MOVIE - ABOUT SCHMIDT - REVIEW RATING $$$$$ $$1/2 (OUT OF 10)
STARRING - Jack Nicholson (Warren Schmidt), Kathy Bates, Hope Davis (Jeannie), Dermot Mulroney, Howard Hesseman & Len Cariou.
DIRECTOR/CO-WRITER - Alexander Payne (Election, Citizen Ruth)
Based very, very loosely on the 1996 book, of the same name, by Louis Begley.
Jack Nicholson, Warren Schmidt, has to simultaneously deal with retirement, the death of his wife, and estrangement from his daughter and her fiancé.
About Schmidt is in many ways similar to, Last Orders, in that it examines the nature of one person's fleeting existence. In Last Orders, the deceased protagonist's life story, warts and all, is told through the eyes of those left behind. In About Schmidt, the deconstruction of a life lived occurs from the perspective of the man who has lived the life, one without enough friends to tell the tale.
At times compelling, brutally honest, and satirically funny, About Schmidt paints a semi-poignant picture of a distant, emotionally shallow, somewhat callous man without a hint of backbone. While Schmidt has achieved modest success he's lost himself, and much more, in the process. In many ways the movie mimics the main character.
Though About Schmidt captures the difficulty retirement poses, for those who define themselves by what they do and not who they are, it fails to capture the true essence of the man. There is a gnawing feeling, as you watch the film, that there is more to Schmidt than what we are shown. You even get the sense that Nicholson, who gives another brilliant performance, is getting his inspiration from unseen off-screen sources. The best example of this is the missing link evident in the relationship between Schmidt and his daughter. The estrangement is inadequately developed.
This failure bothered me enough that I was inspired to do a little research. The original Schmidt, in the book, was Archie Bunker with a Harvard education. That Schmidt was anti-semitic and vigorously opposed his daughter's wedding because her fiancé was jewish and she was going to convert. Removing an entire subplot from the original story, except for one chicken soup reference, leaves a hole as wide as an interstate highway. Furthermore, misdeeds attributed to others in the movie, were originally the misdeeds of Schmidt. The substantial difference between the book and the movie, is that the movie ultimately wants you to like Schmidt, whereas the book wanted Schmidt to be an unlikeable but nonetheless provocative character. It is in this way the movie, which lacks the courage to tackle the more belligerent aspects of Schmidt's character, mimics the man it portrays. My complaint is not that what is left is not well done but that About Schmidt could have been much, much more.
For those who haven't read the book (like myself) and who are interested in learning more about it you can check out this reading guide link I discovered at Greg's Previews:
Despite its failings About Schmidt still has impact. The false bravado and delusions that have allowed Schmidt to keep going reflect the reality of many. About Schmidt makes you ponder, what would happen if everybody had the epiphany Schmidt arrives at, much earlier in life.
The biggest compliment I can give About Schmidt is that it has inspired me to read the book. That, and Nicholson's performance, are reason enough to recommend it.
Alternative Reviews:
Roger Ebert's Review
Rotten Tomato Reviews
About Schmidt Official Web site
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2003
David Schwartz.
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