Jack Nicholson, 87, hasn't officially retired from acting, but he also doesn't do it anymore. In 2013, Nicholson spoke with Vanity Fair about rumors of his retirement, and he merely wanted to say that he had retired from incessant flirting, not acting. He did admit, however, that he wasn't passionately driven to put himself out in the world anymore. Nicholson's good friend Lou Adler (the famed record producer) told Marc Maron in 2023 (via The Wrap) that Nicholson had been contacted several times about appearing in multiple film projects since 2010, but that Nicholson turned them all down. It seems that the actor would rather sit under a tree and read a book. Which is, of course, his right. With 80 film credits and multiple Academy Awards, not to mention worldwide fame, Nicholson has earned it. So, although he's never announced his retirement, Nicholson is more or less retired.

And if Nicholson isn't going to make any more movies in his life, then his final acting credit would be for James L. Brooks' 2010 dramedy "How Do You Know." Looking back, it was an inauspicious end to a prestigious career, as "How Do You Know" was lambasted by critics and bombed at the box office. Brooks' film cost $120 million to make (presumably because of its high-caliber cast), but opened to a paltry $7.5 million weekend. It closed having made only $49.6 million, making it one of the biggest bombs of all time. When adjusted for inflation, "How Do You Know" lost more money than films like "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" and "Moonfall."

In addition, "How Do You Know" has a mere 31% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Anthony Lane, writing for the New Yorker, said that the film's amusement factor is as absent as the question mark in the title, while Manohla Dargis described the film as "mirthless." Roger Ebert likewise gave the film only two stars, saying that it felt more like a low-rent sitcom than a sensitive James L. Brooks film.