Review of About Schmidt (2002) by Ewald V — 26 Feb 2011

Sweet, dramatic, and histerical all at once. About Schmidt is a tale of mortality of old age, and Jack Nicholson gives a suttle yet powerful preformance that proves he is still one of the best.

Warren Schmidt is a mysterious man. He's calm and collective, but hides his real emotions. Now that he's retired and his daughter is getting married, Warren has little to do. But when his wife dies, he looses his inactive self and sets of on a road trip to see his daughter to stop her wedding. This is a slow and personal story, but one that pays off a lot. Warren is an antisocial man who seems constantly alone in a world full with awkward people, even though Warren is socially awkward himself. But the focus on Warren makes him the most amusing and likable character. Jack Nicholson gives an incredably realistic preformance, and one of his best.

The directing of this movie captures the lonliness and drama of the story perfectly. The slow paced action of the scenes and music can make the movie turn from a comedy to a drama at any given moment. This style also gives way for a very natural look on life and helps the audience get in the mind of Warren. But as suttle as the story may be, the movie unexpectedly comes out of it's shell and becomes creative in it's camera angles, which gives the movie even more emotion depth that works just fine by me.

About Schmidt slowly but surely becomes a very entertaining dramedy that's suttle, but very hilarious. Yet at the same time it can also become emotionally powerful too which you can thank the brilliant talent of Jack Nicholson for bringing his character to life, and making this movie fun to watch.