source: About Schmidt

Excellent movie , surely gem of cinema ,hats off to director Alexander Payne , oscar worthy direction , jack Nicholson raised his status by stellar performance ,oscar worthy performance by him..Don't miss this classical heart touching movie ..

I've got mixed feelings about "About Schmidt". There's a part of me that liked it, and a part of me that didn't. At times, the film's pacing is a little slow for my taste, but Nicholson makes it bearable. I don't know how much I would've liked this movie had a different actor been cast in the lead. The film had a quirky sense of humor, which was quite funny in certain parts, particularly; in scenes where Nicholson is writing his sponsor child, Ndugu. But, in general, there are quite a few humorous scenes scattered throughout the movie. My only real critique is I think the movie could've been a little shorter than it was, but I'm not going to gripe too much. If you like Nicholson, you'll like this movie. That's pretty much all the more you need to really know. Conversely, if you're not a big Nicholson fan, the quiet script may not be enough to keep you interested in what's going on.

I was very surprised not to like this film as I am usually easily pleased when you put Jack Nicholson in front of the camera. This is supposed to be a compelling story about a mans journey after losing his wife (she dies not goes missing in the supermarket) but I somehow missed the story. I saw a man who was unhappy retiring, his wife dies he's not sure if he's sad about that or not and generally bumbles about on the build up to his daughters marriage and then the film stops. The box also claims the film to be hilarious now this I have to disagree with totally... I chuckled briefly three times in the movie and this does not constitute as funny in my book!

"About Schmidt" sticks Nicholson at the center as a recently retired nondescript midwest WASP widower who, finding himself with too much time with which to reflect on the emptiness of his life and the vacuum left by the absence of spouse and career, takes a road trip. A wonderful blend of off-kilter stereotypes, keen satire, plaintive reflection, and bittersweet humor, "About Schmidt" will drive like a dagger through the hearts of many while soaring over the heads of others. How you react to the film will tell you more about yourself than about "...Schmidt". An excellent wry meditation on the meaningful meaninglessness of one man's life which will resonate most with more mature audiences. (B+)

Alexander Payne's 'About Schmidt' is an average effort, it has a tangy storyline, but that doesn't happen in the celluloid. It is loosely based on the 1996 novel of the same title by Louis Begley, I don't how the novel was, but the film surely disappoints! 'About Schmidt' caters to a very tiny section of audience, its not meant for those who like entertaining & escapist cinema, they'll sleep off if they see this one. The film was Crtically Accliamed, that's it! The journey of Mr.Schmidt has very, very less appeal, that's the bitter truth! Coming to some right points: Payne's direction is good. He does his best to rise above the not-so-happening script. Jack Nicholson delivers, as always. Kathy Bates is remarkable in a brief role. Others are also good. 'About Schmidt' is weird & boring at many places... watch it if you are a fan of Nicholson & Bates.

About Schmidt is a very boring film. Even though it has a good cast who deliver great performances and a touching storyline about an old man who has lost his wife, the fact of the matter is it feels as if you, the viewer, are waiting for something to happen. But something never happens so you wait, and wait,and wait,and wait,and wait,and wait,and wait,and wait,and wait,and wait,and wait,and wait,and wait,and wait,and wait,and wait,and wait,and wait,and wait,and wait,and wait,and wait,and wait, and wait, and wait, and wait, until the film ends and you realise that you have spent two hours of your life waiting for nothing to happen. Complete waste of time. 1/10 (only because I can't give a zero).

Great movie. Character-based, with tremendous emotional depth. Quirkily funny at times, too. Jack Nicholson puts in an amazing performance in the lead role, and shows he can play vunerable characters too, rather than just over-confident tough guys.

Nevermind the cynical, effete viewpoint of the screenwriters, the ultimate effect of this flick was one of somewhat nauseous boredom. Here's the life of an uninteresting, empty, well, just plain boring individual, and when it's portrayed on the screen it's - surprise - empty, uninteresting, and just plain boring. Tedious, slow, and takes forever to get there. While the small-talk dialog is cleverly written and all-too-familiar and painful to watch, the characters and situations are so unappealing and borderline disgusting that one feels downright unclean after the movie's over. I guess I'd have to classify it as icky/boring. 1& 1/2 stars.

This film was a masterpiece. It even shows that Nicholson is able to act unusually. We are used to him as grinning a man with pointed irony and sarcasm. But in the role of Warren Schmidt he did not use this specific talent just to entertain us but to open our mind for the possibly deep emptiness of people who call somewhere in their life and recognize that they aren't as rich as they are supposed to be. Schmidt tries to convince the audience that a full life should be the goal instead of just living without being aware of the own role. This can give a very positive motivation for every age.