"You've got to appreciate what you have... while you still have it."
In the spirit of the movie awards season, which kicked off on Thursday with the announcements of the nominations for the Golden Globes, tonight's movie is one with a fine awards pedigree of its own. Co-written and directed by two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter Alexander Payne (Sideways, The Descendants), About Schmidt was AFI's Movie of the Year in 2002 and garnered numerous other awards and nominations, including Best Actor and Best Actress Oscar nominations for Jack Nicholson and Kathy Bates, who have a trio of Oscars between them.
The movie stars Nicholson as Warren Schmidt, a man in the later years of his life who is desperately looking for purpose. Forced to retire from his position as an actuary for an insurance company in Nebraska, Schmidt finds himself lost and alone when his wife, who he had long since lost affection for, dies suddenly from a blood clot. Schmidt decides to take a trip, visiting places from his past on his way to Denver, where he intends to break up the wedding of his daughter (Hope Davis) to a man (Dermot Mulroney) and into a family that he does not approve of. Though Schmidt has a hard time communicating with others, he pours out his heart and soul in rambling letters he writes to a small Tanzanian boy named Ndugu Umbo that he sponsors. The movie is an excellent character portrait and some of Nicholson's finest acting. Watch it tonight at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT.
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WATCH THE TRAILER >> Posted 12.15.12 by BrentJS