Bree, it is possible that the personality traits in the women that you found to be the result of misogynistic treatment were in fact intended to show how someone forced who lived with one like Schmidt might turn out. After all, if the movie is intended to portray the dilatory effects of a meaningless career on a man, why would we not expect the ill effects to carry over into the lives of the other family members and make them something less than what they might have been?
It's at least a possibility.
Good point, Hazlitt. Another good possibility, but only for the perceiver. c.i.
c.i., my apologies if I offended you, I too come from a poor background where I experienced discrimination, but my parents had good radar and always taught me and my siblings to deflect the overatures of pity. There is a distinction between those who look at you from the outside and pity you, from those who offer a hand in the way of constructive support and hope. while opportunities were limited to us, my parents did not let the overiding attitudes deter them from giving us the best that they had. In more important ways, my parents love was a foundation that money could never provide.
This is why I am resolute that Ngudu is not as bad off as the discussion has indicated.
jjorge, perhaps it was compassion that moved him to be a foster parent to Ngudu. When he was moved to send the check, I also believe it was out of curiosity over how exotic Ngudus world was. It was something so foriegn to his own world, it was at a safe distance, and the contribution was minimal.
I also beleive he sponsored him in secret because his wife would not have approved. Imagine, a man who has worked hard all his life and a small decision such as that had to be kept from his wife. If ever there were two people who had no communication or faith in the other, living under the same roof, it was Schmidt and his wife.
As for the daughter, I understand your empathy for her predicament. And part of being in a family is they see your worst side at the most critical times. The daughter was excersising her autonomy over her father, and she deserved to. Still, she was a whiner, and I don't care how much she wanted her independence from him, it was really bitchy of her to not allow him to come to Colorado earlier to help her with the wedding. it seems obvious that the daughters bond was with her mother, she tolerated her father up to a point, in a similiar way the wife did. Schmidt was rendered ineffectual almost anywhere he went.
Gala, As I've said at the beginning of this discussion, we are all going to come out with different interpretations of the characters in this movie. In this regard, your interpretation of Ngudu is correct - for you. c.i.
Well c.i., I'm not interested in being placated.
Very true, Hazlitt. I hadn't considered the possibility that that might have been the filmmakers' intent in depicting the women characters the way they were depicted, but -- if that was the intent -- they certainly succeeded.
Bree, as I thought about this, I was recalling the scene at the retirement party. There sat Schmidt and his wife. At the time, I thought to myself, these two look just alike.
It's unfair that Nicholson is getting raves for his weak acting in this movie when the great work he did for Sean Penn in THE CROSSING GUARD and THE PLEDGE, both excellent dramas, was totally overlooked by critics and awards. If you only see SCHMIDT, you have no idea of how great Nicholson has been in recent years...those of you who haven't seen the Sean Penn films, I urge you to rent them and watch them soon. Nicholson is brilliant in both!
larry, Your opinion about the unfair raves Nicholson is getting for this movie may be correct in view of his "great" works in others. Unfortunately, in the movie business, movies are rated not against prior performances, but against current releases. Maybe, that will answer your question. c.i.
Schmit's ambivalence and ineffectual attempts to connect with (or flee from) the people in his life were very sad. I was very moved with Jack Nicholson's performance. Brilliant. True art.
Wow! A second life for this forum, and I thought it was long ago unreeled.
CI....I only just got around to renting the video......I thought it interesting that Schmidt worked
for "Woodmen" insurance company. Though he was an expert in risk assessment, he didnt take any risks. He was a wood man with sad little moments of rebellion. This was in counterpoint to Kathy Bates character who seemed completely in touch with all aspects of her personality.
I thought Schmidt worked as a actuary. His boxes of reports were never used, and stuck in that garage storage space. I think he felt that his contributions to his company really didn't amount to a hill of beans. His self worth was constantly challenged. He really didn't understand what his life was all about. The Kathy Bates character was in direct contrast to his own. I think each of us came out understanding the Schmidt character from our own perspective, and many could relate from personal experiences. c.i.
CI......I find it so difficult to get into this site, it does not want
to allow me access hence my late reply! Sorry! Yes, Scmidt was an actuary, an expert in statistics... one who calculates insurance risks and premiums.....
It appears that though he loved his daughter, he was estranged
from her......She asks him why he is taking an interest in her
now....re: her upcoming wedding. His wife's affair....was he distanced from his loved ones because he was too busy with his professional life in those years?
What was the symbolism of the American Indian? I noticed a
headdress on the wall in the retirement dinner, and then
later there was a conversation. Also, the pioneers...what did
that mean in the movie?
Would you believe I still haven't seen this film?!
MA, Go and rent it today. Then come back and join the discussion.
I saw this movie for the first time yesterday. I thought it was excellent and Nicholson brilliant. It was a commentary on the human condition for many North Americans. There of course can be many interpretations, but I for the most part am on the same wave length as jjorge.
