there's something about schmidt

Kathy Bates and Dermot Mulroney hold up a Jack Nicholson vehicle (directed by Alexander Payne, who also made Election, which I haven't seen yet, and despite the praise afforded to it, a backward interpolation of my reaction to About Schmidt will not help matters much). This has old mean Jack playing his age, but still being himself, although with restraint. There's nothing spectacular about this physical comedy for the middle-aged. The downplayed ending was a blessing, preventing the film from being a complete waste. Jack's got another Oscar nomination for this role. Perhaps the most telling note was the poster for a forthcoming film with ol' Jack costarring with Adam Sandler. The movie's called Anger Management. I won't even bother wasting my time thinking about the avenues this film is going to explore.