Director: Alexander Payne
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Loneliness is a genuine problem that can plague the most unexpected of people. Quite often, the most unlikely of subjects can suffer from it. Charles Chaplin is the first person to come to mind. It gnawed at him terribly. *Isaac Newton, Abraham Lincoln, Beethoven, and even Brooke Shields all wafted through the realm of loneliness. Winston Churchill called his loneliness, "black dog."
Perhaps the worst part about loneliness is that often times, no one else can tell. It's like being forced to have unnecessary surgery. You don't want it to happen. When you wake up, you don't know what you just went through and something important feels missing. You're the same after. All there is, is a hole with stinging cold air pushing through. And there's nothing you can do about it.
No one could tell of Warren Schmidt's utter loneliness in this movie. It was a very relatable essence of the film.
Jack Nicholson's character was absolutely impressive. It was such a different role for him that I must applaude his successful attempt at doing something not on the same basis as his other roles such as Jack Torrance from The Shining, the Joker from Batman, Col. Nathan R. Jessep from A Few Good Men, and J.J. Gittes from Chinatown. He captured a completely human element so well!
Based on the book About Schmidt by Louis Begley, Warren Schmidt has just entered the world of retirement after working for an insurance company for many years. He takes up the latent life with his unfulfilling marriage and the disappointment that his only daughter is about to marry a guy named Randell- a waterbed salesman who comes up as nothing short of a complete dud whom Warren deems unworthy of his daughter. All in all, he begins his retired life just as dependent on his wife, Helen, as he always was- with some unwillingness to be dependent.
Retired life turns bad on innocent Warren after Helen suddenly dies of a cerebral blood clot. When the smoke has cleared from the funeral, Warren becomes completely aimless inside the walls of his life. And, sadly, the only person willing to listen to Warren is a young child named Ndugu in Tanzania whom Warren chose to sponsor through a charitable organization advertized on television.
After discovering that his best friend had a short lived romantic involvement with Helen years before, he tries to separate himself from his emotional attachment to his wife by taking a road trip in a camper he had bought for a retirement trip he and Helen had planned. He packs up for Denver in order to spend time with his daughter and help with the wedding arrangments. His daughter declines the offer and Warren decides to just take his time on the road and visit places important to him, before arriving in Denver. All the while, he keeps writing to young Ndugu, sharing his thoughts, troubles, happiness, and sorrows. He shares his experiences in sorrow in loosing Helen, his disagreement towards his daughter’s engagement, his lack of enthusiasm in meeting his future son-in-law’s family in Denver, and all the interesting things he witnesses on the road.
This movie was, hands down, one of the most realistic touching films I have ever seen. I think Nicholson was supreme for the role. Warren does his best to touch those around him, but those around him only look at Warren and see what their expectations allow.
Kathy Bates's supporting performance brought some comic relief to the picture. The bluntness in her character was a perfect, complimenting contrast to the silent, melancholic demeanor of Warren. Some of her topics for conversation were rather on the cautious side, such as in the scene where she abruptly discusses with Warren the love life between her son and his daughter.
One problem I had with the movie was the scene with Warren soaking in a hot tub after sleeping on one of the Hertzel’s water beds causes his back to go out. When Roberta Hertzel (Kathy Bates) decides to join him, she removes her bathrobe nonchalantly, wearing nothing underneath. It was certainly an emphasis to the uncomfortable element of the scene, but was really unnecessary.
The ending scene wasn’t too overdone as I expected it would be. The movie offers much to its audience. I sure hope this is a film that Nicholson will be remembered for in years to come.
Often times, actors and actresses end up playing the same type of roles. When they try a different act, it doesn’t always work so well. Not so with Nicholson here. He is a rare actor who pulled it off!
(I particularly liked film critic Roger Ebert's review of About Schmidt for the Chicago Sun Times. You can read it here by clicking on the follow link: About Schmidt- Roger Ebert)
*http://www.butler.org/body.cfm?id=278
** Click on link
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