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Reviews
About Schmidt (2002)
See it if you liked "The Straight Story"
This is definitely not a first date movie (but then again, what is these days?) and if you're expecting a typical Jack Nicholson performance you may be disappointed. However, "About Schmidt" is a surprisingly honest portrayal of old age. This movie had numerous opportunities to go into a standard Hollywood plot, either comic or tragic, but instead chose to go straight down the middle, which is much more difficult but potentially more rewarding. Nicholson's stoic, straightforward character reminded me of several older men I've known in my life, yet it is rare to see this type of man portrayed in the movies. The best cinematic comparison I can make is David Lynch's "The Straight Story," although the Lynch film was a bit more sentimental and more hopeful. If you like one of these two films you will probably like the other.
(slight spoiler below) It was refreshing to see Nicholson portraying a man who is about his own age and who looks and acts like it. He is to be commended for putting his talents to such good use in this self-deprecating role. Like Lyle Straight in "The Straight Story," Warren Schmidt is neither a saint nor a scoundrel. He is a regular guy. When his wife suddenly dies, the camera symbolically fixates on the mouth of the vacuum cleaner she is holding, which is still running. This is what Schmidt faces: a vacuum. Emptiness is one of the most difficult, yet also one of the most familiar, enemies that human beings must face as they go through life.
The only purely positive relationship in Schmidt's life is, fittingly, his written correspondence with a six-year-old boy in Africa whom he sponsors through a charity organization--a boy who undoubtedly has no clue what Schmidt is writing about. This frees Schmidt to express what he feels--something that he hasn't done with anyone in a long time, if ever. Later, when a woman he meets in an RV park correctly perceives that he is a sad man, and tells him so, he is so thankful that he tries to kiss her. If this were a typical Hollywood movie, Schmidt would have at least had a few minutes of fun with her--but it isn't and he doesn't.
Another realistic aspect of the film is the portrayal of Schmidt's daughter's wedding. The preparation, the ceremony, and the rehearsal are all presented with such honesty that if you've attended a wedding recently you may be squirming in your seat with discomfort. (Especially when the groom's best friend, who is slightly drunk, makes his speech at the reception.)
Many people will find this movie to be depressing, but I thought it was too good to be depressing. Underneath the story is a critique of mainstream American life that reminded me more of Sherwood Anderson or Sinclair Lewis than of anything I've seen onscreen. From the wallpapered interior of Schmidt's overly large house to his halfhearted attempt to learn about history through roadside displays (while driving an enormous Winnebago), this film has a sharp eye for the wastefulness and emptiness that has crept into our culture. Even the more progressive people, from the family that Schmidt's daughter is marrying into, are taken to task. (The performances here, especially from Kathy Bates, are all first-rate.)
(total spoiler in this paragraph) Yet in spite of this, I don't feel that the film is cynical. Jack Nicholson's performance is key here, as he avoids total callousness and remains sympathetic. His tears at the end are hard-earned and are not just a trick to win the audience's favor. By this point we know that Schmidt is not going to be saved so easily. The tears are composed of equal parts hope and misery. Nicholson's presence, along with his uncharacteristically restrained performance, makes this bitter pill a bit easier to swallow.
More (1969)
Beautiful sights and sounds
Like most people, I was interested in "More" solely because of the Pink Floyd soundtrack, which has turned out to be the only Pink Floyd album that I still listen to after all these years. It was quite a surprise to run across the film in a local video store, in a digitally remastered version. It was an even bigger surprise to find that it is a pretty good movie.
Visually it is quite beautiful, especially when the two main characters are cavorting on the rocks on the Spanish island of Ibiza. And the use of the soundtrack music, which as far as I can tell is exclusively by Pink Floyd, is excellent. It was a joy to watch the film with my copy of the album alongside me, mentally ticking off each track as it was used in the film. Dave Gilmour's brief "A Spanish Piece" was the only one I didn't hear, and several tracks are used quite prominently, especially "Cymbaline," "Main Theme," and "Quicksilver." That latter track is tedious on the soundtrack album but works very well during the title sequence of the film, resurfacing at least once later on. Maybe now I can appreciate it on the album, now that I have some visuals to accompany it in my mind.
The plot of "More" is a little hard to take at times, especially in the early going, when the film appears to be merely a vehicle to demonstrate the hipness of those involved in making it. But eventually the film proves that it has much more than that to offer, as the plot becomes more focused. Why does Stefan take heroin? Why does ANYBODY take heroin, fully knowing the possible consequences? The film does not attempt to answer that question directly, but Stefan's heroin use seems a logical extension of his single-minded pursuit of pure pleasure.
I strongly recommend this film to any Pink Floyd fan who has an appreciation of the vastly underrated "More" soundtrack. I also recommend it to anyone who has an interest in sixties counterculture and how it was portrayed in the media. I have no idea how realistic this movie is, since I am too young to have experienced the sixties firsthand, but it does seem to capture the spirit of the times in a way that no other movie does.