About Schmidt MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +2 Content: -2 1/2

>This dark comedy-drama, with its unexpected twists, takes viewers along with the protagonist on a painful journey of self-discovery. Sixty-five-year-old insurance executive Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) begins to ponder the meaninglessness and loneliness of his life. He is no longer welcome at the office where he spent more than 40 years, and he is no longer satisfied with his dull-as-dishwater wife (June Squibb) of 42 years. But when his wife unexpectedly dies, Warren is undone and feels more guilt than sadness. Determined to make a difference in someones life, he sponsors a six-year-old African orphan by sending him $22 each month. He then sets out in a motor home from Omaha to Denver, where his cold, indifferent daughter Jeannie (Hope Davis) lives. Jeannies intention to marry Randall (Dermot Mulroney), a boring waterbed salesman, devastates Warren. His anxiety escalates when he meets her raunchy, future mother-in-law Roberta (Kathy Bates). About Schmidt wont break any box-office records, but Nicholsons Oscar-caliber performance will be long-remembered.

Although it drags, the film offers viewers inspiration to make a difference in someones life, specifically to offer comfort to those who have lost loved ones. Warren writes the African orphan long, detailed letters about his innermost thoughts, things he never shared with his wife or friends. Going through his wifes belongings, he discovers that she had an affair with his best friend many years ago. Obscene sketches hang in the home of Roberta, who shocks Warren with her steady stream of obscenities and profanities, her talk of an energetic sex drive and her seductive ways. In one particularly shocking scene, one that some reviewers describe as daring, Roberta (who is played by 54-year-old Bates) drops her robe, graphically revealing her old breasts, and proceeds to seduce Warren in the hot tub. At one point, Roberta gives Warren a powerful drug for severe back pain, making him incoherent at the wedding rehearsal. The film has its inspirational moments but is not recommended. Its profanity, obscenities and nudity earn it a negative rating.

Preview Reviewer: Mary Draughon
Distributor: New Line Cinema, 888 7th Ave., NY, NY 10106