At the Movies - 'About Schmidt'

The Associated Press

This is what we know about Warren Schmidt: He just retired after four decades as an actuary at Woodmen of the World Insurance Co. in Omaha, Neb.

He's been married 42 years to his sweet but frumpy wife, Helen. And his only child, Jeannie, is marrying a mullet-wearing waterbed salesman named Randall.

This is about all Warren knows about himself, too; he's never really cared to find out more. But at 66, he gets a crash course in self-discovery in "About Schmidt."

Such a simple story may not sound like the natural basis for one of the year's best movies. But it is -- not just for Jack Nicholson's understated performance, which is among the most memorable and surprising in a career full of memories and surprises.

And not just for the keenly observant script from writer-director Alexander Payne, who proves that his sharp, savage "Election" three years ago was no fluke.

Every piece fits together perfectly, from the tiniest details in wardrobe and furniture to the supporting performances from scene-stealers Dermot Mulroney and Kathy Bates.

Payne paints a picture of Middle America that's lovingly satirical -- a gentle jab in the ribs that packs the power of a punch in the gut. That's exactly what Warren Schmidt needs, and he doesn't even see it coming.

Warren simply occupies space, counting down the minutes until retirement in his sparse, lifeless office, and sitting quietly in a banquet room as his colleagues honor him. Whether by himself or in a crowd, Warren is always hopelessly alone.

During one of many unproductive days watching television, he sees a commercial for the Childreach organization, and picks up the phone on a whim. He ends up sponsoring a 6-year-old Tanzanian boy named Ndugu, and is asked to send a letter along with his monthly donation of $22.

Warren barely knows how to talk to his own wife (June Squibb) or daughter (Hope Davis), so he really has no idea what to say to an illiterate orphan halfway around the globe. His "Dear Ndugu" letters, which give the narrative its structure, are simultaneously hilarious and pathetic, simply for the cluelessness of their writer, and for Nicholson's droning voiceover as he scribbles away on a yellow legal pad.

Suddenly, Helen dies, and Warren is shaken from his numbing routine. After moping for weeks -- seemingly because no one's there to take care of him, not because he misses his wife -- he lumbers into the Winnebago that he and Helen had planned to use for road trips. His destination is Denver, where he hopes to persuade Jeannie to call off her wedding to Randall (Mulroney), whom he thinks is beneath his darling daughter.

Comparisons to "Easy Rider" are inevitable, with Nicholson back on the road to self-discovery. This time, the terrain provides the path not for psychedelic revelations, but for sobering reality.

Once in Denver, nothing goes as Warren planned -- and he certainly didn't expect to end up in a hot tub with Roberta (Bates), Randall's bohemian mother, who has no qualms about stepping au naturel into the bubbling water.

Nicholson has been lavished with praise for the performance, and deservedly so. Gone are the wild hair, raised eyebrows and impish grin that have become his trademarks. He has gone small to become Warren Schmidt, and it produced big results. It may just be the performance of the year, and it should earn him his 12th Oscar nomination.

This is a "sad, sad man," observes one woman he meets during his road trip, a social misfit despite a lifetime of experience.

Nicholson himself said it best after a screening of "About Schmidt" at the New York Film Festival, where it was this year's opening film: "I found it interesting that this guy who has a mathematical depth about life ... really seems to understand nothing about his own life."

By the movie's subtly moving conclusion, he may not have it all figured out, but he's take the first step in his journey.

"About Schmidt," a New Line Cinema release, is rated R for some language and brief nudity.

Running time: 125 minutes.

Three and a half stars out of four.