by Yazmin Ghonaim

ABOUT SCHMIDT Alexander Payne (2002) Directed and co-written by Alexander Payne (Election), About Schmidt follows protagonist Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) on the days immediately following his retirement, and reveals the man's inability to adjust to his new life. This opening act and introduction of the main character resembles the opening scenes of director Sean Penn's The Pledge, where Nicholson plays a retired cop who, like Schmidt, has a difficult time abandoning employment. (In About Schmidt, however, Nicholson sheds his recognizable, self-assured persona, exploited in As Good As It Gets and A Few Good Men.) About Schmidt offers a playful display of the self-centered man's awkward relationship with his wife (June Squibb: Meet Joe Black) and his estranged daughter Jeannie (Hope Davis: Hearts in Atlantis). The film emphasizes Schmidt's displacement within his own home and his inexperience as a full-time family man. In fact, the plot slowly reveals old familial conflicts that Schmidt --a man absorbed (and defined) by his work-- had managed to evade. Inevitably, his retirement produces plenty of time for reflection. Soon, emerging feelings of abandonment and remorse move him to intervene in Jeannie's upcoming marriage to the unpalatable Randall (Dermot Mulroney). Both comedy and suspense ensue when Schmidt meets Jeannie's future in-laws, in particular Randall's raucous mother (Kathy Bates), whose bold advances Schmidt desperately tries to dodge. About Schmidt also offers a mixture of melancholy and comedy. This is mainly achieved through Jack Nicholson's ability to personify a lonely, disappointed character who aggressively tries to approach others intimately, yet who is gravely oblivious to the others' perceptions of him. This is best exemplified by his long-distance relationship with Ngudu, an African boy whom he adopts and to whom he writes awkward letters about his personal experiences. Schmidt's story evolves from the man's point of view, as the camera follows him incessantly throughout his anxieties and dissatisfactions. Although the character occasionally enjoys brief moments of gratification, the temporary appeasement often subsides and Warren Schmidt is forced to come to terms with his isolation and, ultimately, with his irrelevance to the world. All in all, About Schmidt delivers bittersweet comedy and a heartening message about the ever present possibility of finding significance in the world.		DVD Music Books Search by keywords:
Outstanding Features: Acting About Schmidt Movie Review © 2003 Cinephiles - All rights reserved Photo © 2002 New Line Cinema This film is rated R for some language and brief nudity.