about schmidt [B-]

moviemcpeake snippet: One thing is for sure, my disappointments did not come from the acting. Well, at least Jack Nicholson and Kathy Bates. My disappointment came from my boredom in this slow, boring, comedic drama. Now, I know that was the point. Warren Schmidt hadn't lived life. He was slow and boring. I got it. I got the fact he spent his whole life calculating the probability of when people will die based on their geographics and therefore himself never lived. I got the message, but I was still bored.

From time to time I laughed. I kept waiting on the edge of my seat for Kathy Bates to appear on the big silver screen and when she did, I found myself awake again. But she didn't steal the screen long enough and then the movie was over. Schmidt, who was a very pathetic man, is unfortunately how many Americans end up. Retired and nothing to show for (minus the material items). His daughter, which I felt was poorly acted, snubbed him, just as life had - or did he snub life and now wanted it back? Either way it didn't matter to me when I left.

Of course many critics are disagreeing with me. But I really felt it was close to something but in the end it was just a boring film about a boring man. Nicholson and Bates could only carry the movie so far. There was a man's story to tell and lessons to be learned. I guess I would rather learn them from someone else.

recommendation: take it off any list or be a baby boomer to get it.