"Relatively soon, I will die. Maybe in 20 years, maybe tomorrow, it doesn't matter. Once I am dead and everyone who read this dies too, it will be as though my film reviews never existed. What difference have these reviews made to anyone? None that I can think of. None at all."
"About Schmidt" is the tale of the last act of a life lived in the shadows of underachievement and bureaucracy, and Jack Nicholson is the reason to watch it. Nicholson's portrayal is a masterful tour de force, showcasing his ability to convey complex emotions with subtlety and nuance.
Warren Schmidt is an insurance actuary whose retirement and sudden death of his wife leave his entire existence adrift. He faces the profound isolation that accompanies his ordinary life. His lack of meaningful connections and his struggle to find purpose become central to the narrative. This is a funny, but contemplative film, and an examination of universal themes; aging, regret, mortality, loneliness, depression and a fruitless search for meaning.
Eventually Schmidt embarks on a road trip to his daughter's wedding, along the way visiting various places that have had some meaning to him in the past. But he finds no answers. His childhood home is now a tire store.
Despite its somber tone, "About Schmidt" includes truly laugh-out-loud moments of dark humor. Just when we think the universe can't hand him any further absurdity, he's confronted with yet another streaming plateful of existential dread. Such is life.
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