Opens Jan. 11, 2008. Run time: 1 hr. 37 min.
 | for language, including a sexual reference |
A long time ago, Carter Chambers' philosophy professor suggested that his students compose a "bucket list," a collection of all the things they wanted to do, see and experience in life before they kicked the bucket. But while Carter was trying to define his private dreams and plans, reality intruded. Marriage, children, myriad responsibilities and, ultimately, a 46-year job as an auto mechanic turned his concept of a bucket list into little more than a bittersweet memory of lost opportunities and a mental exercise he occasionally thought about to pass the time. Meanwhile, corporate billionaire Edward Cole never saw a list without a bottom line. He was always too busy making money and building an empire to think about what his deeper needs might be beyond the next big acquisition or cup of gourmet coffee.
Then life delivered an urgent and unexpected wake-up call to both of them. Carter and Edward found themselves sharing a hospital room with plenty of time to think about what might happen next--and about how much of that was in their hands. For all their apparent differences, they discovered they had two very important things in common: an unrealized need to come to terms with who they were and the choices they'd made, and a pressing desire to spend the time they had left doing everything they ever wanted to do. So, against doctor's orders and all good sense, these two virtual strangers check themselves out of the hospital and hit the road together for the adventure of a lifetime--from the Taj Mahal to the Serengeti, the finest restaurants to the seediest tattoo parlors, the cockpit of vintage race cars to the open door of a prop plane--with just a sheet of paper and their passion for life to guide them. Adding and crossing items off their list while taking in the grandeur and beauty of the world, they grapple with the difficult questions and the even more difficult answers that plague all of us.
And, without even realizing it, become true friends.
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There are two very good reasons to see this movie: Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Story Edward Cole (Nicholson) and Carter Chambers (Freeman) find themselves sharing a hospital room when each is diagnosed with cancer. Realizing that their time is short, they create a "bucket list"--a list of things to do before they shuffle off this mortal coil. It's a good thing that Edward is so wealthy; money is no object for their globe-hopping excursion, as they try to cram what's left of their lives with memories. Thrown together by their mutual tragic circumstance, Edward and Carter come to a better understanding of each other--and of themselves--as they come to terms with their terminal illness.
The basic concept of the film may seem grim, but Justin Zackham's script has its share of uplifting and light-hearted moments--and a few cloying ones, too. Acting Let's face it. We're talking Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson here, two of the best American actors around. Both have made their fair (and unfair) share of disappointing movies, but this modest comedy/drama is not among them. It's that selfsame modesty that keeps this film grounded in tearjerker territory--although it's a superior example of the genre, as well as being something of an anomaly in that it focuses entirely on two men.
The film plays to their strengths: Nicholson is fiery and ill-tempered, Freeman is low-key and noble. It's genuinely a pleasure to watch these two titans teamed up, but the odds are admittedly in their favor. And, in the end, they make it look wonderfully easy. Sean Hayes takes everything in stride in the role of Nicholson's resilient right-hand man and Beverly Todd makes the absolute most of her role as Freeman's troubled wife, but Rob Morrow is wasted as the resident oncologist, perennially delivering bad news. Maybe his role ended up a victim of the editor's shears, or maybe he just wanted to work with Nicholson and Freeman.
Freeman's real-life son Alfonso also appears as one of Carter's children, and an unbilled Kelly Preston pops up, too. Direction After several disappointing films--The Story of Us, Alex & Emma, Rumor Has It-- this is undoubtedly director Rob Reiner's best film in years. Admittedly, with Nicholson and Freeman in your corner, it's a golden opportunity, and Reiner takes full advantage. The prickliness is there. The camaraderie is there.
The emotional resonance is there. It's all there--and it's almost entirely due to the teamwork of Reiner and his two stars, whose chemistry is clear from the outset. The only drawback is Marc Shaiman's syrupy score, which is a bit too much at times. Bottom Line Hollywood.com rated this film 3 stars.
-Mark Burger.
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