Review of About Schmidt (2002) by Amheretojudge — 25 Dec 2018

Accepting The Bitter Medicine.

About Schmidt Payne's aftermath drama of celebrating more than reminiscing the mistakes is an uplifting enchantment to the youngsters. Sweeping off the mechanical semantic into a coherent vocab that is spokenAccepting The Bitter Medicine.

About Schmidt.

Payne's aftermath drama of celebrating more than reminiscing the mistakes is an uplifting enchantment to the youngsters. Sweeping off the mechanical semantic into a coherent vocab that is spoken through reliable and obvious performance by its protagonist. It doesn't suggest that, Nicholson's stardom is over chewed, in fact, Payne's adaptation is entitled to fill in the necessary silent pitches through it. This slow burn well crafted drama works meticulously and silently up the ladder by sculpting Nicholson's thought- however repetitive and a big chunk of contradiction and murmuring- effervescently on screen; it's that euphoric energy that resists against the slow pill.

The build up of the sequences like creating an eerie innocent bond of the protagonist with an unknown entity; N'dugu, may shine the light into the arc of the trajectory but it also is somehow one of the best emotionally fueled arc of the film. Visiting various new intriguing characters while embarking on a fresh journey, the narration manages to hold you on your seat through smooth slick humor. As much as admirable and stable Payne's vision is, the film always succumbs to Nicholson's jarring-ly mellow and soothing portrayal of a not-so-likable character. He is brimmed with flaws and inane attempts to justify his theories, his characters grows three dimensional and more humane as it ages on screen.

Davis and Mulroney in a sort of an ironical supporting role that speculates Nicholson's vision on every steps, Bates that taps on her own beats steals the show among the supporting cast. Aforementioned, the written letters that almost wanders off to abyss, the last speech that holds the sheer pressure of an entire journey is wisely shared by a sensational pragmatic and anti-climatic full stop in the end. About Schmidt is about Nicholson, communicating through expressive exhaustion and tantalizing mistakes, that we all happily relate to.