The movie gets better with multiple watching. The nuanced acting, facial expressions, the absurdity of what life's waves can wash up upon your shore and how a man chooses to deal with them is captured by Jack Nicholson who nails the landing on this masterpiece dismount from a working man's career.

The movie betrays Schmidt's character many times going in the wrong direction.

Filme bacaninha, o roteiro é mais ou menos, o filme estava meio chato, depois de uma melhorada quando ele viajou com o trailer até o casamento de sua filha, Mas o filme não tem uma cena que impactou o filme, só a nudez da Kathy bates na banheira, que foi só isso, de resto um drama bacaninha.

I absolutely 💯 loved this movie in all the awkwardness with the characters and some of the awkward scenes.

It is not bad, but I was left disappointed. The last 40 minutes were not interesting at all. I ended up looking at my phone

Its a really good movie.

Jack Nicholson proved he's not just an interesting face.

Good drama, with comedic parts at times, and with really good acting.

The single worst movie I've ever seen. No idea why people like this. Intensely slow and Intensely dull. I "affectionately" call this movie "About Sh*t" when people begin discussing bad films, and this one inevitably comes up. "About Jack Sh*t" more like though. A toddler could tell a more compelling story.

At least Schmidt didn't get scammed from revealing all that social engineering rich information.

Nooo sorry, this was such predictable schtick. It was like emotionally manipulative, base humour, particularly by by numbers film making. It lost a whole star for the ending. Basically the story of a mediocre man having a late life crisis as he reflects upon his mediocre life and then takes philosophical solace through some banal musings on the futility of life and an African kid's kindness. Pleeeeease. Nicholson is an actor who always annoys me. This wasn't for me clearly. Dreary, pointless film making. Bought on DVD a long time ago, finally got round to watching unfortunately.

Somewhere in Tanzania there's a young boy named Ndugu Umbo that can't read. Do you think the good sisters at the orphanage read every one of Jack Nicholson's complaints and bits of meandering life advice to him? About Schmidt is a strong comedy-drama, in that it does both comedy and drama independently without making Schmidt feel stretched out as a character. Getting old is a weird time, full of self-reflection and a comprehensive review of all the accomplishments, missed connections, and poor choices that have resulted in the you that you now are. There's ample opportunity to be disappointed in having failed to meet your own expectations, but there's also a bit of absurdity in it all, seeing how things that you once thought were important turned out to be trivial. It's this cocktail of emotions that sends Jack Nicholson's Schmidt a bit over the edge as he drives around in his RV, thinking about his years spent in risk analysis and the time spent with his late wife, seeing parallels to the upcoming wedding of his daughter to some slacker; it's both motivating and deflating, and it's all chronicled in a series of letters sent to little Ndugu half a world away. But it's a testament to the writing and direction that all this relatable discussion of the sum total of one's experiences doesn't really clash with the humor, a reminder of the impracticality of taking yourself too seriously; sometimes, you just end up in a hot tub with a nude Kathy Bates. Nicholson delivers one of his best legitimate performances, the kind that shows he knows what he's doing and doesn't have to trade on name recognition alone. And the ending is powerful, surprisingly so, with Schmidt latching onto this small bit of unquestionably positive influence he has had. But imagine if the film ended with all those letters coming back to him 'Return to Sender'. Now that would be tragicomic. (3.5/5)

In Alexander Payne's About Schmidt, recently retired actuary Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) finds himself alone in life after the sudden death of his wife, his only emotional outlet being a one-way correspondence with a recently acquired foster child from Tanzania. Nicholson gives a subdued but effective late-career performance as the despondent, floundering protagonist who is trying to make sense of an existence he doesn't understand. The movie succeeds on the strength of the insightful script and Payne's effective direction, often allowing shots to run longer than expected (check out the airport scene as his daughter walks to the plane) for maximum emotional impact. While some scenes feel like they're on the verge of being overly sentimental, the movie never becomes maudlin or feels manipulative.

I've seen this one before, but as is the case with great films, it was worth my time to watch again. Nicholson's character so really represents one who has avoided his emotions as a means of avoiding conflict in life. It takes a 6 year old child on the other side of the world to connect with him and allow him to feel something and express if finally. This story about Nicholson's lack of human connection, until the end with a stranger he's never met, is so powerful. I loved this film for this, not to mentioned it's wit and sarcasm. Mulroney's portrayal of the daughter's fiancé is also great.

Fabulous but a little slow and not as funny as I hoped. It's an interesting look at the despair we face when forced.

Love it. What a performance by Jack Nicholson and such fun from Kathy Bates....

Awesome story and Jack Nicholson has to be best actor alive.

Boring, slow, overrated. Nicholson shines as usual, lots of depicable characters.

I really liked this. Showed a whole other side to Jack's acting, proof that he can play literally any character. Kathy Bates is fantastic too, as always.

Director Alexander Payne's first chapter of transitioning from political satire to middle-aged existential crises correctly marking in humor, patience, morale, and reflection for an ideological delivery by Jack Nicholson agreeably at one of his best, especially considering the fitting characterization prepared his eventual retirement. (B+)