About Schmidt (2002)

A man upon retirement embarks on a journey to his estranged daughter's wedding only to discover more about himself and life than he ever expected.

Director:

Alexander Payne

Writers:

Louis Begley (novel), Alexander Payne (screenplay),

Stars:

Jack Nicholson, Kathy Bates, Hope Davis

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 33 wins & 34 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Nicholson	...	Warren Schmidt
Kathy Bates	...	Roberta Hertzel
Hope Davis	...	Jeannie Schmidt
Dermot Mulroney	...	Randall Hertzel
June Squibb	...	Helen Schmidt
Howard Hesseman	...	Larry Hertzel
Harry Groener	...	John Rusk
Connie Ray	...	Vicki Rusk
Len Cariou	...	Ray Nichols
Mark Venhuizen	...	Duncan Hertzel
Cheryl Hamada	...	Saundra
Phil Reeves	...	Minister in Denver
Matt Winston	...	Gary Nordin - Warren's Replacement
James M. Connor	...	Randall's Best Man (as James Micheal Connor)
Jill Anderson	...	Bridesmaid Reading St. Paul

Storyline

Warren Schmidt has led a safe, predictable life working in the insurance industry in Omaha, Nebr. for many years, yet now faces retirement. At the same time he is forced to take a hard look at his wife, his life and his relationship with his estranged daughter. An often hilarious series of events follow as Schmidt embarks on an unpredictable RV journey to attend his daughter's wedding in Denver.

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Plot Keywords:

retirement | wedding | first person narration | wedding reception | speech | 

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Taglines:

Schmidt Happens

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language and brief nudity

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 January 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

As Confissões de Schmidt

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$151,427 (Japan) (30 May 2003)

Gross:

$787,649 (Japan) (6 June 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Avery Pix

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Other actors were also in the movie but cut before release. These were (with their character names): Tim Driscoll (Grocery Store Manager) and Jeff Morris (Farmer at Gas Station).

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Goofs

When Warren Schmidt leaves Roberta Hertzel's house to go and sleep in his RV, the RV is noticeably tilted to the right due to its being parked on the side of the street. When he is inside, it is perfectly level.

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Quotes

Warren Schmidt: You're making a big mistake, don't marry this guy, don't do it.
Jeannie Schmidt: What are you talking about?
Warren Schmidt: The other night I had a dream and it was very real. Your mother was there and you were there and your aunt Estelle. And there was a... well, it wasn't really a spaceship, it was more like a blimp or an orb of some kind. And then a bunch of weird creatures came out and started trying to take you away, and you wanna know what? They all looked like Randall. Do you understand? And I was jumping up and down ...

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Connections

References Misery (1990)

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Soundtracks

"Takin' Care of Business"
(1970)
Written by Randy Bachman
Performed by Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Courtesy of The Island Def Jam Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

A terrific film, featuring one of Nicholson's best performances

Jack Nicholson stars as a Warren Schmidt, a man who suffers several crises at once. First he goes into retirement, then his wife dies, and finally his daughter marries a no-hoper. Forced to abandon his usual comfortable routine, Schmidt goes on a personal journey of discovery and tries to make some sense of his life.

The beauty of About Schmidt is how well developed and interesting the characters are. They feel like real people struggling with real situations, which is a surprisingly difficult trick to pull off. This success can be attributed to the strength of the script and most importantly to the uniformly superb acting.

This film provides a showcase for Nicholson to display his talent, and he doesn't disappoint, delivering a superb and multi-layered turn, which is a world away from the smirking characters he often plays. He allows his face to droop, and adopts a world-weary expression, as Schmidt continually finds himself at the mercy of events.

One of Schmidt's first decisions when he determines to get out of the rut he finds himself in is to sponsor an African child. This doesn't have much to do with the rest of the plot, but provides an outlet for Schmidt's innermost thoughts, and is a brilliant and original way of allowing the audience inside the head of the central character.

About Schmidt succeeds in tackling the subject of old age, a topic not often addressed in mainstream Hollywood fare, and for that it should be applauded. This is a terrific film, which features Nicholson at his best.