| ABOUT SCHMIDT |
| Starring Jack Nicholson, Kathy Bates, Dermot Mulroney, Howard Hesseman Written and directed by Alexander Payne ***� out of **** Dear Ndugu Today I saw a film about a sad man who realized it almost too late to do anything about it. His name is Warren R Schmidt, and Jack Nicholson plays him in a performance that practically guarantees him another Oscar. Schmidt is not a larger-than-life individual, and he struggles with issues many (older) people can relate to. Schmidt doesn�t know his wife, to whom he�s been married for 40 years, anymore. Now that he�s retired, he�ll have to get to know her all over again. The other thing is the impending marriage of his daughter whom he loves so much but rarely sees. He tells us that she holds a position in a computer firm; later we discover that she�s �Shipping and Distribution� for some electronics business. Certain things happen, and Schmidt finds himself on a road trip to Denver, where he intends to visit the family his daughter is going to marry into. His trip is literally an exploration of himself (he visits, for example, the home he was born in) as well as figuratively: he learns more about himself in this trip than he has in a long time. The writer-director of the film is Alexander Payne, who made the cynical (but accurate) Election and the abortion-comedy Citizen Ruth. It is his edgy approach to the film that strips it from cheap sentimentality; the movie is never drowned in colour and the film�s protagonist isn�t a �diamond in the rough� ready to disclose The Child-Warrior Within. In addition, About Schmidt � for that is the apt title of this picture � takes shots at marriage and parent-child relationships. The film takes these everyday things and looks at them with acid-tinted glasses, although the film never reaches the nihilistic levels of Todd Solondz or Neil Labute. While detailing one man�s journey to find himself, you find yourself thinking about what life holds in store for you � you know, the �Every man dies, but not every man really lives� kind of thing. It is easy to picture Warren Schmidt as a supporting character in the sequel to Office Space. Despite how it may sound, About Schmidt is not a depressing drama. Neither is it an uplifting film that presents a film wherein all the conflicts have been resolved, and Schmidt is reborn. Payne is cleverer than that. The film�s ending is earned, and he doesn�t cheat the audience with some shameful �fixit� finale. What happens at the end is like a small glass of water at the edge of the wasteland; enough to get you going for another while, but by no means fuel for an eternity. Both cynics and sentimentalists should embrace About Schmidt. The only (and this is very slight) problem I had with the film is one or two redundant scenes that could�ve been left out for pace-related reasons. But really, that�s only three or five minutes. It is the film Nicholson will be remembered for post-As Good As It Gets, while the supporting cast lends sure, well, support to the man. You should try to see it when it comes around, Ndugu, but it�ll be even more rewarding if you wait until you�re a little older. Regards, Chris COPYRIGHT 2003 CW Broodryk |
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