About Schmidt
Directed by	Alexander Payne
Produced by	Michael Besman and Harry Gittes
Written by	Novel: Louis Begley Screenplay: Alexander Payne Jim Taylor
Starring	Jack Nicholson Kathy Bates Hope Davis Dermot Mulroney
Music by	Rolfe Kent
Cinematography	James Glennon
Editing by	Kevin Tent
Distributed by	New Line
Release date(s)	December 13, 2002
Running time	125 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

About Schmidt is a 2002 American film directed by Alexander Payne and starring Jack Nicholson as Warren Schmidt and Hope Davis as his daughter Jeannie. It is based on the 1996 novel of the same title by Louis Begley. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1011x1500, 268 KB) Summary The poster for the film, About Schmidt. ... Constantine Alexander Payne (born February 10, 1961 in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American film director and screenwriter. ... Louis Begley (born October 6, 1933) is an American lawyer and novelist. ... Constantine Alexander Payne (born February 10, 1961 in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American film director and screenwriter. ... This article is about the American football player; Jim Taylor is also the name of a writer and the name of a film maker. ... This article refers to the actor. ... Kathy Bates (right) with Frances Conroy in Six Feet Under. ... Hope Davis (born March 23, 1964 in Englewood, New Jersey) is an American actress. ... Dermot Mulroney (born October 31, 1963) is an American actor of Irish descent. ... Rolfe Kent (born 1963 in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England) is a film score composer. ... James Glennon, ASC (born 29 August 1942 in Los Angeles, California), is an American cinematographer working on feature motion pictures including as Director of Photography of the American unit for Return Of The Jedi, Citizen Ruth, Election, About Schmidt and others including El Norte. ... In computing, a newline is a special character or sequence of characters indicating the end of a line. ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This is a list of film-related events in 2002. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... Constantine Alexander Payne (born February 10, 1961 in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American film director and screenwriter. ... This article refers to the actor. ... Hope Davis (born March 23, 1964 in Englewood, New Jersey) is an American actress. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Louis Begley (born October 6, 1933) is an American lawyer and novelist. ...

The film begins with the retirement of Schmidt from his position as an actuary in an insurance company in Omaha, Nebraska. Schmidt finds it hard to adjust to his new life and feels useless and impotent. One evening, he is detachedly watching a television advertisement about a foster program for African children. He enters the sponsorship program and soon receives an information package with a photo of "his" foster child, a small Tanzanian boy named Ndugu, to whom he relates his life in self-centric letters. The main narrative of the film follows Schmidt as he goes on a road trip in order to attend the wedding of his daughter to a man and family he doesn't particularly like at all. Damage from Hurricane Katrina. ... Insurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent loss. ... Nickname: Gateway to the West Location in Nebraska Coordinates: Country United States State Nebraska County Douglas Founded 1854 Incorporated 1857  - Mayor Michael Fahey (D) Area    - City 307. ... Wikibooks has more about this subject: Marketing Billboards and street advertising in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, (2005) Advertising is paid communication through a non-personal medium in which the sponsor is identified and the message is controlled. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa. ...

Plot

Schmidt narrates his life to Ndugu. The film opens with a death and a funeral, and closes with a wedding.

Schmidt retires from a lifetime's work in an insurance company, and is given an interchangeable retirement dinner at a cheap banquet hall. He visits his young successor's office to offer help, who impatiently ushers Schmidt back out the door, shaking Schmidt's hand and saying he needs no help. Schmidt leaves the building to see the contents of his office in the basement, set out for garbage-collectors.

Schmidt describes his longtime alienation from his wife, who suddenly dies from a blood clot in her brain just after his retirement and their purchase of a Winnebago motor home. His friends and his only daughter Jeannie and her fiance Randall Hertzel arrive from Denver and briefly console him at a funeral ridden with arguments over money and funeral caskets. Jeannie intends to marry Randall (played by Dermot Mulroney), a union opposed by Schmidt, who feels Randall, a water bed salesman, is mediocre and unsuited to his daughter. Randall recommends the book "When Bad Things Happen to Good People" by Harold Kushner to Schmidt and then tries to entice him into a pyramid scheme. After the couple returns to Denver, Colorado, Schmidt is again left alone. A thrombus is the final product of blood coagulation, through the aggregation of platelets and the activation of the humoral coagulation system. ... A sketch of the human brain by artist Priyan Weerappuli, imposed upon his sketch of the profile of Michaelangelos David In animals, the brain, or encephalon (Greek for in the head), is the control center of the central nervous system. ... Winnebago can refer to: The Winnebago (tribe) of Native Americans with a reservation in Nebraska and Iowa. ... This article refers to the state capital of Colorado. ... Matrimony redirects here. ... Dermot Mulroney (born October 31, 1963) is an American actor of Irish descent. ... When Bad Things Happen to Good People is a 1981 book by Harold Kushner, a Reform rabbi. ... Harold Kushner is a Conservative rabbi, in the liberal wing of Conservative Judaism, a member of the Rabbinical Assembly, and a long time congregational rabbi of Temple Israel in Natick, Massachusetts, USA. He is the author of the immensely popular book on liberal theology, When Bad Things Happen to Good... The unsustainable geometric progression of a classic pyramid scheme A pyramid scheme is a non-sustainable business model that involves the exchange of money primarily for enrolling other people into the scheme, usually without any product or service being delivered. ... Nickname: The Mile-High City Location of Denver in Colorado Coordinates: Country United States State Colorado City-County Denver (coextensive) Founded November 22, 1858 Incorporated November 7, 1861 Mayor John Hickenlooper (D) Area    - City 401. ...

Living alone, Schmidt stops washing, is shown sleeping and waking in front of the television, eating the entire contents of the kitchen, and goes outside with a coat over pajamas to load up on frozen foods in the supermarket. In a closet he discovers some hidden love letters disclosing his wife's long-ago affair with a mutual friend nearby, who Schmidt angrily confronts. He decides to take a journey in his new Winnebago to see his daughter and convince her not to marry. When he phones her to tell her he is coming a few weeks earlier than planned, she insists that he only arrive shortly before the wedding. A camper built on a light truck chassis A truck camper 5th Wheel Trailer for towing In North American English the term recreational vehicle and its derived acronym, RV, are generally used to refer to an enclosed piece of equipment dually used as both a vehicle, a temporary travel home... Nubian wedding with some international modern touches, near Aswan, Egypt Preparing for the photographs, at a wedding in Thornbury Castle, England A traditional Japanese wedding ceremony A wedding is a ceremony which celebrates the beginning of a marriage. ...

Schmidt in his last moment at the office, the day he retired.

Schmidt then decides to travel to places of his past, and finds his childhood home has been replaced by a tire shop; he visits his former college frat house, and a small museum. At a trailer campground, he is a dinner guest of a friendly and sympathetic couple there, but is ejected out after he makes a pass at the wife afterwards. Schmidt arrives in Denver shortly before his daughter's wedding, stays there with her fiance's mother, and clumsily falls out of a water bed, spraining himself badly. He meets her fiancé's family and unsuccessfully tries to dissuade her from the marriage. She and her fiancé argue. The family dinner conversation is full of criticism and profanity, then more pleasant at the wedding. Although not feeling well, Schmidt attends the wedding and delivers a cordial speech at the wedding dinner, withholding his disapproval. After the speech, he leaves to get sick in the bathroom. Image File history File links 152045_schmidt_l. ... Image File history File links 152045_schmidt_l. ... A tire or tyre (see spelling differences and etymological origins) is a device covering the circumference of a wheel. ...

When he returns home to Omaha, his narrative to the orphan Ndugu questions what he has ever accomplished in his life. A pile of mail is waiting for him inside the empty house. Schmidt opens a surprise letter from Tanzania. It is written by a nun who cares for Ndugu, and she writes briefly but warmly that Ndugu is illiterate but enjoys Schmidt's letters and financial aid very much. The little boy's hand-drawn picture is enclosed, showing two smiling stick figures, one large and one small, holding hands in the blazing sun. Schmidt's eyes tear with joy as he reads the letter, and the film ends.

Classification and awards

The movie has been rated R ("Restricted; Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian") in the United States for some profanity and some very brief nudity in a scene where Randall's sexually promiscuous mother Roberta (played by Kathy Bates, known for her lead role in Misery) tries to seduce Schmidt in a hot tub. Look up Profanity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Kathy Bates (right) with Frances Conroy in Six Feet Under. ... For other uses, see Misery (disambiguation). ... For television series episodes entitled Hot Tub, see Hot Tub (Drawn Together episode) or The Hot Tub (Seinfeld episode). ...

Jack Nicholson was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2003 and Kathy Bates was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role but neither won. The film did receive the 2003 Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture, as well as the Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama (Jack Nicholson, who stated "I'm a little surprised. I thought we made a comedy."). Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ...

Trivia

• The tire shop on the site of Schmidt's childhood home is at 2103 West Broadway in Council Bluffs, IA.
• The shot where Schmidt has dozed off while writing a letter in his bathtub is supposed to resemble the Jacques-Louis David painting "The Death of Marat".
• Listed on a cinema marquee in a scene of the movie: (Left) Closed for repairs / (Right) Sideways. Sideways ended up being the next movie directed by Alexander Payne.
• The church shown during the wedding rehearsal is in Boulder, Colorado, 20 miles northwest of Denver. The church can be seen on the right from Highway 36 just as one enters town.
• Scenes supposedly taking place in a neighborhood in Denver actually were filmed in Omaha.
• Scenes supposedly taking place at the University of Kansas were actually shot at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
• The production crew created a lifetime Endowed Scholarship for the real-life Ndugu, Abdallah Mtulu, through the real Childreach organisation.
• The scene where Warren is swinging on the monkey bars was filmed at Steinhart Park, in Nebraska City, Nebraska.
• A scene that echoes Jack Nicholson's famous diner scene in Five Easy Pieces (1970) (his exchange with the waitress) was in an early cut of the movie in which Schmidt concedes in a cowardly fashion to the dictates of the waitress. Though the preview audience went wild over it, director Alexander Payne cut it from the final film because he felt that the scene was too much of a pointed reference to Jack Nicholson's iconography and that something so referential took the audience out of the film.
• The cinema that Warren drives by before he goes to the museum to look at the arrowheads is the Pioneer 3 in Nebraska City, Nebraska. The "museum" is a Civil War museum in the same town, just down the street.
• The Woodmen Life Assurance Co. is an actual firm. Jack Nicholson filmed his scenes at the company's offices and was given a plaque making him an honorary Woodmen member.
• The word "Ndugu" means "brother" literally in Swahili. It is also used as slang for "friend" as in the US.
• The film's plot involves the children's charity "Childreach". Since 2002, the year of the film's release, the organisation has referenced the film and featured its poster in its literature for prospective child sponsors.
• A short story written by John Updike , "Dear Alexandros" , has a similar plot to the movie.
• Nationally syndicated political cartoonist Jeff Koterba had a walk-on role in the film; however, it was cut from the final version.
• Once the filmmakers bought the rights to the Louis Begley novel, they kept the title and the main character but changed just about everything else. In the book, the main character lived in the Hamptons and his daughter was about to marry a lawyer.
• The person Warren listens to on his car stereo is famous conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh.
• Thomas Michael Belford, who plays the funeral director in the film, is a funeral director at John A. Gentleman Funeral Home in Omaha, Nebraska.
• Nicholson would fly back to Los Angeles during filming for every Lakers home game.
• Melissa Hanna, who plays "Dairy Queen Employee", is an actual employee of the Dairy Queen in Omaha, Nebraska where her scene was filmed.
• A scene where Schmidt pees all over the bathroom is replaced on the television and airline versions of the movie with a scene where he talks to a neighbour about the loss of Helen.
• A scene where Schmidt has to spend a night in jail for shoplifting a case of Preparation H and a bottle of J. B. Scotch was cut before the film was released.
• Other actors were also in the movie but cut before release. These were (with their character names): Tim Driscoll (grocery store manager) and Jeff Morris (farmer at petrol station).
• Thomas Haden Church was originally considered for Randall. Payne later cast him for the role of Jack in Sideways, his next film.
• Alexander Payne owns the Winnebago that Schmidt drives during the movie.

Satellite photo showing Council Bluffs and Omaha, Nebraska Council Bluffs is a city located in Pottawattamie County, Iowa. ... Self portrait of Jacques-Louis David (1794) Jacques-Louis David (August 30, 1748 – December 29, 1825) was a highly influential French painter in the Neoclassical style. ... The Death of Marat is a painting by Jacques-Louis David, and is one of the most famous images of the French Revolution. ... Sideways is a 2004 Academy Award- winning and Golden Globe Award-winning comedy/drama film, co-written and directed by Alexander Payne. ... The City of Boulder (, Mountain Time Zone) is a home rule municipality located in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. ... Nickname: The Mile-High City Location of Denver in Colorado Coordinates: Country United States State Colorado City-County Denver (coextensive) Founded November 22, 1858 Incorporated November 7, 1861 Mayor John Hickenlooper (D) Area    - City 401. ... The University of Kansas (often referred to as KU) is an institution of higher learning located in Lawrence, Kansas. ... The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is a state-supported institution of higher learning located in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. Often referred to as simply Nebraska or UNL, it is the flagship and largest campus of the University of Nebraska system. ... Nebraska City is a city located in Otoe County, Nebraska. ... Five Easy Pieces is a 1970 film written by Carole Eastman (as Adrien Joyce) and Bob Rafelson, and directed by Rafelson. ... Swahili (also called Kiswahili; see below for derivation) is a Bantu language the most widely spoken language of sub-Saharan Africa. ... This article is in need of attention. ... John Updike John Hoyer Updike (born March 18, 1932) is an American writer born in Shillington, Pennsylvania, where he lived until he was 13. ... Thomas Haden Church at the premiere of Sideways. ... Constantine Alexander Payne (born February 10, 1961 in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American film director and screenwriter. ... Winnebago can refer to: The Winnebago (tribe) of Native Americans with a reservation in Nebraska and Iowa. ...

Box office

• Opening weekend U.S. gross: $8,533,162
• Total U.S. box office gross: $65,010,106

See also

• Fictional actuaries

// Actuaries in Film Double Indemnity (1944) a Billy Wilder film , with Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck, was possibly the first to feature an actuary. ...

External links

• About Schmidt at the Internet Movie Database
• About Schmidt at Rotten Tomatoes
• About Schmidt at Box Office Mojo