# Hate isn't a strong enough word for About Schmidt **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 20, 2003, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-isnt-a-strong-enough-word-for-about-schmidt/196360 "2003-08-20T03:48:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sat\_on\_Cookie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71c47a/32.png) [@Sat\_on\_Cookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sat_on_Cookie)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-isnt-a-strong-enough-word-for-about-schmidt/196360/1 "2003-08-20T03:48:05Z")
I absolutely hated this movie. Not only that, I feel terrible that I couldn’t warn family members not to watch it. I realize I’m in the minority here, but can anyone point out the redeeming factors that made it such a critical hit? ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-isnt-a-strong-enough-word-for-about-schmidt/196360/2 "2003-08-20T04:55:25Z")
Sounds like your feelings towards _About Schmidt_ are much like mine towards _XXX_. I do sympathize. That said, I found the characters in _About Schmidt_ incredibly well thought out and very well-acted. They weren’t cardboard cutouts and they weren’t cliches. There were a couple of people in the movie, in fact, that reminded me very strongly of people I know in life. Also, I found the ending of _About Schmidt_ to be quite satisfying and very telling about the character. But that’s me…I love character-driven movies, and this one appealed to me as such. ---
**Author:** ![Dogman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Dogman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogman)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-isnt-a-strong-enough-word-for-about-schmidt/196360/3 "2003-08-20T05:03:21Z")
I think the Jack Nicholson character in About Schmidt, basically personified a lot of men we see often in daily life but are rarely portrayed in mainstream film. Really identified with his character. Terrific acting by Nicholson, he has really been smart about picking his parts as he gets older. I too thought the ending was very well done and powerful. Thought About Schmidt was among the very best films I’ve seen in the last five years. ---
**Author:** ![CyberPundit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@CyberPundit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyberPundit)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-isnt-a-strong-enough-word-for-about-schmidt/196360/4 "2003-08-20T05:07:13Z")
I also liked the film a lot. I thought the basic story of a retired man who is not sure what his life is about rang true. I thought Jack Nicholson gave a brilliant performance for the most part. There were some genuinely funny moments like the first letter to Ndugu. And I liked the way the film didn’t pander with an easy happy ending where Schmidt gets to like his son-in-law. ---
**Author:** ![Sat\_on\_Cookie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71c47a/32.png) [@Sat\_on\_Cookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sat_on_Cookie)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-isnt-a-strong-enough-word-for-about-schmidt/196360/5 "2003-08-20T05:12:19Z")
I think my biggest “problem” with the movie was that for some strange reason, I expected a humorous film. Not exactly a comedy, but something light-hearted. Maybe along the same lines as “As Good As It Gets.” Instead, I wanted to call my parents and have a group hug. I’m still wondering how my dad will get along w/o my mom. It was just depressing, disjointed, and sad. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-isnt-a-strong-enough-word-for-about-schmidt/196360/6 "2003-08-20T13:37:33Z")
Well yes it was. I liked the film, not loved, liked. I thought it was interesting how Schmitt could open up to his pen pal child but could not talk to his own daughter. But I was disappointed with the ‘wife had affair’ bit as I could see it coming a mile away and the Jack makes pass at the younger women thing was bad. He should have just over stayed his welcome by just not leaving. Then if they did the affair thing I wanted him to realize that this daughter was not his child and he could wash his hands of the lot of them. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-isnt-a-strong-enough-word-for-about-schmidt/196360/7 "2003-08-20T13:48:06Z")
Has anyone who has seen the movie also read the book? I read the book this summer and liked it, but it was not nearly as sad/depressing as I expected, and it also seemed pretty different from what I knew of the movie. In the book, Schmidt is mostly unlikeable, but you kind of feel sorry for him. However it has a relatively happy ending. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-isnt-a-strong-enough-word-for-about-schmidt/196360/8 "2003-08-20T15:07:47Z")
I found Schmidt to be one of the vilest characters ever displayed on film. Not evil in the traditional sense, but selfishness reduced to its purest form. I wished I could reach through the camera and give him a smack. About every 30 seconds. Strangely, a lot of the over-50 crowd in the theater was laughing with great hilarity. I tell you what, if _my_ father ever attended my wedding with that expression on his face, you can be sure I would never speak to him again. Well acted, but thoroughly unlikable. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-isnt-a-strong-enough-word-for-about-schmidt/196360/9 "2003-08-20T17:52:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hello Again \* > \*\*I found Schmidt to be one of the vilest characters ever displayed on film. Not evil in the traditional sense, but selfishness reduced to its purest form. > > I wished I could reach through the camera and give him a smack. About every 30 seconds. > > \ > > Well acted, but thoroughly unlikable. \*\* I think that was quite intentional, and one of the things that made the film so worthwhile to me. Nicholson played the character as completely selfish, but not without depth. It’s a fine line to walk, and he did it well. The director also set just the right tone for the film to support this great performance. The most interesting part about Schmidt’s speech at the wedding was that you could tell he was _trying_ to be there for his daughter. He really was trying hard, but in the end, it wasn’t in his nature to do it right. He couldn’t be honestly happy for her, and he couldn’t even pretend very well. A very fine scene for Nicholson, again walking a very fine line. I don’t think you’re supposed to _like_ Schmidt, but you’re supposed to believe that he really is who he is. I may as well say it… Schmidt reminds me of my own father: completely selfish, but still a person with feelings. He just completely fails to recognize that the feelings of other people are just as valid as his own. He never had to deal with a close loved one passing away, since everyone around him left, including me. When his own father passed away, he couldn’t get over himself enough to go to the funeral. My father also refused to attend my high school graduation because he had not been formally invited… never mind that I hadn’t “formally” invited anyone else, though I made it clear that everyone, including him, was welcome. My mother travelled halfway across the country to be there, but he couldn’t scale the wall his wounded pride had built. It makes me glad, now, that he wasn’t in attendance at my wedding or my college graduation. I could completely see my father pouring out his heart to some anonymous person for no good reason… but he could never bring himself to do the same with me. Schmidt reminded me a lot of my own dad, and it made me both sad and angry to watch the movie. No, he isn’t very likeable… just like many real people aren’t very likeable either. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-isnt-a-strong-enough-word-for-about-schmidt/196360/10 "2003-08-20T20:43:05Z")
Like **Sat on Cookie** , I also expected it to be humorous. I specifically rented it b/c of Alexander Payne, he of two of the funniest movies I’ve seen in the last few years, _Citizen Ruth_ and _Election_. Although it was definitely an Alexander Payne movie, it depressed the hell out of me. Caveat Emptor and all that, but I really expected it to be just like his other two movies. ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-isnt-a-strong-enough-word-for-about-schmidt/196360/11 "2003-08-20T22:22:37Z")
I loved _Citizen Ruth_, _Election_, and _About Schmidt_ and found them all to be both funny and vaguely disturbing. For one, Payne has never put a likeable character on-screen and _About Scmidt_ is no exception. However, I welcome character driven movies that don’t shy away from the dark side of the psyche. Mostly because they’re so few and far between. Of course, such complex multi-layered movies are usually misrepresented by the advertising and this one was no exception. I don’t blame anyone for being put off by the movie when they were expecting something light-hearted. I didn’t like Schmidt, but I liked his movie. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-isnt-a-strong-enough-word-for-about-schmidt/196360/12 "2003-08-20T22:31:18Z")
I guess that’s part of it… I was expecting something darkly funny, not a portrait of pure detestability. I was also very confused by the people in the theater who seemed to find Schmidt funny, when I was overwhelmed with alternating waves of pity, distain, and disgust. ---
**Author:** ![Sat\_on\_Cookie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71c47a/32.png) [@Sat\_on\_Cookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sat_on_Cookie)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-isnt-a-strong-enough-word-for-about-schmidt/196360/13 "2003-08-20T23:06:39Z")
I don’t mind a character driven movie if we, in fact, have a character. But what _I_ had while watching this movie was someone who _wasn’t_ the traditional “jack.” Schmidt was a character by default. Any other actor and it would have gone straight to video. ---
**Author:** ![Daniel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Daniel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daniel)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-isnt-a-strong-enough-word-for-about-schmidt/196360/14 "2003-08-20T23:09:15Z")
When I saw that movie, I got the feeling that they pointed a camera at Nicholson, said, “Make a whole bunch of weird facial expressions,” and decided to write a movie around whatever they had. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-isnt-a-strong-enough-word-for-about-schmidt/196360/15 "2003-08-20T23:17:33Z")
You thought Schmidt was the traditional “Jack” role? Wow… of all the objections I could think of for _About Schmidt_, this isn’t one of them. The only other Nicholson role Schmidt reminded me of at all was his character in _The Crossing Guard_. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-isnt-a-strong-enough-word-for-about-schmidt/196360/16 "2003-08-20T23:42:46Z")
I liked it…It wasn’t quite what I expected. What I expected was quite light-hearted, maybe dark comedy. But what I got was a melange of extremely uncomfortably funny moments combined with some truly heartfelt ones. Basically, I did like it. It was literally a movie where I laughed and cried. Often at the same time. And the ending really got to me. I know he was portrayed as selfish and so forth…but it wasn’t exactly without reason. I mean, his life was coming apart…forced into retirement, his wife dead. And is it just me, or was his daughter equally selfish? She just came off as such a bitch. It was one of those movies that just drives a stake into you. I came out feeling so emotionally wrecked. But in a good way, if that makes any sense.