Review of About Schmidt (2002) by Conor M — 17 Aug 2009

Alexander Payne is a master at mixing comedy with pain, and at showing how they can be linked. Jack Nicholson gives arguably his best late-career performance as Warren Schmidt, a recently retired insurance VP who grows lonely after losing his longtime wife, and decides to go on a journey to stop his only daughter from being married into a family he doesn't approve of.

Along the way Schmidt stops at some important places from his childhood, only to find that things have changed and that his place in the world is slowly being erased. All the acting is great, particularly from Kathy Bates as Schmidt's son-in-law's free spirited mother, and Dermot Mulroney hilariously subverts his romantic lead image as her schlubby son.

Hope Davis is great as Schmidt's only daughter, but her relationship with her dad could have used a bit more fleshing out. She seems mad at him, but it's not exactly clear why. Occasionally, the film tends to wear its emotions too plainly, explaining them away in a few sentimental monologues and voice overs, but overall it's a moving, often funny exploration of grief, loss, and aging in the modern world.