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 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 lead him to this point. He sponsors a African child as a way of settling his conscience and his letters are very telling.

When his wife dies, Schmidt sets of across America. His journey is partly to find the places of his childhood but mainly to sabotage his daughter’s wedding who he things 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…