The Bucket List (2007)

Purely Joyful Movie!

Just perfect...

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

You know, the ancient Egyptians had a beautiful belief about death. When their souls got to the entrance to heaven, the gods asked them two questions. Their answer determined whether they were admitted or not. The questions were "Have you found joy in your life?" and "Has your life gave joy to others?" When this was explained by Carter (Morgan Freeman) to Edward, (Jack Nicholson) everyone thought about their answers to these questions. This is the sole purpose of "The Bucket List." Director of the film wants you to think about the purpose of your life. Therefore, two opposite characters are coming together and heading out of the hospital to complete their bucket list after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Directed by Rob Rainer and written by Justin Zackham, "The Bucket List" tries to boost our motivation to fulfill our dreams without waiting for a reason. Given the fact that life is short, you should not waste any more time. This is the main and the only point of the film. However, the components that are used to transmit this message are so artificial and forced that eventually you end up watching a film without a point. The idea can be accepted as the only valid point of the film and that's pretty much it.When you look at the actors of the film, you will see Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. There is no need to discuss the qualities of these actors but their talents are wasted under the roles of Edward and Carter. First of all, these two men have nothing to do with cancer. Cancer patients are not like this. Under no circumstances the owner of the hospital, who is Edward, would never share the same room with a different patient no matter what his beliefs are. He is a multimillionaire in his deathbed. They are so sick that they have maximum one year to live and they head out to do things even healthy people may not have the power to do. One day they are vomiting and the next day they are out skydiving. "The Bucket List" is giving real-life examples by using scenes that have nothing to do with real life. If you make a film about cancer patients, you should read a little about their struggles. You can't just randomly choose events for Edward and Carter to fulfill the message of the film and ignore all the required reality to create credibility. If you do that, you get to have "The Bucket List."Edward is white, very rich and lonely, whereas Carter is black and a family man who works as a car mechanic. Those opposite characters are brought together under some senseless circumstances. For the sake of the story, those two characters must be different and it is critical that Edward is rich, so that they can complete their bucket list, which consists of travelling the world from France to India with a private jet. Okay, let's not wait for an illness in order to go after our dreams, but how we do that without sufficient money? Just take out the fact that Edward is rich, how this film would have turned out to be? It is very easy to spread joy all over when you have Millions to spend. Anyway, "The Bucket List" doesn't focus on this side of the story, which makes me think that it is an unrealistic film. Or maybe it is intended for rich people.No matter what happens in the film, you can't seem to forget the fact that something is going to happen to these characters. "Why we need to wait until we have nothing left to lose to start living the life?" is one of the questions, Rob Rainer wants you to ask. Even you ignore all the flaws of the film, it still fails to be inspirational. The film intends to make fun of death. The conversations about the existence, about god, beliefs and morals, in all those historically beautiful places like Taj Mahal or The Pyramids are some side stories added by director to fill up the empty space. In these scenes he lets the conversations flow and doesn't try to impose his ideas."The Bucket List" hugs everyone. I think this is the reason why there is a black guy as one of the main characters. He is linked with hard life. His dreams were put aside for the sake of his family. That's why he seems to deserve to complete his bucket list more than anyone else, no matter at what cost. By using Carter, director wants audience to sympathize with his idea of bucket list. It kept me thinking "Carter would still have been the very same guy even if he were given another chance." So, what is the point of the message in the film? You get to fulfill your dreams whenever you have the chance. There are some things that can't be done even if you have the will, the time and the money to do it. Film fails to think some certain facts that are hard enough to be ignored in real life. Finally, "The Bucket List" is a cheap tale which tries to give real life lessons by using unrealistic arguments which have nothing to do with reality.

If you're wondering why the low ratings and particularly the metascore, you have to understand this is a film that does not serve in any way possible the Hollywood ideology and agenda, as it is genuine, real, and profound in a traditional sense. It's about love and the transcendence of selflessness, not a trendy egocentric emotion.Now that's out of the way, to take a closer look at the film itself it should be said it is first of all well structured: we're given an abrupt short introduction to the film's problematic, before moving to a slower paced first part, then a great acceleration in events with lots of movement, before later developments change yet again the aesthetic and moral makeups of the story.The acting is superb: this is the sort of acting where you need your two leads to be completely, utterly convincing or the whole project falls apart. And the film does remarkably well at, really, being the relationship and exchange between these two men - with other characters only part of the setting. Morgan Freeman IS terminally ill "Carter", it doesn't feel like an actor's performance, while Nicholson puts in a shift with just the right combination of grouchiness and antipathy, along with the nuanced likeableness of a seasoned veteran with nothing to lose anymore but yet still longing for meaning.Superb stuff. Beautiful ending that does not let down at the conclusion of a very strong piece full of significance and a rare substantial quality.8.5/10.

The first thing that came to my mind after watching this film is what a wasted opportunity it was. Two outstanding actors and a story with endless possibilities, yet it never really got out of second gear. Films like this should make an emotional connection but it left me cold, especially Nicholson's character Edward who I found impossible to sympathise with.It has to be said that 'The Bucket List' does do a lot of things well, with the highlight being two excellent acting performances from Freeman and Nicholson, as you would expect. The characters they were portraying, however, felt underdeveloped and Edward in particular was difficult to connect with. I just get the feeling that this film should have been a lot better than it was, even if it didn't do much wrong.

My only regret about just watching THE BUCKET LIST on Netflix is that I waited till now to see it. As a man who turned 65 this year, I really relate to the insight the two characters experience. There's a LOT of wisdom wrapped in really great humor in the story. When I see the lame reviews written either by women or much younger men, my only thought is, "You just don't get it." Since nearly every movie in the past 20 years has had the same theme - women are good, men are bad, women are strong, men are weak, blah, blah - it was amazingly refreshing to see a movie that really shows how men think without judging us. We are a mix of adventure, experience, knowledge, sexuality, anger, kindness, distrust, and contrasting strong friendships. This film presents a great and honest look at how men REALLY are.