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 | Cancer

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

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 Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | 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:

Justin Zackham wrote the script with Morgan Freeman in mind to play Carter.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the doctor finishes his first post surgery follow up with Cole, he proceeds to raise the side rail by Cole's right arm. The next scene reveals the side rail as being down, while the next scene after that shows the rail as up.

Quotes:

Edward Cole: [Spoiler]
[about his daughter and her husband]
Edward Cole: The first time he hit her, she came to me. Wouldn't let me take care of it, said it was her fault, he'd had a rough day and too much to drink. The next time he hit her, she didn't come to me. The ex told me about it. So I wanted to be a good father, so I took care of it. I called a guy who called a guy who called his friends, they didn't kill him, what they did, I don't know, but he never bothered her again, and then she said I was dead to her.
[/Spoiler]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Jay Leno Show: (#1.57)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

It's Alright

As much silly as serious

"The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but that one is young." Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Now and then I should rethink what I've been learning all these years as a critic because I predicted The Bucket List would have all kinds of holes in it. It did, but they were tiny blemishes in an otherwise solid frame. This is a good movie, as much silly as serious. And therein lies the skill of director Rob Reiner, who makes sure Jack doesn't kill the lines with bluster and Morgan doesn't drown them in vocal sweetness.

Edward (Nicholson) and Carter (Freeman) meet in hospital where they have been given less than a year to live because of cancer. They bond, create the "kick-the-bucket" list of ten things to do before dying, and then do them. The hokey process shots at several of the world's wonders indicate the surety of Reiner's direction where he evokes the old Hope and Crosby road pictures and emphasizes that the journey is the important thing, not the destination.

Both men laugh and cry and change in subtle ways that make this not a maudlin exercise in death denial but rather a celebration of love through friendship, regardless of the grim future. Although Justin Zachman's script is overall weak given the actors' worth, there are lines that save it all from mediocrity: As Edward the cynic says, "We live, we die, and the wheels on the bus go round and round." As Carter the humanist says, "You measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you." The two philosophies, fate and love, caress in a slow dance to recognition of life's true value.

The Bucket List is not half as sappy as I sound so far; it is a sober rendering of life's lessons at the end by two different men who find their common humanity.