About Schmidt

I have never been the biggest fan of Jack Nicholson’s movies, but I am not sure why. It’s not his acting that I have a problem with, so it must be his movies. Well, About Schmidt is a film I thoroughly enjoyed. Jack plays Warren R. Schmidt, who has just retired from his job and doesn’t quite know what to do with his life, nor why it has led him to this point. He sponsors an African child as a way of settling his conscience, and his letters are very telling.

When his wife dies, Schmidt sets out across America. His journey is partly to find the places of his childhood but mainly to sabotage his daughter’s wedding, whom he thinks should be achieving more.

If you have lost your way and can’t quite see why you are stuck all day in a dead-end job, then this is a movie for you. It’s not action-packed and lacks a thrilling ending, but it is about real people and real human pains, and Jack Nicholson’s performance is wonderful, capturing his sense of loss (over his job rather than his wife) superbly.

On this day…