The Bucket List [2008] - DVD (Sean Hayes, Jack Nicholson, Beverly Todd, Morgan Freeman - Dir: Rob Reiner)

"You measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you," says the quietly wise Carter Chambers, played with gravitas and grace by a Morgan Freeman. In Rob Reiner's moving, often hilarious film The Bucket List, all sorts of people measure themselves against the two heroes, Chambers and his hospital suitemate, Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson). But as Cole finds, having spent his entire life building a Fortune 500 company, none of that much matters when cancer, the great equalizer, pays a visit.

The film traces the adventures of the two unlikely friends, who meet in a hospital cancer ward, each given six months to live. The "bucket list" of the title refers to a lifelong list of goals that a teacher of Chambers once advised him to compile--and achieve--"before you kick the bucket." Soon the two are off on what may be the last grand adventure of their life, vowing to tick off as many goals (skydiving, race-car driving, seeing the wonders of the world) as they can in the time they have left. What starts as a medical melodrama becomes a road trip, yet the men's mortality realities are never far from thought. The two leads give impressive performances, and remind the viewer of just how few American films focus on the lives and loves of senior citizens. Nicholson even manages to lose his persona in his character, much as he did in About Schmidt. There's a lovely John Mayer tune, "Say (What You Need to Say)," that's perfectly matched to the film's clear-eyed view of life: What does one person leave behind as his true legacy? --A.T. Hurley

Customer Reviews of The Bucket List [2008]

W. Howlett

24th August 2008

Brilliant!
Buy it (recommended), borrow it, download it....
however you get your hands on this film, its a must see.

skenn1701a
Doha, Qatar
14th August 2008

Well constructed lightweight feelgood movie
It's really virtually impossible not to like a movie with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson in it.. they add a sense of gravitas to anything they are in - and there is pleasure to be had in watching their contrasting styles spark off each other.
Here, the play two men, both suffering from cancer, sharing a room at a hospital (in a rather contrived set up). After some preamble to fleetingly show that they are actually not well, they create a bucket list - a list of things they want to do before kicking the bucket, and since one of them is rich, set out to work their way through the items, learning about themselves and each other as they go.
It works because the leads are strong, particularly Freeman. Nicholson overplays, but then the writing does call for it. It does stumble however in the script department from time to time... For example, Freeman talking to Nicholson - "You once said you're not everyone. Well, that's true-you're certainly not everyone, but everyone is everyone." It's not exactly Shakespeare. The concept of terminally ill men skydiving, climbing mountains and traveling the world somewhat while barely catching their breath also stretches credibility. Morgan Freeman does his trademark stately voice over, which only serves to remind you of The Shawshank Redemption, and the comparison is not favourable. And while the male bonding is fun to watch and some of the one-liners funny, the warmth of affection Freeman narrates for the Nicholson character never seems quite justified by anything his character does.
Those quibbles aside, it's fun, warm and fuzzy round the edges, has some decent performances, and is short enough not to outlast its welcome. Not a classic, but thumbs up nonetheless.

Janeve
England
3rd August 2008

Brilliant
I don't think I've ever seen a film starring Jack Nicholson, at least since noticing him first of all in Witches of Eastwick, where he's been anything other than brilliant. I had some time ago read a review where they rubbished the film, so I was a bit hesitant about watching it, but I'm glad I ignored it. One of the best films I've seen for a long time.

M. McManus

26th July 2008

Emotional, realistic and memorable
This tells the story of two terminally ill men, one a self made billionaire, the other a humble garage mechanic. They find themselves sharing a hospital side room as they undergo treatment for multiple cancer. Both are aware that they will die. They decide to compose a "bucket list" i.e. a list of things they wish to do before they die, or "kick the bucket", hence its title. These things range from sky diving to visiting the pyramids. The extreme wealth of the billionaire helps them live out these dreams.

The film certainly does not pull any punches, and does not take the subject matter lightly. The horrors of cancer treatment are shown in harrowing light. In one scene, the characters are shown vomiting violently in response to chemotherapy, in another, Jack Nicholson examines the scar line in his skull following an attempt to remove a brain tumour. This makes the film much more than just a feel good story, it reminds us that there is a serious subject matter too.

The acting from both Nicholson and Freeman is mesmeric. Furthermore, there is an ingenious and memorable script, that really gets the viewer thinking. There are a number of truly tender moments as well, although these are never over done.

All in all, the film is a wonderful thing to watch. Whilst the ending is fairly predictable, the journey in between is fascinating and uplifting. Strongly recommended.

BrianTheFossil
Leafy Surrey
14th July 2008

One To Avoid...
A con in my view. The trailer showed two old blokes having lots of laughs but there was precious little of this in the film. Instead it was mostly depressing medical and hospital stuff. I watched it once and then binned it...