About Schmidt

Started by blake walker, January 11, 2003, 10:54:16 AM

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blake walker

--------So it goes...

Duck Sauce

Overrated.
I liked the first half of it, it was equally depressing and funny. That kind of wore itself out towards the end, I got sort of tired of the gag-white trash humor, and the movie seemed more like a Farrelly brothers movie at some points. All and all, it was great, Nicholson was awesome and I was entertained, I just got bored at certain points.

Bud_Clay

Loved it....it was incredible....i highly enjoyed the ending...what a wonderful way to end such a film.

blake walker

I couldn't agree with Bill more.
--------So it goes...

soixante

While I basically liked About Schmidt, and it made my top ten, this film could have been a masterpiece, but fell short.  The first part of the film, my hopes were very high, as I felt this could be a combination of Umberto D and Five Easy Pieces.  However, Alexander Payne decided to imitate James L. Brooks and the Farrelly Brothers, rather than Bob Rafelson.  The humor became too broad, such as when Schmidt confronts his best friend about sleeping with his wife.  The music cues were way over the top, continually nudging the viewer in the ribs.  In fact, it reminded me of Grumpy Old Men, or those 80's John Hughes movies, with their cranked up music cues.  The waterbed scene went on too long, and wasn't funny -- in fact, I've seen this same gag in many other films, and it's never funny.  OK, I get it, a waterbed isn't stable -- and then it goes on for another five minutes.  Also, the hot tub scene with Bates was like the Farrelly Brothers.  I think the issue here is tone -- the storyline and theme are interesting, it's just a matter of how it's presented.  Few movies, if any, deal with older people facing the end of life alone -- what a wonderful opportunity to explore issues few movies explore, yet it's an opportunity wasted.

About Schmidt could have been a companion piece to Five Easy Pieces, a road picture, a journey of discovery at the end of life.  Instead, Payne went for easy laughs.  It's too bad, because there are so many great scenes, especially Nicholson's breakdown at the end.   What makes Nicholson's 70's movies so great (such as Five Easy Pieces, Last Detail, Cuckoo's Nest) is that they are low-key, don't nudge you in the ribs with music cues, etc.  Nicholson's 80's and 90's movies (such as Terms of Endearment and As Good As It Gets) aren't as good as his primo 70's stuff, because there is too much sitcom type humor mixed with treacly sentimental, Spielbergian false emotions.  30 years later, Five Easy Pieces holds up as a masterpiece, because it is so austere and disciplined, whereas James L. Brooks' films are like sitcoms -- way too broad.  I'm afraid that About Schmidt, for all its merits, will suffer the same fate when we look back on it 20 years hence.
Music is your best entertainment value.

soixante

While I basically liked About Schmidt, and it made my top ten, this film could have been a masterpiece, but fell short.  The first part of the film, my hopes were very high, as I felt this could be a combination of Umberto D and Five Easy Pieces.  However, Alexander Payne decided to imitate James L. Brooks and the Farrelly Brothers, rather than Bob Rafelson.  The humor became too broad, such as when Schmidt confronts his best friend about sleeping with his wife.  The music cues were way over the top, continually nudging the viewer in the ribs.  In fact, it reminded me of Grumpy Old Men, or those 80's John Hughes movies, with their cranked up music cues.  The waterbed scene went on too long, and wasn't funny -- in fact, I've seen this same gag in many other films, and it's never funny.  OK, I get it, a waterbed isn't stable -- and then it goes on for another five minutes.  Also, the hot tub scene with Bates was like the Farrelly Brothers.  I think the issue here is tone -- the storyline and theme are interesting, it's just a matter of how it's presented.  Few movies, if any, deal with older people facing the end of life alone -- what a wonderful opportunity to explore issues few movies explore, yet it's an opportunity wasted.

About Schmidt could have been a companion piece to Five Easy Pieces, a road picture, a journey of discovery at the end of life.  Instead, Payne went for easy laughs.  It's too bad, because there are so many great scenes, especially Nicholson's breakdown at the end.   What makes Nicholson's 70's movies so great (such as Five Easy Pieces, Last Detail, Cuckoo's Nest) is that they are low-key, don't nudge you in the ribs with music cues, etc.  Nicholson's 80's and 90's movies (such as Terms of Endearment and As Good As It Gets) aren't as good as his primo 70's stuff, because there is too much sitcom type humor mixed with treacly sentimental, Spielbergian false emotions.  30 years later, Five Easy Pieces holds up as a masterpiece, because it is so austere and disciplined, whereas James L. Brooks' films are like sitcoms -- way too broad.  I'm afraid that About Schmidt, for all its merits, will suffer the same fate when we look back on it 20 years hence.
Music is your best entertainment value.

©brad

Quote from: Duck SauceOverrated.
I liked the first half of it, it was equally depressing and funny. That kind of wore itself out towards the end, I got sort of tired of the gag-white trash humor, and the movie seemed more like a Farrelly brothers movie at some points. All and all, it was great, Nicholson was awesome and I was entertained, I just got bored at certain points.

Overrated, wore itself out at the end, but all and all it was great? It was awesome and you were entertained but bored? Did you like it or not?

Duck Sauce

Quote from: cbrad4d
Quote from: Duck SauceOverrated.
I liked the first half of it, it was equally depressing and funny. That kind of wore itself out towards the end, I got sort of tired of the gag-white trash humor, and the movie seemed more like a Farrelly brothers movie at some points. All and all, it was great, Nicholson was awesome and I was entertained, I just got bored at certain points.

Overrated, wore itself out at the end, but all and all it was great? It was awesome and you were entertained but bored? Did you like it or not?

Reread what I put. I see many critics rating it as best movie of the year, I dont think so, so therefore I believe it is overrated. I said Nicholson was awesome not the entire movie. So its not possible to be bored by certain parts of a movie and also think its great? Please respond.

©brad

Read the first two sentences. You first said it was overrated. Then you said you liked the first half, but it wears itself out towards the end. You got tired of the white trash gag humor a la the Farrelly brothers. You were bored at certain parts, but then you say the movie was great, and Jack Nicholson was awesome.

You're kind of contradicting yourself. No offense. It sounds like you thought it was okay, but not great. You don't have to say you like a movie just because critics like it. It sounds like that is what you are doing.

Duck Sauce

Quote from: cbrad4dRead the first two sentences. You first said it was overrated. Then you said you liked the first half, but it wears itself out towards the end. You got tired of the white trash gag humor a la the Farrelly brothers. You were bored at certain parts, but then you say the movie was great, and Jack Nicholson was awesome.

You're kind of contradicting yourself. No offense. It sounds like you thought it was okay, but not great. You don't have to say you like a movie just because critics like it. It sounds like that is what you are doing.

I liked the movie. I am not contradicting myself at all. I was bored by certain points of Citizen Kane, but I still think it was great. I thought the movie was good and I mainly pointed out the flaws. I thought Nicholson was good, and a movie can be both great and overrated, overrated does not mean bad. Whatever personal vendetta you have for me, I dont know, but I liked the movie but didnt think it was as great as others think.

©brad

I don't have any personal vendetta against you, but I think we should continue this in a private message as to relieve the other members of the board from our petty bickering.

Overrated is pretty much negative in my book.

RegularKarate

I just saw it and I loved it.
Not the best of the year, but still fantastic.

I don't see ANY similarities to the Farelly Brothers and find it insulting that just because a woman who's overweight is nude, it's considered gross-out or shock humor and therefore compared to something as dumb as Kingpin.

I also never realized that the book was written by Louis Begley until the end.  He wrote Wartime Lies that Stanley Kubrick had adapted, but never filmed for The Aryan Papers.

Interesting.

©brad

Quote from: RegularKarate
I don't see ANY similarities to the Farelly Brothers and find it insulting that just because a woman who's overweight is nude, it's considered gross-out or shock humor and therefore compared to something as dumb as Kingpin.

Interesting.

Absolutely! I completely agree. It's sad that this movie is kind of a breakthrough in Hollywood, for once Jack Nickolson is with someone his own age. Kathy Bates is wonderful.

bonanzataz

This movie was so great. Kathy Bates and Jack Nicholson once again prove that they're some of the best actors ever. I never thought it was too over the top, I never thought it was overly sentimental, and I never once thought it was like a sitcom. Not the best movie EVER, but very entertaining and certainly one of the best of the year.

SPOILER KIND OF
I thought the ending was brilliant. I was waiting the whole movie for him to cry and finally...
The corpses all hang headless and limp bodies with no surprises and the blood drains down like devil's rain we'll bathe tonight I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls Demon I am and face I peel to see your skin turned inside out, 'cause gotta have you on my wall gotta have you on my wall, 'cause I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls collect the heads of little girls and put 'em on my wall hack the heads off little girls and put 'em on my wall I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls

MacGuffin

Dear Nduku,

I saw a movie today called "About Schmidt." I thought it was brilliant; a wonderful character study of a lonely, empty man. Jack Nicholson was perfect in the role of your foster father. Of the people reading this that have not seen the film yet, this message will go right over their heads; of the people who have, well, I hope they are laughing as they read this. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you about this film in case the film plays at a theater near you.

Sincerely,
MacGuffin
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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