Silver Screen film reviews

ABOUT SCHMIDT Jack is back, baby. Again.

As if there were any doubt that Jack Nicholson is one of the greatest actors in the history of the medium, he does one better by taking aim at and hitting the bull’s eye in one of the most different and demanding roles of his career. He stars in ‘About Schmidt,’ the new offbeat comedy from Alexander Payne (‘Election’), as Warren Schmidt, a recently retired Nebraska insurance executive. Warren is ill at ease, pondering the question that likely plagues all retirees: ‘Now what?’

Warren is uncomfortable. After several decades of marriage, his wife’s nervous ticks and quirky habits have made his home life about as comfortable as a colonic. His daughter (Hope Davis) is borderline estranged, about to marry a slippery, mulleted salesman (Dermot Mulroney). His job successor has everything well under control; when Warren visits just to see if the young lad’s ‘got any questions,’ he’s given the appropriate fake politeness of an old man’s heave-ho. Things are just…not right.

In many respects, ‘About Schmidt’ then becomes a road movie, as a tragic turn of events sends Warren and his brand new Winnebago driving around the Midwest in order to find himself and attempt to come to grips with his daughter’s impending nuptials. He even finds a pen pal, a starving African boy named Ndugu, who he comes in contact with through an international charity. Telling too much more would be a crime, rest assured.

‘About Schmidt,’ based on the aforementioned description, sounds like a serious take on a man faced with his own mortality, which in many respects it is. But, let the truth be told, this movie at heart is pure comedy. And wicked comedy at that. Anyone see Alexander Payne’s masterful ‘Election’? How about ‘Citizen Ruth’? It’s more of the same that similar, so-dark-it’s-like-the-reaches-of-space humor that will no doubt offend people as well as put them in stitches.

Much of the humor in ‘About Schmidt,’ however, comes from the pure spectacle of its title character. What a mind-blowing treat it is to see old Jack, who cut his teeth on ‘Easy Rider’ almost four decades ago and has since gone on to world fame, endless accolades, three Oscars and the male acting record for Oscar nominations. ‘About Schmidt’ leaves little doubt that he will add yet another nod. If he wins, it will be his fourth acting Oscar, a feat never accomplished by a male and only by one female (the anthropomorphous Katherine Hepburn). There may not be any choice but to give it to him: Nicholson plays a role that directly contradicts his wiseguy, too-cool-for-anything real-life status as undeniable Hollywood royalty. Not only that, he succeeds, turning in one of the best performances of his career.

‘About Schmidt’ itself is a nearly great work with only a few flaws in organization and feasibility. But let’s face it, when the performances (Kathy Bates, like always, is also an asset) and script are this good, there’s really no need to nitpick.

–Chad Berndtson, MUSE Staff

MAX Back from the WWI, the army has enlisted Hitler (Noah Taylor) for a class in propaganda. His manic personality suits the army well, and the frenzied, hate-filled speeches have found an audience with a public disgruntled by Germany’s defeat and the oppressive reparations imposed on her.

Hitler is also an artist. His rough sketches from the trenches show promise, and he desperately needs to find an outlet for the pent-up anger and frustration he harbors.

Enter Max Rothman.

Rothman (John Cusack) runs a modern art gallery in a decrepit munitions warehouse. He stumbles upon Hitler, realizes they served together in the war, and agrees to look at his sketches. Rothman sees potential in the buried passion of Hitler’s art, and encourages him to press on with his work. This creates some internal conflict for Hitler, as Rothman is a wealthy Jew.

Rothman is the kind of Jew the budding Nazi party doesn’t want to admit to. He’s a German patriot and proud to be so. He served in the war and lost an arm for the German cause. His mere existence reveals Hitler’s accusatory ramblings for the ridiculous, racist drivel that they are.

And, for some reason, Rothman likes Hitler.

Rothman sees Hitler’s anger and confusion, and encourages him to put that energy into his artistic endeavors. Rothman even offers Hitler a gallery show to showcase his vision of a proud new Germany filled with super-highways and flying cars.

Writer and first-time director Menno Meyjes tackles a subject no one else has been willing to touch, and does so with a fair eye. He considers the attitudes and events that shaped Hitler, and lends insight on what can create a monster.

Meyjes shows that Hitler’s impassioned speeches in ‘Max’ are ridiculous, if not pitiful. It’s amazing that Hitler was able to win the influence he did, and through the looking glass of time, his racist rants fall flat on their face, which Meyjes juxtaposes with the fictional art dealer Rothman. Hitler’s speeches in ‘Max’ only serve to make his beliefs more appalling for their hatred.

‘Max’ ultimately unsettles, not only as Hitler’s screaming rants overwhelm the audience but throughout the very fiber of the film. Sound effects such as footsteps and clothing rustles are amplified. Drinking glasses intrude on the foreground of shots as Rothman dines with his family.

Like the audience at Rothman’s show, the audience of ‘Max’ is put off by the spectacle before them. Art challenges, though it can be difficult to watch. ‘Max’ also challenges, but it never seems to build up enough momentum to overcome its own discomfort. Meyjes rejects his cinematic Hitler as a sympathetic character and leaves his audience ill at ease. This may be where he most succeeds.

–Spencer Cordell, MUSE Staff