Rating: 
Summary: Most overrated film of the last decade
Review: election was not the best film ever, but it did show alot of promise for new commer alex Payne. But his follow up was nothing short of an absolute mess! Nothing gelled in this lazy, boring and deeply depressing film.
Rating: 
Summary: A Warning
Review: 'About Schmidt' is a warning. It's a warning about what not to become and not how to end your life. Schmidt comes to the realization that his life was wasted. And, in a way he deserves it. He clearly cannot express himself to his wife, daughter and friends. Subsequently they treat him with contempt. His wife and best friend had an affair, his daughter is almost completely estranged from him and uses him only for money. Schmidt went through his entire life without the benefit of Charles Dickens' "ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future". He never got a chance to see what was, is, or could be. And now it's too late. Schmidt is shy and withdrawn. During his retirement party at which he is the center of attention, he slips into a nearby bar for a drink to overcome his nervousness. Schmidt can't really have a lengthy conversation about anything nor show any enthusiasm as demonstrated by his speech at his daughters wedding where he ends with "I'm very pleased". Schmidt is cheap. When his wife dies, he gets the cheap coffin. He clearly has very little generosity aside from the checks he dutifully sends his daughter but even then he attempts to hold that over her. His house is filled with cheap stuff, and even the Winebago outside is half paid for by his wife because Schmidt was too cheap to buy it for her himself. He hasn't any zest for life, he gave up on that long ago (especially when he recounts his dreams about become a big business success only to settle for mediocrity and a steady paycheck with a bland insurance firm). Schmidt can only confide his true feelings to a Tanzanian boy he is sponsoring. His sponsorship in the charity organization is kind of pathetic like Schmidt- a too little, too late gesture of futility. The movie demonstrates how frantic last minute pathetic gestures of trying to make things right cannot atone for a wasted life. Schmidt tries desperately to reconnect with his daughter but to no avail. He ends up friendless and lonely and can only continue to communicate with his charity foster child. Finally he has an emotional reaction when his charity foster child sends him a drawing of them together. I encourage everyone to watch this film and take this as an instructional manual for how not to end your life. Live, learn, laugh, and leave a legacy. Don't follow Schmidt's example.
Rating: 
Summary: Warren Schmidt's bittersweet slice of life
Review: Newly retired from a prestigious insurance firm, Warren Schmidt (Nicholson) is experiencing the typical identity crisis of a man who suddenly seems to lack a purpose in life and is facing his own mortality. Looking for a way to fill his now empty days, he is persuaded by a TV ad to give money to a charity to feed starving children in Tanzania. When the information packet arrives, it includes a photo of his new foster child and encourages him to write a letter to the boy to introduce himself. The film uses this letter writing as a vehicle for Schmidt to humorously and poignantly relect on his life. He and his wife have big plans to see America in their new motor home, but her sudden and unexpected demise puts an end to that. So, he sets off on a journey halfway across country to reconnect with his only daughter, who's about to marry an affable loser that he can't stand. While the story has its comical elements (the goofy future son-in-law and his eccentric parents), it will seem to many to be depressing in its portrayal of the average working stiff as a lost soul whose life is of little consequence in the grand scheme of things. But Nicholson's understated performance draws you into his world and makes you care; makes you want for him to feel better about himself, which is why the final scene is so satisfying.
Rating:
Summary: All Jack
Review: Only Jack could have pulled off a role like this. His is a classic performance, bringing to life an otherwise forgettable character, Warren Schmidt. However, the film seemed to rely wholly on Jack's performance. It had numerous nice touches, but there wasn't much of a story and the laconic reading of Middle America seemed a bit too much in the mold of Fargo.
I was hoping for more sparks between Nicholson and Kathy Bates, but their hottub scene was rather tepid. Mostly, this movie is about the insufferable state of loneliness and how one man tries to overcome 42 years of a drab life with only the memories of his little girl to look back on. Now that she plans to get married, Schmidt feels he should take more of a role in affairs, only to find himself once again relegated to the background. This is a very moving performance by Nicholson. Perhaps one of his best performances. However, it fails to make much of this movie except for the engaging motif of his letters to Ndugu, an African foster children he has taken close to his heart through the mail.
Rating:
Summary: Jack's acting is wonderful, but the movie is not
Review: First of all, let me start by saying that Jack Nicholson gave a wonderful, Oscar-worthy performance in this movie. Unfortunately, I did not like the movie, in spite of his acting. It's a movie about a midlife crisis, which starts with the main character's retirement and the death of his spouse, and ends with him in tears when he realizes that his life has mattered to one person (who he's never met, which is why it doesn't work for me). There's a lot of equally depressing scenes in between. I had expected this movie to be somewhat humorous and uplifting, but it was just depressing. So I'd give five stars to Jack Nicholson for his acting, but only one star to this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Great flick.
Review: I admit I was expecting a bit more humor than I got, and am used to seeing Jack Nicholson unleash himself once or twice during a film. Instead I got film which shows a retired man looking back on his life with sadness. I was far from let down however, and actually watched the movie again the day after I saw it first. It tells a simple life message in a way most everyone can relate to.
The reason I give this movie a 5 star rating is for Jack's acting, and the fact that the film is very much on my mind the following day. That is pretty rare.
Rating:
Summary: About nothing!
Review: This movie is the worst Nicholson movie ever. It tries to be a comedy but there are no punch lines. It tries to make a statement about the futility of growing old, but fails there also. The director himself admits he was not sure what he wanted to say in the movie (see extras). He wanted to say something about growing old. He would have been much better off trying to make a comedy or a drama instead of attempting to blend both into one. This movie fails completely on all levels. It is not worth seeing for any reason.
Rating: 
Summary: About . . . What?!
Review: Well, since it seems like everyone is writing a review only to bag this film, I guess I'll join the crowd . . . Jack, something has happened to you! Yes, I know you aren't going to star as a wacky mental hospital patient anymore, or hack through doors with an axe, but my God, let's at least have some of the life from previous years! About Schmidt was a bit of a risk for me. I knew from friends' reviews that it was slow-moving, but ultimately poignant. I rented it for the "life lessons" alone. The only thing I found here, from moment one, was a dull, banal, utterly vapid film. I think it would resonate for someone going through some life changes, but for the average filmgoer under 40 or so, I don't think it offers much. Also, Jack, Jack, Jack!! I miss your acerbic wit and biting sense of humor. *sigh* Oh well.
Rating:
Summary: Where have you gone Jack Nicholson?
Review: I am a consumate Nicholson fan, but this offering defies description. It is so slow, so inane, so boring, that it's painful to watch. Neither my wife nor I could finish it. Nicholson was a staple in our household, now we'll wait till his new films show up on the movie channels, and then make a decision regarding purchase.
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