Post by The Candyman on Aug 5, 2005 16:21:16 GMT -5
Quote: "I'm sorry, Helen. Can you forgive me? Can you forgive me?"
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Kathy Bates
Director: Alexander Payne
Rating: R
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This movie is depressing. As in, really depressing. I can’t remember the last time I saw a movie that was just so…sad. And bleak. And lonely. Just like the life of its protagonist. That’s just a fair warning before you go off to rent this one.
The very first scene sets the tone for the rest of the movie. We are greeted with lifeless shots of a city, one right after another. Everything looks extremely desolate. The audience is then given a view of Warren Schmidt (Nicholson) sitting behind an almost completely bare desk, in a completely bare room except for some boxes lined up against the wall. He stares unblinkingly as the hands of a clock slowly move and time ticks away. There is no sound at all. No dialogue. Just him and a clock, slowly ticking down the minutes, the seconds of his life constantly ticking away. After a while, he gets up and leaves.
This is how things will be for almost the complete remainder of the movie: Schmidt just watching his life go by. He has no purpose, his existence has no meaning. We learn that he has recently retired, and should be happy, but instead he seems dead to everything that goes on around him. After the death of his wife, Helen, he embarks on a road trip that in some ways will change him and in others will make his life even worse.
His biggest fear is one that we all will face at some time in our lives: that his life has no significance. When all is said and done, no one will remember Warren Schmidt. He fears that he has done nothing worthwhile in his life. Indeed, the other characters in the movie hardly pay attention to him at all. His daughter, Jeannie, is either avoiding him or ignoring him, even when he’s trying to warn her not to mess up her life by marrying someone who is, quite frankly, a moron. The only person who ever truly understands him ends up rejecting him, and the woman who tries to understand him (Bates) ends up being rejected. Schmidt seems to be the loneliest and most insignificant figure on the face of the earth.
The movie involves him trying to make something of himself and find meaning for his life. Throughout the course of the film, the only person he truly bares his soul to is a six-year old Tanzanian child he has adopted and frequently writes to. I suppose it never occurred to him that the kid might not speak English – he tells him everything. The ending is both ironic and inspirational at the same time; no doubt a tear-jerker for the ladies.
This is definitely one of Nicholson’s greatest performances. Instead of the familiar grin and maniacal expressions, the audience gets to see him play someone completely different than his other roles: a normal guy. The other actors are also good (though I’m not sure I would agree that Bates deserved her Best Supporting Actress nomination), but Nicholson steals the show. His portrayal of a broken and lost man is what truly makes this movie worthwhile.
Payne’s directing is also noteworthy, each shot containing a sense of loneliness and desolation that resonates throughout the entire movie. The colors are bland and gritty – The Royal Tenenbaums this most certainly is not. The pacing is a tad slow at times, but that is easily forgiven when compared to all the film has to offer.
From a spiritual point of view this movie hits home. Schmidt is the fabled Everyman, his life exactly like yours and mine. He lives in an ordinary house, with an ordinary wife, he has ordinary children, and even his hair is non-spectacular. His feelings are the feelings of a lot of the world today, as he wanders aimlessly from place to place trying desperately to find something that will make him happy – even though the key to his happiness is staring him in the face the entire time. He used to live on 12 Locust Avenue (which no doubt is significant, though I can’t figure out what it could mean – it reminded me personally of the plagues of Egypt in the book of Exodus) but his old home has been torn down, just like the rest of his past. Everything in his life is gradually falling apart, until by the end of the movie he is completely alone. Here is a guy we can all relate to, because to some extent we’ve all been in his position.
If you’re concerned about offensive material, this film is surprisingly clean. There is some profanity, and we do get a shot of Kathy Bates nude in the hot tub (ew) but these are overshadowed by the sheer grandness – and in a strange sort of way, beauty – that this movie has to offer.
I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: this is not a happy movie. If you’re looking for something light and fun, don’t rent this movie. But if you’re looking for a movie that will inspire and you can relate to your life, then this is a worthwhile choice. I give it an 8.5/10.
The Bottom Line: Excellent, though a tad depressing.
Should I see it? If seeing Kathy Bates naked won’t scar you for life, then absolutely.
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Kathy Bates
Director: Alexander Payne
Rating: R
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This movie is depressing. As in, really depressing. I can’t remember the last time I saw a movie that was just so…sad. And bleak. And lonely. Just like the life of its protagonist. That’s just a fair warning before you go off to rent this one.
The very first scene sets the tone for the rest of the movie. We are greeted with lifeless shots of a city, one right after another. Everything looks extremely desolate. The audience is then given a view of Warren Schmidt (Nicholson) sitting behind an almost completely bare desk, in a completely bare room except for some boxes lined up against the wall. He stares unblinkingly as the hands of a clock slowly move and time ticks away. There is no sound at all. No dialogue. Just him and a clock, slowly ticking down the minutes, the seconds of his life constantly ticking away. After a while, he gets up and leaves.
This is how things will be for almost the complete remainder of the movie: Schmidt just watching his life go by. He has no purpose, his existence has no meaning. We learn that he has recently retired, and should be happy, but instead he seems dead to everything that goes on around him. After the death of his wife, Helen, he embarks on a road trip that in some ways will change him and in others will make his life even worse.
His biggest fear is one that we all will face at some time in our lives: that his life has no significance. When all is said and done, no one will remember Warren Schmidt. He fears that he has done nothing worthwhile in his life. Indeed, the other characters in the movie hardly pay attention to him at all. His daughter, Jeannie, is either avoiding him or ignoring him, even when he’s trying to warn her not to mess up her life by marrying someone who is, quite frankly, a moron. The only person who ever truly understands him ends up rejecting him, and the woman who tries to understand him (Bates) ends up being rejected. Schmidt seems to be the loneliest and most insignificant figure on the face of the earth.
The movie involves him trying to make something of himself and find meaning for his life. Throughout the course of the film, the only person he truly bares his soul to is a six-year old Tanzanian child he has adopted and frequently writes to. I suppose it never occurred to him that the kid might not speak English – he tells him everything. The ending is both ironic and inspirational at the same time; no doubt a tear-jerker for the ladies.
This is definitely one of Nicholson’s greatest performances. Instead of the familiar grin and maniacal expressions, the audience gets to see him play someone completely different than his other roles: a normal guy. The other actors are also good (though I’m not sure I would agree that Bates deserved her Best Supporting Actress nomination), but Nicholson steals the show. His portrayal of a broken and lost man is what truly makes this movie worthwhile.
Payne’s directing is also noteworthy, each shot containing a sense of loneliness and desolation that resonates throughout the entire movie. The colors are bland and gritty – The Royal Tenenbaums this most certainly is not. The pacing is a tad slow at times, but that is easily forgiven when compared to all the film has to offer.
From a spiritual point of view this movie hits home. Schmidt is the fabled Everyman, his life exactly like yours and mine. He lives in an ordinary house, with an ordinary wife, he has ordinary children, and even his hair is non-spectacular. His feelings are the feelings of a lot of the world today, as he wanders aimlessly from place to place trying desperately to find something that will make him happy – even though the key to his happiness is staring him in the face the entire time. He used to live on 12 Locust Avenue (which no doubt is significant, though I can’t figure out what it could mean – it reminded me personally of the plagues of Egypt in the book of Exodus) but his old home has been torn down, just like the rest of his past. Everything in his life is gradually falling apart, until by the end of the movie he is completely alone. Here is a guy we can all relate to, because to some extent we’ve all been in his position.
If you’re concerned about offensive material, this film is surprisingly clean. There is some profanity, and we do get a shot of Kathy Bates nude in the hot tub (ew) but these are overshadowed by the sheer grandness – and in a strange sort of way, beauty – that this movie has to offer.
I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: this is not a happy movie. If you’re looking for something light and fun, don’t rent this movie. But if you’re looking for a movie that will inspire and you can relate to your life, then this is a worthwhile choice. I give it an 8.5/10.
The Bottom Line: Excellent, though a tad depressing.
Should I see it? If seeing Kathy Bates naked won’t scar you for life, then absolutely.