‘The Bucket List’

Rating : 6.5/10

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Sean Hayes

Plot

Two terminal cancer patients decide to live out their last days in a blaze of glory, learning a few of Hollywood’s choice morals along the way.

The Good

Freeman and Nicholson are possibly the best buddy-comedy duo since Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. The two actors complement each other very well and take full advantage of the comedic moments this movie offers.

The Bad

This movie suffers from the typical problem of emotional hard-hitters. It’s too predictable. While Nicholson and Freeman live out their dying days, you’ll wish that cliches die out with the Hollywood writer’s strike.

The Lowdown

Edward Cole (Nicholson) owns several hospitals. Carter Chambers (Freeman) has been admitted to one of them after receiving the news that he has cancer. Then, in a twist of fate, Cole receives the news that he also has cancer. Predictably, the two wind up roomed together, and a rich tycoon has to relate to the hard working everyman. No doubt these two have plenty to learn from each other.

The best thing about “The Bucket List” is its ordinariness. While that may seem lackluster to the modern moviegoer, there is something to be said about keeping a movie simple. Without a lot of explosions or overbearing drama to create a gimmick, Freeman and Nicholson are left to expel their unique personalities into their roles.

Unfortunately, this advantage is what also brings the movie down. “The Bucket List” falls into the same predictable traps of any “self-exploring” piece. Neither Cole nor Chambers can be completely perfect characters, but both have to make really good criticisms of the other’s life. While the two of them jet around the world living out their boyhood fantasies, deep down they know that responsibility will ultimately call them back home. This results in a story with a sugar-coated ending that can be seen miles away.

By the end of the film, both of the crotchety old men have conquered their inner demons, and none too soon before they kick the proverbial bucket. If you haven’t seen a movie where characters have to learn from problems in their past, this might be the gem to start with. Don’t expect much surprise from this buddy-comedy about death. At most, love Nicholson and Freeman for the witty characters they are.