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Schmidt is an unfortunate man in even more unfortunate circumstances. He is about to retire after 45 years as assistant vice president of an insurance company, a hollow accomplishment for a job he never cared about. He has been married almost as long to a wife (June Squibb) he feels no passion for. His daughter Jeannie (Hope Davis) is the light of his life, but is about to marry Randall Hertzel (Dermont Mulroney), a "nincompoop." But then his wife dies just weeks before the wedding and Warren's world is thrown into disarray. It will be the best thing that ever could have happened to him. With a 35-foot camper van at his disposal and nothing but open road ahead of him, he will embark on a journey short on miles but far deeper into the recesses of his own heart than he ever could have imagined.

The opening act of About Schmidt is borderline incomprehensible. Jack Nicholson playing a character on the verge of retirement? Married to a woman who actually looks his age? Looking old, harried and fat? But then it hits us - Nicholson is creeping past 65, and is finally making no attempts to hide it onscreen. (For those still thinking About Schmidt is a vanity vehicle, just wait for the infamous "hot tub scene." Not only do we get to see a naked Kathy Bates full-on, but only moments later, Nicholson's flabby ass in all its glory, complete with hairy butt crack. Eeek!) Actors have certainly dressed down to dress up come awards time, but here director Alexander Payne sets up Nicholson and Schmidt in a most unsettling manner. These opening moments unfold slowly, so much so it almost plays like an old Hitchcock suspense film. Then, when Schmidt's first moment of release finally comes, we are at last let in on the joke (yes, this is a comedy), but still caught so off-guard we don't know what to expect next. Payne will never let us off the hook.

About Schmidt may be a cinematic first, a road movie structured as a series of letters written by Nicholson to his offscreen confessor, a starving six-year-old refugee named Ndugu Uba. (Seriously.) But this strange dream-like quality works, with every scene a small masterpiece of narrative and pacing, all brilliantly acted. By turns we don't know whether to laugh or cry, and such a high-wire act is usually near-impossible to pull off in a single scene, let alone an entire film. But Payne, working with his frequent co-scenarist Jim Taylor, wisely doesn't condescend to his middle American characters. Schmidt's journey is ultimately tragic and those around them often pathetic, but aided by the restrained Nicholson, the humanity and heart is never sacrificed for easy laughs.

Perhaps what is most exciting about Schmidt is that I can't recall any movie in recent memory that has so relied on its very last shot to give the entire preceding two hours its meaning. The last scene of About Schmidt contains a moment of enormous power, and then it's over in a blink of understatement. Beautiful and perfect. This is the first mainstream Hollywood movie since American Beauty where I absolutely did not know how it was going to end. Unlike Beauty, however, it seems to have been lost amid the year-end flurry of Oscar buzz for other, less worthy films, save for Nicholson and Bates and the obligatory Best Screenplay consolation nomination. But awards are just awards. About Schmidt is one of the best American movies I've seen in ages, one I predict will be rediscovered in the years to come. I hope you will let yourself discover it, too.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

About Schmidt was filmed in what a good friend of mine calls "PayneVision," meaning lots of drab exteriors, subdued colors and a makeup budget that looks it couldn't afford any makeup. It is perhaps true that About Schmidt is not a visual tour de force, but it is effective for what it is. Presented in its original 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio and anamorphically encoded, New Line has again come up with a topnotch transfer that suits the material perfectly.

Shot largely in what looks like natural or subdued lighting, About Schmidt is as plain as its protagonist. The print is pristine, however, with rock solid black and smooth, consistent contrast across the entire grayscale. Colors are never vibrant or eye-popping by any means, but clean and free from any noise, bleeding or oversaturation (which is often a problem with naturalistic movies, which can get the overly pumped-up treatment on DVD). Detail is overall very good, with only shadow delineation in the darkest scenes appearing a bit muddle and unrefined. The image is also a bit soft compared to most of today's other razor sharp transfers, but appropriate to the material. A very nice presentation.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

Like the transfer, there is not much happening in the audio department. New Line has included Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround tracks, but I couldn't even tell the difference at all. This is a very mellow movie, with a simple, plaintive score and mostly dialogue. Dynamic range is open and spacious if a bit cold, but even the quietest bits of dialogue very distinct and well-balanced in the mix. Surround use is minimal, with only a few minor effects to offer any sense of ambiance or envelopment. Low end is solid but hardly aggressive. All in all, a perfectly fine mix considering the material.

Also included is an English Dolby Digital 2.0 surround track, English and Spanish subtitles, and English Closed captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Not too much here. Although director and co-screenwriter Alexander Payne has recorded audio commentaries for all of his past films on DVD, he didn't seem to be too interested in doing so here. Instead, we get a collection of deleted and unused footage, but little else.

First up are 9 deleted scenes. The presentation is interesting, with each getting a rather lengthy and amusing text introduction by Payne but no actual commentary. (Although an apology is offered up front on the condition of the scenes, you gotta hand it to New Line - these "rough versions" are presented in anamorphic widescreen, and still look better than many other transfers of actual films on Columbia TriStar titles.) For once, I actually liked every single one of these deletions. All are up to the quality of any scene in the finished film, but the text descriptions explain in clear detail why they were cut. Highlights include Nicholson getting busted for shoplifting, and even a "urination substitution," because apparently airlines don't like to see people pissing while they are on a plane.

Also included is a bit of an oddity, a series of five Woodmen Tower Sequences. Payne gave a missive to his crew to shoot extensive footage of the Woodmen Tower for the opening of the film, and got back so much footage, they decide to let the assistant editors all have a go at designing their own sequences. There are five in all, and again a text introduction by Payne is provided. For some reason, all of these are presented in non-anamorphic widescreen, and look just OK.

Rounding out the extras is the film's theatrical trailer in anamorphic widescreen and 5.1, plus two additional trailers for other New Line flicks.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

Nothing unusual here...just the usual New Line pop-up interface with basic DVD controls and assorted weblinks.

Parting Thoughts