About Schmidt (2002) - Review and Analysis by Scott Wood for Critical-Film.com

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About Schmidt (2002) A film review by Scott Wood For Critical-film.com   There is a scene in “About Schmidt” where Jack Nicholson (Schmidt) walks into a Dairy Queen, and orders a blizzard with two toppings. I realize it may not sound like noteworthy material to be mentioning, but think about it for a second. What a surreal it is thing to be seeing Nicholson in a fast food establishment; a Dairy Queen. Nicholson is perhaps the screen's biggest star, and definitely one of the great actors of all time. To see him doing something so normal and recognizable brings him down to earth; to our level, if you will. He is no longer a screen icon, but a normal everyday person who does the same things in a day that you and I do. It is this scene that sets us up for the rest of the picture, for Schmidt is perhaps the least glorious, and normal central character in cinematic history. That he is played by Jack Nicholson is perhaps its greatest irony as well, and it works so well that it's difficult to imagine any other actor pulling off this role in such a watchable way.   There are many people out there who will be disappointed with “About Schmidt.” They may see it thinking that it is something along the lines of “As Good as it Gets” or other movies of that sort of ilk. It is definitely not. There are no great revelations, no emotional heartbreaks, and no personal triumphs. “About Schmidt's” focus is on reality. The dialogue is no funnier than actual life, and its characters, while they may teeter on the extremes of reality, are still very tangible and un-movie like. It's as though Alexander Payne (the film's director) is poking fun at society and his characters are people that we have all met at one point or another, and may have had a good laugh or two at behind their backs. He is almost mean-spirited about it at times, as the audience (at least those in the audience that are enjoying themselves) openly laughs at the characters and their ambitions, and not with them.   I am reminded of other Alexander Payne movies as I write this, and different scenes which stood out to me as being particularly adept at poking fun at stereotypical people. There was the principal in “Election” who, during assembly, tried to keep the high school kids quiet during candidate speeches. “Citizen Ruth” had its pro-lifers and pro-choicers in perfect stereotypical juxtaposition. And this film, with its society of people full of pyramid schemes, and lowered expectations. Payne is so adept at portraying what is perhaps his target audience, that many will either find his work insulting, or just won't understand the humor at all. Personally, I do find it funny, and I appreciate that Payne's work is like no others working in mainstream cinema. I can't imagine Payne making a better film than this, however, as “Sideways” strayed a little too far into movie world, and there is a tendency for directors to follow in the trends that bring them the most success.   As for Jack Nicholson, “About Schmidt” marks another great role in an already great career. That it is one so opposite of the charismatic roles of his past, makes it all the more remarkable.   (Four stars)   This review was provided in HTML format, as your browser is not capable of displaying flash content. To experience Critical-Film.com the way it was meant to be seen, please download the flash player from <a href="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash&promoid=BIOW">Macromedia</a>.