If you looked at his filmography from the last nine years, you'd never know that Jack Nicholson was one of the greatest American actors. He's increasingly indulged in outsized roles like the villain in "The Departed" and an unrepentant misogynist in "Something's Gotta Give".
All of this makes Nicholson's 2003 performance in "About Schmidt" so significant--it represents the last time he really gave a crap. It was the last time he actually tried hard, as opposed to looking like he was trying hard. And the results are fantastic. Playing a recently retired executive, Nicholson gives us a man going through the motions while showing his contempt and frustration beneath the surface. He nails subtle details, like the character's slow, lumbering gait. He also flexes his comedic chops, giving some wonderfully underplayed deadpan reactions.
As good as Nicholson is, though, it shouldn't obscure the rest of Alexander Payne's typically wonderful dramedy. Payne moves effortlessly from the mundane to the moving to the hilarious. Schmidt deals with his nagging wife, goes on an educational road trip ("I met a Native American today, and boy did he open my eyes. Those people got a raw deal."), and meets his daughter's wacky new in-laws. (Four words: Kathy Bates' nude scene. Let me assure you, though, that a few seconds of pain are well worth it for a film this good.)
Things happen, but nothing really changes. And that's what makes the movie so heartbreakingly honest. A more standard indie film would have seen Schmidt turning over a new leaf and becoming a better person. But Schmidt is too old to hit the reset button on his life. He's not going to magically change his relationship with his wife of 42 years or his thirtysomething daughter. Payne and Nicholson give us plenty of laughs, but they insist on making us face the awful truth.
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