The Bucket List
THE BUCKET LIST: UNEVEN BUT STILL FUN
Two of Hollywood’s most respected actors, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman play two dying men who decide to take on life in The Bucket List. Its pace is slow but speeds up in the second half. One scene will be funny, the next will be depressing. And director Rob Reiner throws in some cheesiness for good measure.
Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) is a wealthy man who owns hospitals. Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) is a mechanic. Both have been diagnosed with cancer. They get to know each other while going through chemotherapy at one of Edward’s hospitals. Carter starts a “Bucket List”. It consists of things he wants to do before he “kicks the bucket”. Edward convinces him to act on it with him. So they travel the world while dealing with their pending deaths.
The first half of the film moves at a snail’s pace. Once it gets to when the men are traveling it picks up and has some fun. There is some corniness mixed in with the sad parts but you almost forgive this due to the likeability of the two men. There is a sweet ending that will satisfy its audience. Both actors are top notch, with its supporting cast fading into the background. This includes Sean Hayes, trying to shake off his Will and Grace character Jack McFarland. The traveling scenes left the believability out the door. The safari scene and pyramids were sad backgrounds, making it hard to stay in the moment. Springing for on location shoots would have been well spent.
The movie couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a drama or a comedy. It didn’t have a good mixture of the two. One minute you are laughing, the next you want to cry. And this isn’t a good thing.
The Bucket List is about two friends who make the most of their last days. You wouldn’t expect anything less but stellar performances from these men. It isn’t a great film but is worth a rental fee.
Report Card:
Story-B
Acting-A
Visuals-C-
Originality/Innovation-B
Enjoyability Grade–B-
Overall Grade-B
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