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Posted by Brad Haven (Member # 954) on 01-26-2003, 06:19 AM:
 
I'm suprised that no one else has reviewed this film!

A little long and slow in places, but a very enjoyable film. I found it a little darker than the trailer let on, but i prefer comedies with a darker edge to them, so i was happy.
Not a lot of laughter from the audience (50 odd), but i got the feeling they enjoyed it though.
All the cast were very good, i have a bit of a soft spot for Hope Davis, she's a great actress and gorgeous to boot, Dermot Mulrony played a great character as he always does.

A great film of a mans journey into retirement and self discovery.
 

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Posted by Dave Hall (Member # 1589) on 01-26-2003, 08:30 AM:
 
agreed very good. Nicholson was excellent!

very emotional film - the sort that I think you have to be in the right mood to watch, and I don't want to see it again for a few weeks at least.

(designed for an older crowd who don't buy any concessions and then complain afterwards about the air conditioning!)
 

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Posted by Michael Barry (Member # 237) on 01-28-2003, 07:29 AM:
 
Well, Brad, you JUST beat me to it! I was also thinking the same thing, ie. why no one else has reviewed it yet.

My review: It is a masterpiece. Simply put, this is one of the greatest films I have ever seen. There are not many films made about people being disappointed as they reach the end of their lives - certainly there are few serious ones that tackle the subject head-on. The ones that come to mind are 'It's a Wonderful Life', 'Wild Strawberries', 'Ikiru' (To Live), 'Umberto D' and 'Everybody's Fine'. They are masterpieces one and all, and they are directed by Frank Capra, Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa, Vittorio DeSica and Giuseppe Tornatore respectively. I would confidently place 'About Schmidt' and its director Alexander Payne in the same company. That's the level of respect I have for this movie.

It is a very serious movie, very honest and very funny, albeit in a most tragic way. There is no fake ornamentation or 'artistic' expression in the acting or direction, no souped-up scenes, no 'hot' (in the histrionic, as opposed to the sexual sense) scenes to get people's attention, no money shots...in other words, this is disciplined filmmaking in the extreme. There are no special effects, no gimmicks, no fancy camera work, no 'tricks' at all. For the most part, they parked the camera (carefully!) and rolled. This is the hardest type of filmmaking there is, because it is so raw - there is nothing to hide behind and nothing to fall back on...but Payne and his crew did it with charisma and aplomb.

For example, the camera is never moved because it would look 'pretty'. There is no 'beautiful' cinematography, only necessary cinematography (to paraphrase Robert Bresson). The camera is moved only when absolutely necessary in order to make a point or to punctuate something important, and the editing matches this. No MTV cutting here: shots are composed carefully and they have actually gone to the trouble of deciding where to place the camera rather than just following the actors around with a steadicam (like so many movies now) and each cut takes place only when it is needed, and *exactly* when it is needed. The movie fits together with the precision of a swiss watch. It's quite an achievement!

Payne avoids sentimentality altogether. Where other directors would go for the 'lump in the throat' and get those violins going, Payne goes in the opposite direction. As a result, the movie is genuinely emotional rather than fakely manipulative or sentimental. The last couple of movies I saw which, like 'About Schmidt', got this crucial aspect of a drama right, were the excellent 'Virgin Suicides' and 'You Can Count On Me'.

There is simply nothing you could possibly add to this movie to improve it in any way, and nothing you could remove from it without making it less than what it is. It does not put a foot wrong in the entire running time, and makes all the right moves throughout. Absolutely outstanding!

Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, this one's for you!
 

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Posted by Michael Barry (Member # 237) on 03-24-2003, 08:09 AM:
 
Just bumping this up to the top so that it won't be forgotten on Oscar night, even though it wasn't even nominated in a single category.

As I've opined above, this for me was the best film of the year, and it will be a very long time before someone else comes along and makes a film as good as this one (although One Hour Photo was also sensational).
 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 03-24-2003, 06:24 PM:
 

quote:

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it wasn't even nominated in a single category

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