I spent a day watching "About Schmidt", with Jack Nicholson... and then the evening rambling through reviews, since my wife's perception of the ending differed somewhat from mine....

Conflict can often lead to enlightenment and discovery, but not so in the case of Warren Schmidt. In his case it leads to a life of complacency, denial, delusion, and passive-aggressive behaviors... and eventually, to a meaningless life of servitude devoid of passion or purpose.

Since my wife and I are around the same age as the character, and we ponder the same issues of our lives, the film had more significance to us. I found the work to be a cinema-graphic piece of art laced with symbolism and dark humor (at best). I likened it to previous movies like "Death of a Salesman", "The Apartment", "The Swimmer" (Burt Lancaster), or a short filmed called "The Bridge".

As a cautionary tale (or social comment) on the "American Way" of life, the messages it conveys are slightly exaggerated, but nevertheless there to be debated. We are talking about identity, achievement, interpersonal relationships, and the "average IQ".

In the end, I believe this film will become one that is studied in future classrooms, and it was brave of Nicholson to participate in such a character study and a work intended primarily for writers, actors, and directors. If laughter is "the sound we make when we are surprised (or shocked) by the truth", then the amount of humor you find in this film may be directly related to your own level of naivety or denial. After all, laughter can often be just another defense mechanism, right?

Some movies are straightforward, some are magical, some are mystical, and then, some are symbolic. This movie falls into the last category. The use of time, space, cognitive dissonance, and Irony abound in this work and challenge us to look, think, and feel.

Notes: we would have cut or altered the "Percodan scene" at the rehearsal (as overdone), also note- the cattle at the funeral who later appear on the freeway, inside jokes about Des Moines and Denver, Randall's "Certificate of Attendance", the look on Jeannie's face at the end of Warren's speech at the Wedding Reception, the use of "overstatement", details of wall decorations, and Warren's obvious attraction to the trite, idealistic, delusional, and superficial.

If you are a thinking, feeling, serious movie-lover, you should SEE this film once, and then STUDY it the 2nd time!

About Schmidt is the story of a man left with the curious task of trying to find meaning in his life at age 66. Most people by this age would have hopefully figured out how and why they make a difference on this Earth, but Warren Schmidt suddenly realizes he is insignificant after all these years.

Schmidt is played to perfection by Jack Nicholson. This is not the Jack Nicholson we have all grown up watching in films like Easy Rider and The Shining. This Jack Nicholson is subdued, almost lifeless at times, like the character he portrays. You keep waiting for him to explode or break out like Kevin Spacey in American Beauty, but it just isn't right for the character. He's too old, and weak by his own admission. He finds himself on a quest to make a difference in life before its over. And the film takes him for a leisurely ride.

About Schmidt is directed by Alexander Payne. He's a man apparently on a quest of his own to put our great(?) state of Nebraska on the map of the film-making world.

After some obligatory shots of downtown Omaha, we see Schmidt sitting in his office on his last day of work before retirement from the Woodman insurance company. He sits alone and quietly waits until the last seconds of the work day tick off and he's then presumably a free man. However, once the clock strikes five, nothing special happens! In most films, we might expect bells to go off, or music to start playing as the character joyfully begins his new life. Not here. Schmidt has no grand plans for the rest of his life, and that fact is punctuated by this dreary scene.

We then see Schmidt at a ho-hum retirement dinner at Johnny's Cafe, then he gets started on his ho-hum retirement. It appears the only thing he plans to do is go traveling with his wife in their giant camper which ends up as Schmidt's primary mode of transportation the rest of the film. Only there's one thing Schmidt didn't count on. His wife drops dead one day while he's out getting a Blizzard at the DQ. (It appears they shot that scene at the one over in Millard.) After his wife is in the ground, Schmidt goes through some difficult days. He really misses his wife. She seemed to completely take care of his every need as well as run his life in the process. He appears on the brink of despair at her passing until he finds evidence of an adulterous relationship with his best friend!!! After throwing out all of her belongings, he sets off on a sight-seeing tour of our great(?) state before planning to attend his daughter's wedding in Denver.

In one particularly touching scene, he pronounces forgiveness for his wife's affair and resolves to do one important thing before he leaves this earth. And that thing will be to break up his daughter's wedding. She is planning to marry a simpleton who sells water beds for a living and comes from an odd, new-age family of losers. Schmidt drives out to Denver on a mission, feeling as strong and focused as ever.

Once in Dever however, things don't go according to plans. His daughter really loves this loser, and won't hear of leaving him. Her love for this guy is as impossible for Schmidt to imagine as his contempt for her new family is for her to imagine. Schmidt and his daughter couldn't be any further apart. Kathy Bates is typically outstanding as the over-bearing mother of the man his daughter is marrying. Be forewarned though: Bates DOES in fact get naked in a scene, and it would be wise to cover your eyes lest you turn to stone! Her family is annoying and you can just tell their house smells like her feet which she has out in plain view once Schmidt first arrives there.

Schmidt isn't having any luck stopping the wedding and it looks like he'll have one last chance to make his point. At the reception, after a ghastly toast by the best man, it's Schmidt's turn to make a speech. And once again you think, "Here it comes! Here's where he'll go off and tell everyone what he thinks about them in one big comic rant!" But no, it doesn't happen. That's just not something his character is capable of. He can merely swallow his pride and say the only good things he can think of. Most of the wedding party seems to buy it, but you can tell by the look on his daughter's face that she knows it's all b/s. Schmidt is in fact too weak to break up the wedding. Witness the despair on his face as he stands at the urinal after giving the speech. He missed what he feels was his last chance to make a difference in this world.

Now Schmidt has nothing left to do but go home to die. Only in the film's last frame to we see any redemption to this tragic man's life. And a very touching moment it is. I was in tears, and that doesn't happen too often when I watch a film.

This film is worth all ten stars. This Alexander Payne appears to be for real. We already knew Jack was!! ps: Did anyone else notice the symbolism with the cows? First at the retirement dinner with his picture up next to two prize cows. Then the cattle truck being washed off near his wife's funeral. Then as he's driving down the highway in a big truck just like they are. Then at the wedding reception as the beef is being sliced while he's in obvious pain about how things have gone.

Food for thought.

"About Schmidt" is a very good but also frustrating film. While I score it an 8, this is mostly for Jack Nicholson's acting--as for the plot, it left me feeling a tad unsatisfied. I understand that, in many ways, this was the point of the film--a vague sense of emptiness and dissatisfaction that hit a man soon after his retirement. I also know that existential crises are hard sells for a movie--most folks just want to be happy and entertained--not think about death and the meaning of life. Plus, the very slow and somber style will no doubt make this a hard sell to many folks.

Jack Nicholson plays Schmidt--a man as much unlike Nicholson's other characters as you can get. In fact, because of his usual brash and odd persona, seeing him play normal was tough--as I kept expecting him to snap and become a cauldron of pent up emotion. However, Warren Schmidt was a very nice guy--one who NEVER allows his darker side to come forth. And, if you are waiting and waiting for this to happen, you will be disappointed. This Nicholson role is much more like Mr. Rogers than the guy he played in "Five Easy Pieces"! The film begins with Schmidt retiring from a modestly successful career in the insurance business. Now that he's home with his wife, he is feeling a vague sense of loss and confusion. Who is he? What does he see in his wife? What about his daughter and his relationship to her? All these confused feelings come out using the plot device of a boy in Africa that he is sponsoring. You see, the sponsors are told they can write letters to these children--and Schmidt finds himself pouring out EVERYTHING to this 6 year-old stranger! It's a strange but very effective plot point. Soon after he begins writing these letters, the unthinkable happens--his wife unexpectedly dies--sending him on an even more deep crisis of who he is and the meaning of life. And, to get answers, he embarks on a strange and SLOW journey across the country to see his daughter for her wedding.

None of the stuff that happens in this film is earth-shattering or amazing. But, it is like real life--with, for once, Nicholson being married to a woman his age who is NOT a model but a real person. And, like real people, the Schmidt character doesn't have all the answers or any great wisdom. Along the way, the film is occasionally funny but mostly sad. Be sure to have LOTS of Kleenex nearby--you'll need it. But I do recommend you see it simply to marvel at the acting of Nicholson, as he shows a greater range and depth than you'd ever expect. Seeing him cry and emote was refreshing. However, DON'T watch this film if you are struggling with depression! It might just push you over the edge.