DVD Review: About Schmidt (B+)

About Schmidt (2002)
Directed by Alexander Payne
Starring Jack Nicholson, Hope Davis, Kathy Bates and Dermot Mulrooney
MPAA: R
Grade: B+

Review by Scott Standish

Warren Schmidt is having a tough time. After a long and rather boring life as a sales rep he finds himself pushed into retirement. Then his wife passes away. Last and certainly not least, his daughter (played by Hope Davis) is engaged to a total loser of a slacker of a dork.

Stunned into the grave reality of the situation, Warren concludes that his life is empty and meaningless. His house full of dirty dishes and unwashed laundry, he decides to hit the road in a last ditch attempt to save his daughter before its too late. Warren meets up with his son-in-law's family, headed by the quirky new age freak Roberta Hertzel (Kathy Bates). Kathy Bates is fantastic for this part and the pairing of Bates and Nicholson is classic.

About Schmidt was directed by Alexander Payne, the man behind the hilarious comedy Election (starring Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick). A bit darker than Election, and certainly a lot more serious in tone, About Schmidt is a smart script with a fantastic performance by one of our generation's best actors, Jack Nicholson.

A thoughtful drama with some dark comedic undertones, About Schmidt is highly recommended.

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