“The Bucket List” (Warner Brothers)
Top of the Talent List
Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman are two of the top male actors in Hollywood. Put them together in a movie, any movie, and you have movie magic. As the co-stars of “The Bucket List” they use their irrefutable charm to make a story of death and dying a film that will touch your heart and fill your entertainment quota.
At the start of the movie you hear via narration that Edward Cole, Jack Nicholson’s character, has died. You then flash back to the time when he is first diagnosed with cancer. He ends up in the hospital sharing a room with Carter Chambers (Freeman). He too has terminal cancer. The two men decide to take a trip and check off items on their “bucket list.” This is a list of things they wish to do before they kick the bucket.
Carter’s wife Virginia (Beverly Todd) can’t believe that Carter is going to desert his family, so to speak, in order to go off on a trip with Cole. Carter however feels that after being a faithful husband and father for many, many years he is entitled to one last fling. So using Cole’s wealth the two men travel the globe seeing sights they had always dreamed of seeing. Along the way they also become best friends and help each other find some joy in their lives.
The friendship demonstrated on screen between Carter and Cole is totally believable. They seem to be enjoying each other so much that the audience responds with enthusiasm for watching them. Nicholson is blustery and excitable while Morgan is mostly calm and droll.
The film is rated PG-13 for profanity and adult humor.
It is a big “if” as to who will want to see a movie about two middle-aged men dying. Sean Hayes and Rob Morrow are also in the cast but it is Nicholson and Freeman’s show all the way. There is humor in some of the situations but for the most part the focus is on how to live a life that is satisfying and how to accept the finality of death.
Director Rob Reiner keeps a tight reign on his stars and never allows their personalities to overshadow their characters. He also keeps a good balance between the seriousness of the situations and the humor that is allowed to creep through.
In the end it is Nicholson and Freeman who make the movie worth seeing. They could read the phone book and still be entertaining. This script is better than a phone book but not anything to write home about. You know basically what it is going to happen in the story from the first moments on.
I scored “The Bucket List” a death defying 6 out of 10.
