On his retirement Warren Schmidt is uncertain about his future but when he loses his wife he has to come to terms with a son-in-law he dislikes and the waste he has made of his life...
Product Identifiers
Producer
Harry Gittes, Michael Besman
EAN
5017239191541
eBay Product ID (ePID)
3959365
Product Key Features
Film/TV Title
About Schmidt
Actor
Len Cariou, June Squibb, Howard Hesseman, Jack Nicholson, Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney, Kathy Bates
Director
Alexander Payne
Format
DVD
Language
English
Release Year
2003
Genre
Drama, General
Run Time
120 Mins
Additional Product Features
Certificate
15
Number of Discs
1
Director of Photography
James Glennon
Reviews
USA Today - ...[Nicholson's] restraint is superbly on the mark..., Sight and Sound - ...[Nicholson's] acting is at once edgy and restrained, holding his natural exuberance on a tight leash, festering with dormant energies..., Los Angeles Times - ...The film is a gutsy, truthful, deeply rooted vision of contemporary American life, scaled to the size of an ordinary man....Payne has become the most gifted comic social satirist to hit our movies since Preston Sturges..., New York Times - ...Instead of flash, what Mr. Nicholson brings to his role is a sorrowful awareness of human complexity whose emotional depth matches anything he has done in the movies before..., Entertainment Weekly - ...The power of this great movie -- part comedy, part tragedy, part satire, mostly masterpiece -- is in the details..., Rolling Stone - ...This may be Nicholson's boldest performance. It's certainly one of his best...
Additional Information
In Alexander Payne's ABOUT SCHMIDT, Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) is retiring from a long, dedicated tenure at Woodmen of the World Insurance Company. Though he is proud of this achievement, he finds some difficulty adjusting to life without work; and to make matters worse, his loving wife Helen (June Squibb) passes away, leaving him all alone. Schmidt turns to his daughter Jeannie (Hope Davis) for support, but she is busy planning her marriage to Randall (Dermot Mulroney), who Warren just can't stand. He decides to sponsor a Tanzanian child, Ndugu, through a program advertised on television, and sends elaborate letters to the 6-year-old boy along with his $22 monthly checks. Meanwhile, he sets off on a soul-searching voyage across the west in his new RV. Nicholson's deadpan voice-over narration, especially in his letters to Ndugu, give ABOUT SCHMIDT a solid balance between comedy and drama. The crux of the film is the daughter's wedding in Denver, where Warren is the guest of Randall's outrageous, new-agey mom (Kathy Bates). Though the funny moments make light of Warren's state in life, the overall feel of the film is a bit sad, and its enigmatic ending will keep viewers guessing what will happen to this uniquely knowable character.
Jack Nicholson, along with a very good supporting cast, ably steer this wandering story into your mind.
JN plays an Actuary, who watches his assumed life unravel somewhat as he retires. A lesson in that finding value in oneself doesn't always come from the expected places.
JN is captivating as usual.
It's funny, sad and has got a great deal to offer to Nicholson fans like me. He can play anyone and this film just shows his capabilities as a first class actor.