It’s easy to presume that About Schmidt isn’t much of a movie, since its protagonist, Warren Schmidt, isn’t much of anything. He’s portrayed by Jack Nicholson, but the actor is actually someone who ...

Jack Nicholson, right, plays Warren Schmidt, a Nebraska retiree in Alexander Payne's "About Schmidt." Actress Kathy Bates is at left. SHERITHA JONES Film director Alexander Payne returned home to ...

IN "ABOUT Schmidt," a 35-foot motor home waits silently outside the Nebraska home of insurance executive Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) and his wife, Helen (June Squibb). The Schmidts intend to drive ...

Alexander Payne is hardly a slacker. With his writing partner, Jim Taylor, he's opened a thriving script-doctor practice, punching up the screenplays for hits "Meet the Parents" and "Jurassic Park III ...