The Bucket List is a drama-comedy film directed by Rob Reiner, and is a feelgood film featuring the brilliant actors Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.
The movie is about two patients suffering from terminal lung cancer with very different backgrounds. Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) is a single and not very happy billionaire and also owner of the hospital he’s on, while Carter Chamber (Morgan Freeman) is a rather poor mechanic with a good family and a good life. Lying at the same room, they decide to make a list of things they want to do before they “kick the bucket”. When the list is complete, Edward tells Carter that the list can be reality, as he has all the money they could possibly spend. The movie portraits the two aging men on their journey around the world experiencing and doing things they’ve always wanted to do.
As mentioned, the movie is a good-feeling movie, which means a movie that plays a melody on your large set of strings (unless you’re a sociopath), called feelings. It’s a film that gives you a feeling of happiness while watching it. The Bucket List is a bit touching, but it’s also too predictable and the story gets old after a while. They visit all the places you’d think they would visit: The Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal and the Pyramids etc, and the visits are filled with philosophic chats about the meaning of life, whether God exists or not and subjects like that. Every now and then Edward’s assistant appears with his jokes and rude criticism of his boss.
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| Nothing is like a good conversation on the top of a pyramid. |
Beside from the negativity mentioned, the movie is really nice after all. I mean, it’s not revolutionary in any way, and you’ve probably seen it all before. But Nicholson and Freeman do deliver good acting once again, and there’s no doubt why these men are as big as they are. Some of the conversations will make even the largest pessimist smile and the film contains some very nice footage of the different areas they visit.
The movie does not add anything new to the genre, and you kind of know what’s going to happen already in the beginning of the movie, but yet you will keep watching. It does give you a good feeling, and the friendship the guys develop is moving. Your life can definitely be complete without seeing this movie, but this will not be a bad choice for a good-feeling film on a Sunday evening.
- LB
Two questions:
ReplyDeleteyou say it adds to the genre.....which genre...can you think of another film like this one?
do you think a view of this film depends on age.Will a sixty something year old feel closer to the characters than a teenager....simply because he is regretting not having done some things in life`?
Well, I said that the movie did not add anything new to the genre (which by the way is a sort of a comedy and drama movie).
ReplyDeleteI've seen another movie that made me think a bit about this one, which is called The Blind Side. It's about a rich family who decides to take care of, and later on adopt, a poor, black boy who turns out to be a really good American football player. It's based on a true story, and is a feel-good film.
I definetely think that the viewers age can define their opinion of the movie, but I don't think that a man regular man on the street in the 60's will regret not doing more with his life - sitting on the top of the pyramids and climbing the Mount Everest isn't for everyone. I also think that an elder man will feel closer to the characters, but a teenager can enjoy this movie as much as an old man. A feel-good film is always good if you're open for it, no matter what stage of life you're in. :)