Parents' Guide to

About Schmidt

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Heartfelt Nicholson, not for kids at all.

Movie R 2002 125 minutes
About Schmidt Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 13+

Based on 2 parent reviews

DuncanDerund
DuncanDerund Adult
August 24, 2014
age 13+

Movie

Some swearing and mild profane humor. 13+. Great drama with a plot.

This title has:

Too much swearing
MovieLover4Lyfe
MovieLover4Lyfe Adult
May 26, 2010
age 12+
Jack Nicholson is always amazing, can't wait to see this movie!!
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) has coped with a life of disappointment and emptiness through rigidity. He is stingy with words, money, and emotion. He does not confide in anyone but viewers and a little boy in Africa he "adopted" by agreeing to send him $22 a month. Schmidt's daughter Jeannie (Hope Davis) is getting married to Randall, a man with a mullet who sells waterbeds (Dermot Mulroney), and this is just one more in a series of disappointments. When Schmidt's wife dies, and then when he finds out that she was keeping a secret from him, he becomes completely unstuck from his moorings. He takes the huge motor home his wife made him buy and sets off in it toward his daughter's house, intent on stopping the wedding.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (3):

Nicholson is mesmerizing in ABOUT SCHMIDT. His character is funny, irritating, pitiable, and utterly heartbreaking. Kathy Bates, as Randall's mother, is magnificent in a performance that is full-bodied (in both senses of the word). The details of middle American ceremonies -- the retirement party, the funeral, the wedding -- are all just right, sharply observed but affectionate.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why Schmidt confided in a little boy he had never met instead of any of his friends or family. What do you think he will do next? What should he do? What should he have done that would have made him happier?

Movie Details

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