The Bucket List

Customer Reviews:

• rent, dont buy: I was disappointed that this movie despite having great potential was not deep enough in both meaning and story line. The movie was slow to start with and then became so rushed with not enough 'adventure' and dialogue between the two of them (morgan and jack) for you to really feel and understand how these men have affected one another and what they mean to each other, so on that point it is a disappointment. However it is a movie to pass time by and it has some of its funny moments, overall ok but i wouldn't want to watch it again. Rent, don't buy.
• A good but not great movie: After reading other reviews, I went to the theater. Jack Nicholson was his usual self, sometimes streaching the boundaries of credulity - especially with a manic-depressive persona. Morgan Freeman is a very good actor and turns in a respectable, if predictable performance. One star was taken away for using stock footage of famous places. eg The scene in Africa with wildabeast crossing a river is a favorite of tourists with cameras. The one in Egypt was also hard on the eyes. The other star deduction was for the inability of the director/editor to make the story flow.
  While I actually enjoyed the story line, the movie never made it to where I was able to suspend my disbelief and become involved with the characters. It could have been a great film, if all the people working on it had spent a little more time making the movie instead of rushing it into the theaters.
  Unfortunately, because of the flaws, the DVD is not one I would buy and keep.
  
• Have you ever asked yourself: Is this as good as it gets? ...:
  It's pretty sad that so many of the exterior shots were done in the studio and in front of a green screen. Maybe the target audience for this melodramatic drivel wouldn't be expecting it or even notice it. It probably had a lot to do with the Director believing that they could get away with it.
  
  I'm all for warm and heartfelt cinema, but this was not it. It's pandering at the most base level, and hardened fromage to boot. It's a shame to watch so many of the aging greats phoning it in in the last few years. GQ printed an article warning us of just this type of behaviour from these same people, all the way back in the summer of 2004. Now it seems that Nicholson, Pacino and even Morgan Freeman took GQ's advice and thought how easy it would be to just collect fat paychecks for sub-standard work for a few years.
  
  Maybe it's a formula of attrition? They might just firmly believe that if they do enough stinkers that even mediocre films, quite possibly like this one, will look brilliant in comparison.
  
  What a shame. Cancer? This movie is a cancer.
  
  I'll try not to think of this next time I watch Five Easy Pieces.
• how DO you understand the measure of a life ???: The Bucket List tells the sensitive and well thought-out story of two older men who are diagnosed with cancer so severe that they have six months to live--or maybe a year if they're lucky. Look for stunning performances from both Morgan Freeman as Carter Chambers and Jack Nicholson as Edward Cole. Beverly Todd also acts her heart out as Beverly Chambers, Carter's wife.
  
  The action begins when Carter Chambers, a working class black man, and Edward Cole, super-wealthy self-made rich white guy who actually owns the hospital they're in become roommates in the oncology ward of the hospital. At first Carter and Edward don't exactly hit it off but it isn't long before they forge a friendship. When they each learn that by coincidence they have six months to a year to live, they embark on a trip to accomplish certain lifelong dreams and personal goals before they die. The list of things to do is called The Bucket List because it's a list of things to do before they "kick the bucket."
  
  Of course, because Edward Cole is wealthy many scenes in this movie become almost miraculously possible. They travel the world by private corporate jet; and they live more in just a few weeks than most people ever do in a lifetime.
  
  Of course, life has its ways of surprising just about any of us; so still the plot could go just about anywhere. How will Beverly, Carter's wife, react to all this? Will she understand and remain patient while Carter lives out a few lifelong dreams or will she want her husband home NOW? Will Carter and Edward be able to keep their cool when they are stranded in Asia during a monstrous snowstorm and they are not allowed to fly? What happens if one of them gets very sick along the way? What about Edward's refusal to make up with his daughter who disowned him long ago--will he ever decide to approach her or will he remain obstinate in his refusal to even meet with her? The results may surprise you. No plot spoilers here, folks--you'll just have to watch the movie to find out!
  
  As a cancer survivor who is finishing my own chemotherapy soon, I will add that some of the side-effects of the chemotherapy they receive are exaggerated. However, I think director Rob Reiner added these elements to the film to make it somewhat more dramatic.
  
  Overall, The Bucket List is an excellent movie; and I couldn't have enjoyed it more. Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman turn in superlative performances that proves these guys can still act better than the vast majority of actors ever could. Beverly Todd does a great job as Carter's wife; and Sean Hayes also does well as Edward Cole's personal assistant Thomas. I highly recommend this film for fans of these terrific actors; and people comfortable with the subject matter will appreciate this motion picture as well.
  
• Carpe Diem--Even If You're Pushing 80.: Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) is a relatively happy man. Carter is a self-taught man with a thirst for knowledge that is never quite quenched. He has three children, a devoted wife, and is an ace mechanic. A telephone call one morning from the hospital changes everything. The operation he had months before was unsuccessful and has terminal cancer in the brain. Carter finds himself in the hospital participating in a "promising" experimental treatment. Carter's roommate in the hospital turns out to be none other than the CEO of the hospital, Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson). Edward has built a fortune and an empire by turning failing hospitals around into relatively profitable businesses. However, as Edward soon learns profitable hospitals aren't necessarily customer friendly or the nicest places to stay. Edward has a similar illness as Carter and the men from two different worlds soon develop a friendship. One day, while waiting for his test results Carter begins writing a "bucket list" a list of all the things he would like to do before he "kicks the bucket". When he receives news that he only has about six months to live at the most, Carter abandons the idea. Edward, however, won't allow Carter to give up so easily and together the two men take off on a journey around the world living out their every whim, from skydiving, to eating lunch on one of the Great Pyramids, to racing expensive sports cars. Along the way the two men learn a great deal about friendship and themselves.
  
  THE BUCKET LIST is a fairly engaging, sentimental movie. The movie has a strong emotional appeal, especially if anyone has lost a parent or parental figure in their lives. Freeman and Nicholson make a great team and I wish they would have done more movies together in their careers. On the negative side, the opening and concluding segments of THE BUCKET LIST are a bit confusing. Also, I was a bit disappointed that the film didn't have more of Carter and Edward participating in more adventures. Despite the confusing moments and a lack of adventures, THE BUCKET LIST is still a pretty decent film with a lot of heart and an important message about living life to the fullest.