daughter's speech and realizes he has failed to stop his daughter, and, altogether, touch anyone's life. I gave the film it's 4 star rating for the sheer ending of the film, which is, in a way, happy and sad at the same time. Payne's film crawls along for the first 40 mins to an hour, but is then redeemed by Nicholson's performance, Bate's performance, and the wonderful ending. This is one you just have to see for yourself, but even if you wanna bail 20 minutes in, just stick around and you might be surprised.
Rating:
Summary: A GOOD LAUGH!
Review: After retirement Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) suddenly feels the void in his life. He is no longer needed at work since his position was filled by a young and cocky man that rubs Warren the wrong way. In addition, he feels stuck in a passionless marriage to a woman he hardly knows and who frankly gets on his nerves. Soon after her sudden death Warren sets out in his 30-foot Winnebago to persuade his estranged daughter Jeannie (Hope Davis) to not marry Randall (Dermot Mulroney), the doofus he feels is less than par for his daughter. Jeannie still holds a special place in Warren's heart despite their emotional and physical distance. What follows is an often very funny and witty sequence of events involving Warren, his Winnebago, and his desire to fill the void he fills in his heart. Upon his arrival in Denver Warren becomes acquainted with his future in-laws, most notably Roberta Hertzel (Kathy Bates). Wedding plans are in gear and Warren must face the fact that Jeannie is determined to marry Randall regardless of her father's opinion. There were several moments during ABOUT SCHMIDT that made me laugh out loud. I, along with other members of the audience, appeared to enjoy the movie and laughter was frequent. Jack Nicholson provides another magnificent performance and Kathy Bates, one of my favorite actresses, did not let me down for one minute. ABOUT SCHMIDT is a comedy not be missed!
Rating:
Summary: Good Little Movie
Review: About Schmidt attempts to do two different things. One facet of the film is the serious, tragic side of the movie, while the other is the lighthearted, comedic tilt. This combination is tried a lot, and if fails a lot. The reason for this failure is that an audience, once faced with a tragic occurrence, fails to really recognize any future humor. However, this movie has Jack Nicholson. That takes care of a lot of the problem, as few others can match Jack's black humor mannerisms. Nicholson plays Walter Schmidt. A 66-year-old American male from Nebraska, Schmidt is retiring as an insurance company executive. He quickly becomes bored with his seemingly meaningless existence. His wife has become an old nag, and his daughter is marrying a fool that Walter does not approve of. This torturous complacency is shattered when his wife dies, forcing Walter to confront a lot of issues in his life. Chief among them is his relationship with his daughter, whose marriage is approaching. Running from these issues and new life problems, Walter jumps into the RV and decides to travel the country a bit. Eventually, Walter has to make a decision concerning his daughter, which speaks to the themes of most personal and domestic relationships. Sounds kind of preachy, doesn't it? Well, luckily, this is not the entire movie. The humor is what makes this movie very good. Nicholson is really at his best in this movie. It seems like his every action, his every appearance is designed to make us laugh. Jack mocks every theme of family life, as does the family of his daughter's fiancé. Giving an equally great performance is Katy Bates, as the near insane future relative. She is extremely funny, and plays a great foil to Jack. She even does a quick nude scene, which almost cost this movie a few more stars (Can we get a little warning next time?). The rest of her family is hilarious as well. The movie falters a bit in serious mode, as it struggles to make a point that I never really comprehended. However, the frequent laughs and Jack's brilliant characterization of the dour but ironic elderly American male makes up for any deficiency. Go see it.
Rating:
Summary: Alexander Payne's Dramatic Masterpiece
Review: Earlier last evening, I saw Alexander Payne's new movie, "About Schmidt," which opened in the Philadelphia area this Friday. I have been hearing about it since its limited run began, particularly on talk radio, and some of the callers have dismissed it as "what happens when Hollywood makes fun of Midwesterners and Midwestern values." Well, there's some of that in there, but I don't see the source so much as Hollywood, as much as a dead-on self-critique and self-reflection that could have only come from screenwriters who themselves are part and parcel of the Midwest Plains states. Payne and co-scenarist Jim Taylor (who also co-wrote "Citizen Ruth" and "Election") have made a masterpiece of a character study in finding out what makes the stoic and enigmatic Warren Schmidt tick. When I was in high school, I had an English teacher who introduced me to a writer who would become my favorite novelist, Sinclair Lewis. To me, "Main Street," "Babbitt," and "Arrowsmith" accurately captured the plain-spokenness and dry humor of the region, through Lewis' naturalistic writing style. But Lewis was more than a recorder of the everyday people around him, he was a master of keen observation, and seeing the quirky denizens of Zenith and Gopher Prairie through his words filled me as a reader with the sense of what I call the "inner adventure." What Lewis had going for him as a novelist, I see in Payne's movies: The same sense of wry observation, absurd humor that arises out of awkward and painful situations, and biting social commentary that never wallows into the territory of judgmental didacticism. To me, Jack Nicholson's Warren Schmidt is, like Carol Kennicott of "Main Street," an angry loner, who is dissatisfied with the world around him. But, whereas "Main Street" follows Carol out of college and into a stifling marriage -- in which she can only survive by suppressing her innate sense of romanticism and adventurism -- "About Schmidt" catches its tragicomic hero at the tail end of his life, after decades of lonely emotional withholding have dried up the once puissant earnestness and ambition he once had. He lives his life, as Thoreau penned, "in quiet desperation." I agree with many people, however, who have said "I don't know what to make of this movie"; Not that I don't know what to make of it, but I agree that *they* don't. There are many times when Nicholson just keeps a stiff upper lip, and tries to sail through awkward situations by responding with pained silence. And, although some genuine humor came out of some of those scenes (e.g., scene in the trailer, scene in the hot tub), many of the theatergoers in attendance laughed at each and every one of his silences, as if on cue, or as if waiting or expecting to be cued. It is something I first picked up on when seeing "Vertigo" at an Austin theater a few years ago, that people break out into nervous laughter during awkward or silent moments. It is a discomforting thing for people to have to face, and stirs the reflexive reaction of the viewer to equally awkward giggling or laughter, rather than having to face the protagonist's silence with their own. Of course, as allegedly "passive" participants, it is unintentional on their part. Yes, the ending to the movie was a poignant and cathartic moment, but it is the one moment when catharsis is permitted the viewer, inasmuch as we the viewers are handed a veritable table of permissible emotions. Up to that point, Schmidt is a repressor, and likewise viewers repress any honest emotional response to his character. That's where Payne really got his point across, in spades; It was just as interesting listening to their reactions as it was watching Payne's characters on the screen acting out theirs. As for the movie as a whole, I enjoyed it thoroughly, and was both entertained and enlightened. The supporting cast was excellent, though two-dimensional. This is by design, because we are viewing these offbeat people through the subjective eyes of Warren Schmidt. Dermot Mulroney as the loutish, Amway-pushing son-in-law-to-be is perfect casting, with his annoying ponytailed mullet and cheesy goatee. Howard Hesseman and Kathy Bates also liven the cast with their aging-hippie-cum-white-trash characterizations.
I especially enjoyed the hot tub scene with a nude Kathy Bates. It took a lot of courage for Payne to do that, because Bates is overweight, aging and doesn't fit the image what the fashionistas tell us is beautiful. But lemme tell ya, she is one beautiful woman, and exudes so much self-assuredness and expressiveness. I hope some able sculptor poses her for a Venus statue. It would be much more alluring and fascinating than one of any of the current crop of pubebots People magazine tries to ram down our throats. Another nice touch is using Erik Satie's "Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear" as part of the soundtrack. Any other director would have used something more obvious, such as Debussy or even Chopin to convey the overwhelming sense of solitude and irresolution. Satie's music melds seamlessly and beautifully with Nicholson's onscreen solitary wanderlust. "About Schmidt" is not Alexander Payne's funniest movie ("Election" wins that, hands down) nor is it his most satirical ("Citizen Ruth" pushes the envelope a lot farther than this one). However, through Warren Schmidt's journey into the undiscovered self, Payne has crafted a masterpiece of understated comedic drama on par with Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemeanors" or Wes Anderson's "Rushmore."
Rating:
Summary: An Entire Season of MASH
Review: That's at least what I thought I would have to watch to bring me back to an emotional even keel after viewing, "About Schmidt". I actually watched Robin Williams live from Broadway, and that was nearly as good and about 9 hours shorter. Jack Nicholson gives a performance as good as any he has ever placed on screen, and the result is a film that will give you the same emotional uplift generally received from a novel by John Steinbeck. You know the feeling. You are reading an epic novel like, "The Grapes Of Wrath" or "East Of Eden"; you are emotionally drained even as you take in a bravura performance. However Steinbeck will not give you the least bit of reason to hope. Every time you believe the corner you are going to turn will be a lighter shade of grey at the least, he solidly connects with a baseball bat to your emotions, pummeling you for daring to hope. This film does offer one bit that could be called a respite, but when it finally comes, anyone in the theater that is not clinically depressed is at the very least wondering if life can get as bad as Schmidt's. The film is just over 2 hours in length, and happily, prior to the beginning of, "About Schmidt", they show a preview of the next Nicholson film, that you can recall when you feel as though you weigh at least a metric ton or so as this film progresses and the gravity in the theater multiplies. The film is brilliant for as it buries you in emotional distress, and pummels you with disappointment; it still keeps you as adhered to the screen as the weight you are feeling keeps you sunken in your seat. I had read that some felt Nicholson deserves an Oscar for this performance but may not get the award for the performance is so horribly grim. I really did not accept that idea prior to viewing the film. Now that I have seen the picture, I do understand the viewpoint. This is a powerful film; this is a film for persons who are fans of Nicholson or any brilliant performance in the cinema. It will leave you exhausted and wondering how long it will take to recover after you have left the theater, the film is that brutal, and Nicholson is that good at portraying his character. Willy Lowman is positively euphoric compared to Nicholson's Schmidt. I did not read the book this film is based upon, and candidly the film is enough. Kathy Bates also gives a marvelous performance even as she enters the film in the final 30-40 minutes. I will say part of her role is daring, it is not gratuitous, and it is as real as the balance of the film. The sides of herself that she shows the audience is without any of the Hollywood pretense, and like the rest of the film will cause strong reactions, what type will depend on the viewer. This film's mood is grey right down to the weather. There was an occasional shadow, but the sky was nearly uniformly grey, and even when the camera dwelt for a moment on a tree, it did not hold even a single leaf. This film will probably be loved or strongly disliked, it will also hit too close to home for people that may share any of the feelings Schmidt has, or is approaching a point in their life that they fear. For the times he lives through on screen are not moments that a person would trade for. Few people would volunteer for various levels of Dante's Inferno, and that is where Schmidt travels.
Rating: 
Summary: Is life really this sad?
Review: For those who are looking for a comedy along the lines of "As Good as it Gets", this movie will be a big disappointment. The advertisements predict a comedy but this is really a pragmatic look at getting old. The audience laughed in a effort to get relief from the sadness the characters were experiencing.
Jack Nicholson is, in deed, very good. Kathy Bates' role is very limited. The movie does leave you hoping that your old age will be better than that of the characters.
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