It struck me when watching this movie that it must be pretty hard for actors with their privileged lives and seemingly warped reality to play a simple man or woman - Yep, it surprises me that actors and actresses can act. But there you have it, this is exactly the thought that went through my mind when watching Jack Nicholson in About Schmidt, his life is so far removed from that of the everyday man and has been for decades (in my perception at least), it's hard to imagine that he could grasp a small man's life. And this was apparently the same concern director Alexander Payne had when casting the movie (as I learned reading up on the film), upon meeting Jack for the role he apparently said just this, "Jack, I want you to play a small man."
And this is exactly what Jack Nicholson went ahead and did, extremely successfully I might add...
It's a simple story about a simple man. Warren R. Schmidt has just retired, and as only Murphy can dictate, life is about to drop an entire load of additional lemons right on his head. But as a family man, Schmidt has duties, his most prevalent being the out of town wedding of his daughter to a man he doesn't care for. And for this leg of the journey of life, Schmidt is road-tripping, in an R.V. he bought with his wife, on the roads of America, to a future he is coming to terms with...
About Schmidt would garner two Academy Awards nominations, one for Jack, and for Kathy Bates in the role of his nightmare future son-in-law's nightmare mother. It was a role Jack deservedly won the Golden Globe for, but an Oscar he would lose to Adrien Brody (The Pianist). I will say this, regarding Kathy Bates, she is great in the role but I am neither here nor there (this ain't no Annie Wilkes, and if stripping garners Oscar attention why oh why is Basic Instinct not on this list of Oscar movies), but Jack (funny how we on first name basis) is brilliant in this movie, he has become the small man, he is Warren Schmidt, and I would go so far as to say it is better than his Oscar winning turn in As Good As It Gets.
I was struck watching this movie (and I have seen it before, although I did not have a great recall of it), how similar it was thematically and tonally to another Oscar movie I watched recently, this year's Nebraska - only to discover they are both Alexander Payne pieces. and then I was further shocked to learn how many of Alexander Payne's movies I am actually a fan of (Citizen Ruth, Election, Sideways). Must be a greek thing, I have Papadopoulos family, look it up...
The thing about Nebraska and About Schmidt which strikes the deepest cord, is the facing of a life in its winding down, as the inevitable approaches, as the end is nigh, and the hope that when those final days come, that we are able to look forward knowing that we have lived, truly lived, a full life.
It's deep and moving stuff, well recommended.
About Schmidt is movie #68 of the Oscar selection. a worthy addition, and although they weren't officially recognised, before I say adieu for the night, special shout out to the rest of the cast that brought this world to life, especially June Squibb, Hope Davis and Dermot Mulroney.
nuff said...
No comments:
Post a Comment