In Alexander Payne's ABOUT SCHMIDT, Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) is retiring from a long, dedicated tenure at Woodmen of the World Insurance Company. Though he is proud of this achievement, he finds some difficulty adjusting to life without work. To make matters worse, his loving wife Helen (June Squibb) passes away, leaving him all alone. He turns to his daughter, Jeannie (Hope Davis), for support, but she is busy planning her marriage to Randall (Dermot Mulroney), who Warren just can't stand. He decides to sponsor a Tanzanian child, Ndugu, through a program advertised on television, and sends elaborate letters to the 6-year-old boy along with his $22 monthly checks. Meanwhile, he sets off on a soul-searching voyage across the west in his new RV.

Nicholson's deadpan voice-over narration, especially in his letters to Ndugu, give ABOUT SCHMIDT a solid balance between comedy and drama. The crux of the film is the daughter's wedding in Denver, where Warren is the guest of Randall's outrageous, new-agey mom (Kathy Bates). Though the funny moments make light of Warren's state in life, the overall feel of the film is a bit sad, and its enigmatic ending will keep viewers guessing what will happen to this uniquely knowable character.

Theatrical Release Date: December 13, 2002 (LA/NY)

DVD Features:

Region 1
Keep Case
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Single Side - Dual Layer
Audio:
DTS Surround 5.1 - English
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Stereo Surround - English
Additional Release Material:
Deleted Scenes (9)
Woodmen Sequences
Trailers - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer
2. I AM SAM
3. UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
DVD-ROM Features:
Web Links - 1. Childreach.org

Jack Nicholson: American actor, producer, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST
Kathy Bates: Oscar winning actress, MISERY
Hope Davis: Actress
Dermot Mulroney: American Actor
Howard Hesseman: American Actor, WKRP IN CINCINNATI
Len Cariou: Canadian Stage/TV/Film Actor
June Squibb: 

Alexander Payne: Director/Screenwriter

Harry Gittes: Producer
Michael Besman: Producer

Alexander Payne: Director/Screenwriter
Jim Taylor: SCREENWRITER/2U DIRECTOR

Rolfe Kent: Producer/Composer, MERCY (1996)

"...This may be Nicholson's boldest performance. It's certainly one of his best..."
"...The power of this great movie -- part comedy, part tragedy, part satire, mostly masterpiece -- is in the details..."
"...Instead of flash, what Mr. Nicholson brings to his role is a sorrowful awareness of human complexity whose emotional depth matches anything he has done in the movies before..."
"...[Nicholson's] restraint is superbly on the mark..."
"...[Nicholson's] acting is at once edgy and restrained, holding his natural exuberance on a tight leash, festering with dormant energies..."
"...The film is a gutsy, truthful, deeply rooted vision of contemporary American life, scaled to the size of an ordinary man....Payne has become the most gifted comic social satirist to hit our movies since Preston Sturges..."
"...Payne elicits one of Nicholson's finest autumn-years performances in this excellent black comedy..."
"[T]his is a film of ostensibly modest but utterly effective directorial touches."