About Schmidt

Released 2002
Stars Jack Nicholson, Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney, June Squibb, Kathy Bates, Howard Hessman
Directed by Alexander Payne

I really enjoyed this movie. I consider it a pure comedy, but it's a low-key, dark, somber humor. The very same material could have been used for a sad, painful drama, but the film, and probably the novel, chose to smile through its sad regrets. The letters to Ndugu are great comic relief, and they allow for a voice-over so we can get inside Warren's head. My favorite moment was when he wrote his first letter, which was a page-long rant about the misgivings of a 66 year-old man, and he felt it necessary to cross out the phrase "cocky bastard." Of course, the rest of the letter was perfectly acceptable for a starving 6 year-old African boy.

Summary by Bill Alward, June 12, 2003

Click here for the full review About Schmidt