The Bucket List (2007)

Director:

Rob Reiner

Writer (WGA):

Justin Zackham (written by)

Release Date:

11 January 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

When he closed his eyes, his heart was opened

Plot:

Two terminally ill men escape from a cancer ward and head off on a road trip with a wish list of to-dos before they die.

Plot Keywords:

List | Hospital | Friend | Mechanic | Friendship

Awards:

3 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Mar. 13	4:00 AM	MAX
Wed. Mar. 17	5:20 PM	MAX

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Jack Nicholson	...	Edward Cole
Morgan Freeman	...	Carter Chambers
Sean Hayes	...	Thomas
Beverly Todd	...	Virginia Chambers
Rob Morrow	...	Dr. Hollins
Alfonso Freeman	...	Roger Chambers
Rowena King	...	Angelica
Annton Berry Jr.	...	Kai
Verda Bridges	...	Shandra
Destiny Brownridge	...	Maya
Brian Copeland	...	Lee
Ian Anthony Dale	...	Instructor
Jennifer Defrancisco	...	Emily (as Jennifer DeFrancisco)
Angela Gardner	...	Female Administrator
Noel Gugliemi	...	Mechanic

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language, including a sexual reference.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:PG | UK:12A | Ireland:12A | USA:PG-13 (certificate #43762) | Germany:o.Al. | Norway:A | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Sweden:Btl | Canada:G (Quebec) (theatrical rating) | Hong Kong:IIA | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | South Korea:12 | Taiwan:PG-12 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:S | Netherlands:AL | Australia:M | New Zealand:M | Portugal:M/12 | Iceland:7 (original rating) | Iceland:L (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

California Speedway - 9300 Cherry Avenue, Fontana, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Jack Nicholson's own experience in the hospital, just prior to filming, inspired some of the dialogue and acting for the movie. For example, the mirrored glasses seen in the movie were not originally in the script, but Nicholson, who obtained them while in the hospital, brought them to set. Director Rob Reiner decided to include them in the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the race track scene, Carter always looks to his right when he talks to Ed who is in the yellow car to his right. When Carter races away towards the end of this scene, their cars are on the wrong side. Ed's yellow car is to the left of Carter's red car.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Carter Chambers: Edward Perriman Cole died in May. It was a Sunday afternoon, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky...

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2008-01-05)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

La Vie En Rose

A Magnificent Story About Friendship

Usually I'm not into these kinds of movies, but with the casting of Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman I had to see it. I'm really glad that I decided to give this a try.

The story is quite predictable, but I still enjoyed it. Never mind how impossible the storyline is because it is a great movie about friendship - how two men become great friends in a short time and help each other out throughout the time they are together. It moves along at a smooth pace and I never got bored, so the writer gets credit for that. The acting was top notch as Nicholson and Freeman draw forth the right emotion in the audience at the right time. The emotional parts are done just right, but the funny scenes are the best. I laughed throughout the movie but not as much as I would in a true comedy movie, but the comic scenes in this one really work and Nicholson is the "main man" in them. It does have a message at the end about how you should live your life to the fullest, how your family is important, and how you should be happy in life and the movie delivers that message perfectly.

Other than the predictable storyline and the sometimes cheesy dialog, the movie is great. I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for a feel-good movie.

8/10