About About Schmidt

I had looked forward to seeing About Schmidt for a while and, having finally seen it, I was somewhat disappointed. On the positive side, the acting performances were good and the plot did not rely on explosions to keep things interesting. Furthermore the film did point out how miserable and meaningless life can be, which as a Swedish film buff is something I look for. So, I would recomend the film. However, the film also had several key flaws. First, the cinematography was obtrusive. I appreciate good cinematography but here there were too many shots that said 'look at me' rather than providing a new perspective for the film. Second, the conceit of the letters to Ndugu was a needless contrivance. Essentially, the film at these points was condescending to us by letting us know that it knew we weren't intelligent ehough to discern what might be going on in the story.

A final point regarding the casting is in order as well. As I mentioned beforehand, the performances were very good. However, I felt that Jack Nicholson's acreen presence, albeit much toned down compared to most of his other roles, is disconsonant with the character of Schmnidt and at times obscures the nature of the character. The role of Schmidt cries out for the talent of the much missed Jack Lemmon, whose demeanor could have more convincingly conveyed the nuances of Schmidt.

I give it three stars. It is worthwhile to watch this film. It's good points outweigh the bad.

Post-script: another 'final' point about the casting.... I don't think anyone needed to see Kathy Bates in a nude scene, no matter how wonderful she was in the rest of the movie and no matter how briefly she appeared in the altogether....