Jack Nicholson has enjoyed an illustrious career by any standards, starting out as one of the great actors of the 70s New Hollywood and maintaining a high standard as he approaches his 80s. Perhaps one of the most outstanding performances of the late period in his career came with his starring role in 2002s About Schmidt. Directed by Nebraska's Alexander Payne, About Schmidt stars Nicholson as Warren Schmidt, a miserable man who retires from a job he detests to return to a home with a wife he hates almost as much. When she dies, he decides to go on a road trip and attend the wedding of his daughter to a man he considers to be well beneath her standards. But as the journey unfolds, Schmidt has to face up to his own relentless dislike of anything and anyone, and he comes to realise that, rather than constantly projecting his loathing onto those around him, life should be about positive experiences which amount to something worthwhile. About Schmidt is not without its sardonic moments - which Nicholson embodies effortlessly - and in the hands of a director such as Neil LaBute it could easily have descended into depressing cynicism. But Payne has the lightness of touch and keen observational sense of humour to traverse the tightrope between the two interpretations without tumbling off - the result is a nuanced character study and a great comedy.
