Review of:About Schmidt (2004)
Director:Alexander Payne
Rating:R
Starring:Jack Nicholson, Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney, Kathy Bates, Howard Hesseman
In the metamorphosis of man there are two time periods where they say the reflection in the mirror shows a dual image. Man in his infancy at times has much in common with what man is in his older years. Everything supposedly goes in a cycle with people returning to their starting points in some way over the span of their lifetime.
About Schmidt is a look at a man who has been living the life of adult infancy for a long time. His wife has catered to his every whim while he goes about his daily routine. But what might happen when the routine is disrupted due to the loss of a loved one? With the movie About Schmidt we find out quickly as Schmidt attaches his emotionally charged train to any passing person after the death of his wife, even going as far as writing to a child in Tanzania he sponsors for seventy three cents a day about his problems. That might give you an inkling of the comedic darkness that underlines the belly of this movie.
When his only daughter decides to get married Warren Schmidt decides it is his mission to stop the wedding to a man that he feels is unworthy. It's funny but the man she marries seems to display all the qualities that her father does not have. We follow the exploits of Schmidt as he travels across country in his winnebago to save his daughter (Hope Davis) from marriage, all the while bringing his special warped mayhem to any who come into contact with him.
Jack Nickelson as Warren Schmidt does an excellent job of portraying his character, even going it seems to adding on weight for the part. The film focuses on issues of the stage in life where people have lost a loved one after having been in a long committed relationship. It does bring a comedic air to that period in a person's life, and even the darkness of the film seems appropriate. The film follows in the tradition of "War of the Roses", with a little less bite, but still good, solid fun.
