The Bucket List (2007)

Funny And Affecting - Entertaining All Around

- You have six months to live....

Now what?

Well, billionaire Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) and blue collar family man Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) were not going to take the news of their terminal cancer lying down, waiting for the inevitable. No, Edward and Carter were going to make the most of the time they had left. The two men compose a "bucket list" - a list of the things that they want to do before they "kick the bucket" ("Cutesy!") - and with Edward's bottomless bank account, they set out to do everything and anything.

The Bucket List (2007) is a very emotive and enjoyable film from Rob Reiner - a buddy movie and a get all you can out of life movie that is one of his finest. The cinematography is not anything special and Marc Shaiman's score sounds like a Thomas Newman rip-off but the story and performances make this film fun and meaningful.

Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman star as Edward and Carter respectfully and each one gives a great performance. On the surface it seems like Nicholson and Freeman are not doing anything differently than they have in the past, but looking deeper at their performances that is not the case - Nicholson in particular is far more emotional in this film than he is usually known for and both Nicholson and Freeman have a great on-screen chemistry that really defines the film.

From the moment Edward and Carter interact as strangers to when they become better friends, The Bucket List is funny and meaningful. The two main performances from Nicholson and Freeman definitely keep you entertained and the story of these men getting the most out of their final days definitely gets the viewer thinking about their lives as well.


CBC Rating: 7/10