The pacing of the beginning of this movie borders on snoozeville. Sure, it sets up the character and his situation well, but you sure as hell don't want to throw this one on late at night unless you want to wake up the next morning to the menu staring at you on the television. But it does have some wry comedy and observations (more poignant if you're a bit older), with a worthwhile performance by Jack Nicholson as the title character.
Schmidt starts his new life as a retiree, and really doesn't know what to do with himself. After another major change in his life, he starts to realize his ultimate un-involvement with all the things around him, from his marriage to his only child, a daughter soon to be married herself. Taking the recently purchased motor-home on the road, he begins to wake up a bit and smell the coffee.
This is a decent enough drama with some lighter moments scattered throughout, and a good performance by Cathy Bates as the groom's mother. It's not exactly mind-blowing or particularly insightful, just a solid look at a man as he enters a new phase in his life, and realizes he has to actually think about it in terms besides just financially. There was some location shooting done in Denver, glad to see they managed to work the Ogden Theater into the film (as well as the "Crack Central" HO-tel. Ahhh, Colfax!). That and Paul E. with credit...
