About Schmidt

"Schmidt Happens."

2002 2h 5m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

🍅

86%

FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 1,417🍅86%Rotten Tomatoes●85Metacritic★7.2IMDB · 137,739

DramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A recently retired man embarks on a journey to his estranged daughter's wedding, only to discover more about himself and life than he ever expected.

“Schmidt Happens.”

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Cast

Jack Nicholson
Warren Schmidt
Kathy Bates
Roberta Hertzel
Hope Davis
Jeannie Schmidt
Dermot Mulroney
Randall Hertzel
June Squibb
Helen Schmidt
Howard Hesseman
Larry Hertzel
Harry Groener
John Rusk
Connie Ray
Vicki Rusk

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alexander Payne
Writers: Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.5× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alexander Payne, shot by James Glennon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Rolfe Kent. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kevin Tent shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jack Nicholson and Kathy Bates and Hope Davis carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Schmidt Happens.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0257360 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alexander Payne directs. James Glennon behind the camera. Rolfe Kent scores. Kevin Tent cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 3.5× over at the box office.
2Released 24 years ago.
3Directed by Alexander Payne, shot by James Glennon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Rolfe Kent. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Kevin Tent shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Jack Nicholson and Kathy Bates and Hope Davis carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Schmidt Happens.".
8IMDB entry: tt0257360 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 8 themes, including "husband wife relationship", "wedding", "channel surfing", "mullet".

The technical file

Cinematography: James Glennon
Original score: Rolfe Kent
Editing: Kevin Tent
Production design: Jane Ann Stewart
Costume design: Wendy Chuck
Makeup / hair: Joy Zapata
VFX supervisor: Erik Henry
Runtime: 125 min · 2h 5m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $30,000,000
Box office: $105,834,556
Return: 353% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: About Schmidt (2002)
Rotten Tomatoes: 86% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 85/100
IMDB rating: 7.2/10 · 137,739 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Nominated for 2 Oscars. 25 wins & 71 nominations total

Also by

Alexander Payne

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2020-04-05
★ 7/10
Quietly amusing meditation on one’s life post 9:00-to-5:00 grind Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) retires from an insurance agency in Omaha and takes a road trip in his new RV, hoping maybe to reconnect with his daughter (Hope Davis) during her wedding in Denver. The distinguishing bracket for the story revolves around Warren honestly writing his new sponsor-child in Tanzania. June Squibb plays his wife, Dermot Mulroney his imminent son-in-law and Kathy Bates the latter’s mother. Howard Hesseman also shows up. “About Schmidt” (2002) is a coming-of-old-age road flick, far superior to the similar “Everybody’s Fine” (2009) with De Niro. You can’t help but think of Thoreau’s observation “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” But, unlike the dull De Niro film, this one has a sense of humor amidst the melancholic-but-insightful proceedings. It’s a lesson on the negative side of giving up your life to the grind for a good paycheck and nice house in the ’burbs. Yet, also, that it’s never too late to live again, as well as realize & perhaps make up for your sincere, but sincerely wrong shortcomings. The movie runs 2 hours, 5 minutes, and was shot in Nebraska and surrounding points. GRADE: B
ARGMAN2024-02-27
★ 7/10
Jack Nicholson proved he's not just an interesting face.