neumu [ cinematronic ]




	About Schmidt
	Alexander Payne Jack Nicholson, Kathy Bates, Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney, Howard Hesseman 2002		Jack Nicholson acts his age, splendidly, in "About Schmidt," the gentlest film, so far, from Alexander Payne, ingenious writer/director behind the hilarious, acidic social satires "Election" and "Citizen Ruth." With "About Schmidt," Payne considers the search for meaning in even the most mundane of lives. Nicholson is in Oscar-worthy mode for his portrayal of middle-class Nebraskan Warren Schmidt, who feels useless after retiring from his insurance-company job. He tries to find solace by sponsoring an African orphan and writing to the boy. Suddenly, Schmidt is widowed. Despite a lack of passion in his marriage, he's incapacitated by his wife's death. He pulls himself out of his funk, climbs into his mobile home and hits the road to attend the wedding of estranged daughter Jeannie (Hope Davis) to dippy waterbed salesman Randall (Dermot Mulroney). A sense of urgency drives Schmidt; he can't stand the groom-to-be. Arriving in Denver for the wedding, Schmidt must contend with Randall's brusque, free-spirited mother (a bold, comical Kathy Bates). Schmidt's shambling journey of self-discovery is one engrossing trip.