85
Metascore
40 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Charlotte ObserverLawrence ToppmanCharlotte ObserverLawrence ToppmanA dark comedy that's as emotionally honest as any picture of 2002.
- 100Miami HeraldRene RodriguezMiami HeraldRene RodriguezEver the satirist, Payne mines humor from his characters, be it Randall's cockeyed pyramid-scheme ideas or the banality of a ridiculous wedding toast.
- 100Washington PostStephen HunterWashington PostStephen HunterPayne is a comic miniaturist, who works in a small compass, as if through a magnifying glass with tweezers.
- 100Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaPhiladelphia InquirerSteven ReaA quiet, heart-rending masterpiece, one with an actor's turn that people will remember, and rediscover, eons into the future.
- 100The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenWhat makes this exquisitely observed slice of American screen realism transcend itself is finally its moral sensibility.
- 75Boston GlobeTy BurrBoston GlobeTy BurrHow you feel about About Schmidt may depend in large part on how you feel About Jack.
- 75New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickA must-see for Nicholson's mesmerizing performance, which would probably hold interest even if the sound were turned off.
- 70Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumMuch more deserving of plaudits is the secondary cast--Hope Davis as Schmidt's resentful daughter, Dermot Mulroney as the waterbed salesman she's engaged to, and, above all, Kathy Bates in a hilarious turn as the latter's New Age mother.
- 60New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter RainerNew York Magazine (Vulture)Peter RainerIt’s the difference between artistry and knowingness. About Schmidt doesn’t bring us deeply into the lives of its people because it’s too busy trying to feel superior to them.
- 50Baltimore SunMichael SragowBaltimore SunMichael SragowStarts out as a barbed, poignant little movie and turns into an excruciating slow-motion car wreck.