Hmmm. Another year. Where did this last year go? About Schmidt is the perfect example of a life lived year to year, paycheck to paycheck, never changing.
When insurance actuary Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) retires he pretty much believes his life is over but as the scene unfolds it’s clear that in many ways his life never started. Scene one has him sitting in his corner office, belongings all boxed up, briefcase in hand, waiting for the clock to hit 5:00 pm. As it strikes, he gets up, pushes his chair in, walks to the coat hanger and puts on his coat. His career at Woodman Insurance is done. Now what? At home he continues rising early and getting dressed up to find he has no place to go and a relationship with his wife that just isn’t working and maybe never did. Then she dies.
He finds himself never getting out of his pajamas and bathrobe, watching TV at random hours, dirty dishes everywhere. Late one night he encounters a “Save the Children” program and decides to sponsor a young Tanzanian boy. His solitary life is now one to share. Ndugu is favored with Warren’s monthly checks and his tale of woe. Warren’s therapy is pouring out his life to his young friend who probably can’t even read the letters.
Warren’s only daughter (Hope Davis) is living in another state, marrying a man (Dermot Mulroney) he can’t stand so he decides to get in the motorhome he and his wife purchased for retirement and head to Denver. He thinks that if he goes early enough for the wedding it will give him time to talk her out of marrying the guy. The wonderful Kathy Bates plays his daughters mother-in-law to be, a free spirit who sets her sites on the rigid Warren. If you don’t blink you may even get to see Kathy naked in the hot tub with Warren.
Writer-Director Alexander Payne’s has created a thought-provoking and often funny drama about isolation. Jack Nicholson is marvelous in this cuttingly funny, moving portrayal of a man searching for meaning in his unremarkable, unmemorable life. All in all, I really liked About Schmidt. There is a real lesson to be learned about living our lives on auto-pilot.
So, how is your search for significance coming along? Do you have a handle on leaving some kind of legacy? I’m not talking money, I’m talking influence. You can leave a major inheritance behind and have your heirs forget you the minute the money is gone, maybe before. What Warren was missing was living his life outside of himself…living with intentionality.
Ndugu saved Warren, Warren didn’t save Ndugu. The moment he wrote his first check, his life started to change. The size of his world changed. No longer was it the size of Omaha, it reached all the way to Tanzania.
I’m not saying you have to sponsor a child, although that is amazingly rewarding but there are unlimited opportunities, both large and small awaiting those who will step outside of their comfort zones. You have another new year just waiting for you to expand your borders. So, watch this thought provoking movie and start looking forward to an amazing New Year! As always, I enjoy your comments at chastings@rockcliff.com.
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