About Schmidt

The name says it all. It is a one-man show about a character that you might consider not very interesting. Of course, the irony is that this is exactly what is interesting about the character.

The story is about transitions in life and connections or the lack of them with other human beings including relatives. It is a thought provoking plot; and that is surprising, particularly since the story moves slowly, the action is elderly slow motion and the protagonist is seriously non-verbal.

This is also a story about Middle America; it is set in Omaha, Nebraska, and it is about the personal conservatism that is characteristic of those who live there. This is dramatically demonstrated when Warren, the protagonist, encounters the liberal family of his daughters fiance in Denver.

It is no secret during the initial portions of the film that Warren is a sad character who has lead a sad disconnected life. However, some very funny scenes develop in the latter half of the film. These occur as a result of Warren examining his life and widening his connectivity, but I would not label this film a comedy because of them.

Alexander Payne (birth name Papadopoulos) directed and wrote the screenplay for this film, which is based on the novel by Louis Begley. He grew up in Omaha Nebraska, although he graduated from Stanford and received an MFA from UCLA Filmschool. Of the other half a dozen films he directed and wrote, I have seen Citizen Ruth (1996).

Jack Nicholson plays Warren Schmidt, a 66-year-old actuary retiring from his position in the Woodmen of the World insurance company. Nicholsons career spans close to fifty years and includes 60 films, many in which he had lead or significant roles. He was usually type cast as a bad guy, because he was so good at it. However in the last decade he has branched out into roles, which include comedy and non-violent drama.

Nicholson, abandoned by his father, discovered late in life that his grandmother was not his mother, but the woman he believed to be his sister, was his mother. He received an Oscar for his performance in As Good As It Gets (1997) and he is famous for his shark grin.

Warrens wife, Helen, his daughter, Jeannie, her fiance, Randall, and his mother, Roberta all provided strong secondary role support for Nicholsons character. Kathy Bates plays Roberta and she is the only one with an extensive acting background.

Reviewed July 1, 2003