MovieChat Forums > About Schmidt (2003) Discussion > The ending...

The ending...

posted 15 years ago by WingsOfWax
36 replies | jump to latest

I'm not quite sure what I think of the ending. Yes, it was masterfully acted by Nicholson, and the scene worked perfectly.

But I felt a little unsatfisfied in the sense that we as viewers really have no impression of what was going to happen. To me, it seemed a little abrupt. Was the ending cathartic? Did Nicholson's character have an epiphany? It seemed like the emotions he felt had little connection to the other themes of the movie, except the portrayal of human relationships.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the movie thoroughly. The slow pace never got boring, and that is a sign of strong movie-making.

[–] edwardoyle 12 years ago

I disagree COMPLETELY with those saying the end is meant to be cynical. He's crying because the letter and the drawing brings out a feeling of empathy and compassion in him that's been sleeping for most of his life.

Except it never was fully asleep. Even though he can't see it, and his daughter can't see it, he also shows compassion at the wedding by lying through his teeth in his toast. In spite of his distant relationship with his daughter, he still loves her and he indirectly expresses it through lying.

And he leaves the compassionate voice mail--which he accidentally deletes--to the guy who had slept with his wife.

And he eventually chooses to not only forgive his wife for cheating, but even prays for HER forgiveness.

If you see Schmidt as a purely bitter, depressed, and pathetic guy, I think you missed the whole point of the movie. We're meant to see him a little differently from the way he sees himself.

[–] TheSummer2012 12 years ago

If you see Schmidt as a purely bitter, depressed, and pathetic guy, I think you missed the whole point of the movie. We're meant to see him a little differently from the way he sees himself.

My thoughts exactly.

[–] nutsberryfarm 12 years ago

nah. the 'he learned to feel' has been done 1,003,003 x's before.

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[–] ammo325 12 years ago

I think he cried be cause he was having a flashback of seeing Kathy Bates naked.

[–] nutsberryfarm 12 years ago

nah. he just remembered he forgot those amazing pills she gave him.

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[–] PeterBlues (790) 7 years ago

for years whenever this aired i never understood the ending and found it confusing, finally i had to look it up on wikipedia and felt like a boob for not understanding it, but i see it has confused alot of people. sombre movie, just as a starter with him visiting his old work place and on his way out finds his works stacked in boxes at a storage room, some mention its been listed as a comedy which seem to not make sense at all, maybe that's why there are so many negative comments about it being boring because people expected something else. i would have liked if they had skipped some of the obscene language. maybe one poster here is right how there are two ways to see the ending, and i kind of leaned towards the "sad ending", maybe i'll view it that way again now after reading these comments.

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i drifted astray,
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