Movie Review -- What About Schmidt

Schmidt Happens


Jack Nicholson was nominated for an Oscar, Golden Globe, and SAG Award for his lead performance in "About Schmidt." About Schmidt Received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture and was named Best Picture of 2002 by the Los Angeles Critics Association.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------





I thought "About Schmidt" was a good movie. It is not a great movie to me, but to many people, it was. (I say that so much, someday I will have to make a list of great movies besides Gladiator, The Sorcerer's Stone and Woody Allen's Sleeper. I also have a Gumby and Charlie Brown collection too.) It is not a of movie one can recommend to everyone, but I feel safe in saying that a spiritual person might receive something extra special from its theme.

"Someone" mentioned to me one time that "About Schmidt" was scary. In a way that we can experience life, perhaps it is. It is the kind of scary movie one could easily sleep through, but it has a way of touching your mind with its plainness. The critics found that this was a wonderful movie for the apparently. I was standing in line awaiting a sale opening for quite awhile with several senior citizens. The everyday critics in this line said. "You have to be retired to understand... It was a great movie." This movie must have really touched the older generation. They felt very strongly about the film.

Schmidt lived a comfortable and fortunate life in many ways, and was a good provider for his family. Many people are. "About Schmidt" captures the essence of ordinariness. This is a movie that is very internal with lots of self dialogue and journaling in the form of letter writing. If someone asked me for a view on the plain, average life of "somebody," it could almost be this movie. I understood Schmidt and his hope of finding something good he did for the world. Hopes, dreams, and sometimes our accomplishments feel like nothing when they are the past... even if we worked our whole life for them. I was touched by his sudden feeling of insignificance. He had the sort of life we all tend to have. He dreamed of one day being on the cover of Newsweek like Jack Welch or one of those big businessmen. He did become a successful actuary (Becoming an actually, is a very difficult path and actually quite an accomplishment.) and got his tiny picture on the front of the internal newspaper for his company.

Schwartz feels his daughter is about to fail but the problem with the daughter was somewhat undeveloped and difficult to see in this movie.. With retirement, and other losses he experiences all at once, he feels his daughter was the one good thing he did and does not want her to fall. The movie often contrasts scenes of excess that we all see in everyday life with the experiences of those less fortunate. Schwartz's wife loves to try new restaurants and made sure they got the biggest and best Winebago to tour the country with. Food is everywhere and people eating so much at the buffet, Schwartz begins to feel this is unbearable. Schwartz starts to really feel and observe this excess and at some point, when he adopts a child overseas named Ndugu.

I watched some of the outtakes available on the DVD edition. Some of the movie is not well explained, such as the split with his daughter. I wondered what was the problem between them. For one thing, one of the scenes cut is where he is trying to bring up fond memories with his daughter. He feels very loving to his daughter and wants the best for her. He says, "I remember taking you to horseback riding lessons..." She looks surprised and says, "When? Once maybe," and a confused thoughtful look comes across her face. He obviously has not participated that much in her upbringing but has funded it well. He had her picture in his office and thought of her. There is some discussion about whether he actually did take her to a lesson or two, and it ends with Schmidt saying, "Well, it is a nice memory." His daughter seems to prefer that Dad just continue to send money, as he always has. The final movie expects us to get this all in one line when the daughter yells, "You want to get involved in my life now?!"


This is a very quiet movie with some barely fast Winebago maneuvering. I did not find it particularly funny. Those people who make the movie trailers are so darn talented. I found the trailer very funny, especially the way they timed the narration with the scenes. I won't spoil the ending for you, but the ending is quite emotionally touching and yet so simple. It may catch you by surprise with the emotion it makes you feel. It brought tears to my eyes as Schmidt realizes he has done and can do some nice things for the world after all. He still has time.

Jack Nicholson acted so well in this part, I would be very surprised to find out if he has not had these experiences before. I would even nominate his hair and his five o'clock shadow for best acting parts. (Of course this movie is famous for its set of over-the-hill breasts... but those don't belong to Jack.) Perhaps Jack has changed. I hear rumors that he is eating yogurt and was caught being nice to small yap dogs. There were even photos.

The movie has attempted to do some very nice things for the world. The DVD copy has an envelope inside it from Childreach that says, "Meet the real Ndugu!" Very touching. For awhile, The Childreach Press Center had a link to read about Ndugu and where he lives. It was interesting to see the response of the village who has never seen a movie and children who regard America as a "story." Ndugu's autograph was very sweet.




* Over the Hill Breasts: It is up to you. I was just as frightened as the character in the movie this one.
***** Best Acting Parts: for Jack's Hair and Five O'clock Shadow.
***** Depicting Ordinariness: Life was presented in a very orginary way and yet contrasted with what we can still do to make a difference.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



From the envelope inside of the DVD case:


Meet the REAL Ndugu!

childreach.org

Change a life. Maybe even your own.

First, watch and enjoy this extraordinary film. Note that when the newly retired insurance executive Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) reaches out at last to make a difference in the world, he calls Childreach.

Childreach is a very real organization helping millions of children in the poorest countries of the world for over 65 years. One of the ways we help is through sponsorship, the wonderful opportunity for someone like you to make a real and lasting difference in the life of a child, a family, a community.

Many people spend their whole lives thinking about making a difference in the world. It took most of Warren Schmidt's life just to pick up the telephone and call Childreach. It took a 7-year-old boy in a remote village in Africa to show Warren he really can change a life, as a Childreach sponsor. And in so doing, change his own...