About Schmidt is a gem of a movie.

To say that I loved About Schmidt would be an understatement. This is one of the best movies I have seen in ages. It probes emotions that everyone experiences everyday as we search for meaning in a world where so much of life feels meaningless. It connected with me in a way very few films ever have.

All of that said concerning the graces of this film, I can also understand why someone would not like this movie. It was promoted as a comedy, and while there are funny parts, it is NOT a comedy. It is the story of a sad man and his search for significance. It's pacing is not fast, it's stars are not glamorous, and it's subject matter is not glib and fun. It paints a picture of an average Midwestern man and does nothing to glamorize life in this world. It doesn't sparkle with Hollywood glitz, which I mean as a compliment, but many folks may see as a negative. However, if you are willing to look into the heart of this film, you might find more of yourself looking back than you expect.

The film centers around Jack Nicholson's character, Warren Schmidt, a man who worked for decades at an insurance company, and is now retiring. It is obvious that he derived a good deal of his self worth from his work, as many men do. When he retires and has a chance to realize how quickly he is replaced, it makes him search for anything which gives his life value. He loved his job, and worked hard at it all his life, but he isn't irreplaceable, and is a little disappointed that this is the case. This rude awakening of finding meaning in his life now that his job no longer defines him is difficult for Warren.

On top of the stress of retirement, Warren is also dealing with complicated feelings concerning his wife. He loves her, but at the same time he cannot stand her. She has a zillion annoying habits which aggravate him to no end. Nothing big mind you, just the typical aggravations of people who have lived together for years and years. She is a little domineering over him, though not terribly so, and he resents her at the same time as he loves her. Their relationship has grown fairly distant too, so that in some ways he feels his wife doesn't really know who he is.
He isn't crazy about spending the rest of his life traveling around in the deluxe RV which they have bought to travel the country. R.V.ing across America was more her idea than his, and she is definitely more excited about the prospect of the open road than he.

After a few scenes spent establishing Warren’s life after retirement, Warren’s wife suddenly passes away from a blood clot in her brain as she was vacuuming. As conflicted as he is about his wife when she was alive, he feels even more confused now, as part of him loves her, part of him misses her, he begins to realize that he was taking her for granted. He had grown apart from her, so although everyone is treating him like he must feel awful, he actually doesn’t. He feels guilty for not feeling bad…this poor guy is confused and has a lot of emotions to work out. The rest of the film is spent working these feelings out.

The beauty of About Schmidt is in the emotional truth which Jack displays through his acting. His disgust at the younger man who has taken his job after his retirement, his loneliness which brings him into an awkward position with another man’s wife, his relationship with his wife whom he only realizes how much she meant to him after she was gone, his relationship with his daughter who sees him more accurately than he sees himself, his fascination with small town life, the roadside museums which display his desire to find meaning in anything, his one way relationship with the one person in the film whom he has connected with in a meaningful way…a four year old boy who lives in a third world country. All of these scenes and relationships are what make the relatively normal life of Warren Schmidt beautiful, the naked emotional truth in all of them.

After Warren’s wife passes away, the film proceeds with life as the scene shifts to the wedding of Warren’s daughter to a loser from Denver named Randall Hertzel
(as a resident of Denver, I want to assure you we are not all like this) who Warren believes to be, "Not up to snuff." Warren is right, this guy is worthless, but his daughter loves him, and Warren has the chance to get to know the whole family.

The family is totally different from Warren’s family, they are much more open with their feelings, and they do what they feel. This has positive and negative ramifications, as they have some closer relationships, but also have numerous divorces and terrible relationships among them too. The contrast between the two families are best seen between the mother of the groom and the father of the bride. The groom’s mother, Roberta Hertzel, played by Kathy Bates, is a little too open about her sexuality for Warren’s comfort. The funniest scene of the whole film is a scene when she comes on to him, getting naked in a hot tub. This is where we see Kathy Bates naked, and it totally fits her character and the film. She is who she is, does what she wants, and doesn’t care. She is far from attractive nude, but she doesn’t even worry about it, a very gutsy performance by Kathy Bates, who turns in a great performance in this one.

In the end, Warren has a chance to say what he wants about his son-in-law at the wedding toast. He is torn between saying how he actually feels or just doing the right thing. The angst he feels in making this choice is palpable, and draws you in to his character.

The most touching scene of the whole movie is at the end, when Warren is feeling that his life amounts to nothing, and then he opens a letter from a nun who works with the little boy he has sponsored. The little monthly gift he has given has made a difference, and he feels so much better as a result. The scene was enough to have me leaving the theater with a tear in my eye. Significance is found through relationships with others and thinking of others before yourself. This movie is almost too good to pass up. I can’t guarantee you’ll like it, but I believe strongly that you should. Watch About Schmidt, because it might just do your heart good. 10 out of 10 stars!