Elder States

JACK NICHOLSON AGES LIKE A MASTER IN ABOUT SCHMIDT

About Schmidt is the movie that asks, Has Jack Nicholson really gotten that old? Playing a retired actuary, Jack hits the road again here, just as he did back when he was a pheromonal smart-ass in his star-making pictures Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces. But the escape vehicle is now a Winnebago, and the quest is not to find America or to buck the System but merely to leave a mark on the world before all the traces of one's life are kicked over, to make a quiet connection with someone, anyone, and to maybe save a daughter (Hope Davis) from marrying a doofus (Dermot Mulroney). Alexander Payne, who previously directed and co-wrote Citizen Ruth and Election, employs the same dry wit in this film, although here his affectionate ribbing of midwestem manners occasionally curdles into what feels like a sneer. The film also meanders rather more than seems intentional, but you could argue that the whole thing is a subtle and skillful buildup to the final shot, a simple close-up of Nicholson as an array of conflicting emotions—grief, joy, regret—play across his face with all the impact and clarity of a great silent performance, 30 or so seconds that by all rights should become one of the movies' iconic moments. (Rating: ★★★½)

B.H.