Review

“The Bucket List” is the story of two complete strangers who end up in the same hospital room together. One of them is a billionaire, who owns the hospital, the other a mechanic who wanted to be a teacher. Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) writes down a “Bucket list,” a list of things to do before he kicks the bucket. When they are both given just a few months to live through cancer they decide to turn the list into a reality together. Edward Cole, (Jack Nicholson) pays the bill.

This comedy drama builds the two men’s relationship beautifully. It takes the viewer through the suffering of chemo and through the pain of knowing your days are numbered. The on screen relationship between Freeman and Nicholson is something to behold. As they work they way through the script it’s fair to say the movie would not have been anything if either of the men had not been cast. The score is subtle but seamlessly executed. It’s great to see a movie that is inspiring yet not entirely cheesy. The movie will move some, and tells a story that many can relate to.  A must see, if just for the great acting presence, but it can easily be enjoyed on DVD.

Rating: 7/10

Synopsis

Academy Award winners Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman star in the comedy drama "The Bucket List," directed by Rob Reiner, a touching, no-holds-barred adventure that shows it's never too late to live life to its fullest. A long time ago, Carter Chambers' (Morgan Freeman) freshman year philosophy professor suggested that his students compose a "bucket list," a collection of all the things they wanted to do, see and experience in life before they kicked the bucket. But while Carter was still trying to define his private dreams and plans, reality intruded. Marriage, children, myriad responsibilities and, ultimately, a 46-year job as an auto mechanic gradually turned his concept of a bucket list into little more than a bittersweet memory of lost opportunities and a mental exercise he occasionally thought about to pass the time while working under the hood of a car. Meanwhile, corporate billionaire Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) never saw a list without a bottom line. He was always too busy making money and building an empire to think about what his deeper needs might be beyond the next big acquisition or cup of gourmet coffee. Then life delivered an urgent and unexpected wake-up call to both of them. Carter and Edward found themselves sharing a hospital room with plenty of time to think about what might happen next--and about how much of that was in their hands. For all their apparent differences, they soon discovered they had two very important things in common: an unrealized need to come to terms with who they were and the choices they'd made, and a pressing desire to spend the time they had left doing everything they ever wanted to do. The list wasn't just a mental exercise anymore. It was an agenda. So, against doctor's orders and all good sense, these two virtual strangers check themselves out of the hospital and hit the road together for the adventure of a lifetime--from the Taj Mahal to the Serengeti, the finest restaurants to the seediest tattoo parlors, the cockpit of vintage race cars to the open door of a prop plane--with just a sheet of paper and their passion for life to guide them. Adding and crossing items off their list while taking in the grandeur and beauty of the world, they will grapple with the difficult questions and the even more difficult answers that plague all of us. And, without even realizing it, become true friends. With humour, insight, heart...and a fair amount of attitude. Sometimes you just need a deadline to get your life in gear.

Release Date

Jan 11, 2008 World Wide

Age Restriction

PG-13

Trailer

Tags: billionare, freshman, Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, rating, Serengeti, Taj Mahal, The Bucket List, Warner Brothers