--- title: "About Schmidt: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/about-schmidt/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/about-schmidt" critics_score: 68 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # About Schmidt (2002): what the critics said Critics' score 68 from 8 reviews: 6 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to About Schmidt, with praise clustering around Jack Nicholson’s restrained performance as a retiree confronting an unfulfilled life. The reviews repeatedly single out his dry comic timing and ability to suggest sorrow beneath an unexceptional exterior, giving the film much of its humour and poignancy. Admirers also credit Alexander Payne with finding tenderness in awkward encounters and ordinary Midwestern lives, without softening the black comedy. The spread is wide, however, and the disagreement concerns Payne’s attitude towards his characters as much as the uneven storytelling. Several reviews find the shifts between satire, broad comedy and poignant drama cumbersome, even while admiring Nicholson. Slant Magazine offers the sharpest dissent, finding condescension and scorn where The New York Times sees an even-handed portrait of Middle American life; the central divide is over whether the film understands these people or looks down on them. ## The Guardian — Philip French Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 January 2003. The critic hails Alexander Payne’s film as a tender, acrid comic masterpiece and an American classic in the making. He singles out Jack Nicholson’s gamey, ripe and irresistible performance as the repressed widower Warren Schmidt. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2003/jan/24/artsfeatures2) ## Empire Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). The review highlights the thoughtful black comedy and Nicholson's nuanced portrayal of a retiree confronting his life, calling it a superb follow-up to Election. It notes Payne taps into Nicholson's dry comic talents effectively. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/schmidt-review/) ## Radio Times — Jason Caro Rating 4/5. An endearing tragicomedy elevated by Nicholson's exceptionally good, restrained performance as an unexceptional everyman navigating late-life disconnection and new beginnings through quirky, poignant moments. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-t5bthr/about-schmidt/) ## Evening Standard — Alexander Walker Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). The critic praises Jack Nicholson's masterful performance as the key reason to see the film, noting how he balances broad comedy and inner bleakness. The narrative is described as bumpy and uneven with some crude elements, though rich in detail. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/jack-revels-in-older-role-7428556.html) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The satire of Midwestern manners is droll and somewhat ponderous but comes alive with the in-laws scenes and Bates' performance; the sponsor letters add energy despite a false redemptive note at the end. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/about-schmidt) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 9 December 2002. Lane views the film as overly focused on its inert protagonist and ultimately more farcical than profound, missing a Chekhovian depth. He singles out the road-trip visuals and the final letter scene for providing some genuine emotional resonance amid the ambivalence. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/12/16/looking-back-7) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Rating 1/4. 27 September 2002. Festival review. Payne condescends to the Midwest with tacky disdain for its characters and settings. The film is a legacy of scorn rather than genuine insight or generosity. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/about-schmidt/) ## Los Angeles Times — Manohla Dargis 13 December 2002. Dargis calls the film a gutsy, truthful humanist triumph and a deeply rooted vision of ordinary American life. She singles out Alexander Payne's direction and Jack Nicholson's performance for perfectly balancing comedy and tragedy while granting the character a rare glimpse beyond self-absorption. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-dec-13-et-dargis13-story.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert 20 December 2002. Ebert finds the film a tragicomic portrait of an empty, unfulfilled retiree whose life lacks purpose or connection. He singles out Jack Nicholson's restrained, self-effacing performance for making the limited character watchable and poignant. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/about-schmidt-2002) ## Screen Daily 23 May 2002. Festival review. A remorselessly interior, pessimistic dramedy narrower in focus than Payne's earlier films, anchored by Nicholson's commanding and naked performance; it earns artistic credit by avoiding sentimentality but is unlikely to be a big breakout. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/review-about-schmidt/409398.article) ## Sight and Sound — Xan Brooks Nicholson's central performance is strong and restrained, but the film is a less successful, frustrating patchwork than Payne's prior work, mixing poignant drama, satire and broad comedy unevenly. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/1479) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias 13 December 2002. Payne offers a nuanced, ambivalent portrait of Midwestern life that balances tackiness with warmth. Nicholson's performance creates one of the richest characters of his career. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/about-schmidt-1798198125) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Michael Rechtshaffen 22 May 2002. Festival review. The film is a blisteringly funny and moving tragicomedy that marks a step forward for Payne. Jack Nicholson's lead performance is commanding and sublime. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/schmidt-review-2002-movie-1166888/) ## The New York Times — Stephen Holden 13 December 2002. Holden praises the film as an expansive, even-handed vision of contemporary Middle American life centered on an ordinary man's existential drift. He highlights Jack Nicholson's astonishing transformation into the staid, sorrowful protagonist as one of his most emotionally deep performances. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/13/movies/film-review-just-average-guy-overcoming-obstacles-helping-keep-earth-well-salted.html) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Rating 4/5. 22 January 2003. The critic finds About Schmidt an extraordinary, uncompromising film about wasted lives with dark humor that makes one laugh guiltily at the characters rather than with them. Nicholson's performance is singled out for praise as one of acute observation and razor-sharp timing, worth queuing to see. [Read the review](http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/about-schmidt-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/about-schmidt.md