Ian Kane
I'll admit, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman work kinda well together in The Bucket List, even though they feel really typecast into their roles (Morgan Freeman as the wise old guy and Jack Nicholson as the asshole rich dude). One of the big problems with this one is that the movie seems to forget that these two guys were diagnosed with STAGE-4 TERMINAL CANCER before they went on their all-expenses paid whirlwind tour of the world.They pretty much spend the entire movie being hedonistic and at the same time spouting Hallmark card wisdom at each other. The movie's plot doesn't really progress beyond this, and even if it does it ends up feeling weak as water because it's forced.Final Score: 35/100 (Plastic Medal)
Ian
"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." Comedy gold, eh?(For any American readers, that was irony.)Not exactly knock-about, laugh-a-minute stuff but very clever and witty and funny in a kind and tender way and, in spite of the subject matter, ultimately a feel-good movie.Put Nicholson nd Freeman together and it's difficult to imagine any script they'd agree to which would be a flop[. This is two-handed movie-making at its best and a movie you owe it to yourself to see.
r-28683
I don't even know where to begin with this movie. He finds out he is going to die then instead of spending the rest of his time with his family, HE SPENDS IT WITH A GUY HE JUST MET! WHY?! WANT TO KNOW WHAT "FAMILY ORIENTED", PLASTIC SMELLING, OLD, NON-BALD EAGLE LOOKIN STARBUCKS REGULAR CAME IN AND SERVED THIS IDEA LIKE LO MAIN NOODLES! AND THE WORST PART IS SOMEBODY LIKED IT! THIS MOVIE'S PLOT MAKES SO LITTLE SENSE THAT I STARTED FORGETTING THINGS TO ALLOW ROOM IN MY HEAD TO UNDERSTAND IT! This whole movie should be about him in the mental hospital because he would rather hang out with a balding Gary Busey with alzheimer's than his own family. I got more of a gay pride message than friendship because he chooses this guy over his wife. Also, as Ultron goes to attack him Vision uses the infinity stone in his head to destroy him.
Davor Blazevic
Lovely, thoroughly enjoyable movie with lots of nice words and thoughts exchanged, some to make you laugh, some pretty profound to make you ponder on. Who would've ever thought that a story about two dying men could be such fun. Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) and Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman), so far complete strangers, with rather different economic and social backgrounds (billionaire hospital magnate and body shop mechanic), both terminally ill, thus inevitably at closing stages of their earthly lives, meet and, in order to try to experience things from their "bucket list" (a list of things to do before one "kicks the bucket", i.e. dies) before the final curtain falls, embark on nothing less than an amazing journey. Although age-wise much too "developed" for many youthful activities they engage themselves in, and despite their individual differences, however sufficiently open-minded and open-hearted, two protagonists, through their earnest performances and their great interaction easily draw us into their well believable story (with single fantastic twist at the end... (spoiler)... realization that rather than through eyes of the still surviving one, the story was told from the mind of his ensuing spirit), whether (constantly) putting smile on our face or tears to our eyes, ergo covering (well, for us viewers) one of listed items, "laugh till I cry"....On a more personal note, eight years ago when I first saw this movie in a theatre, I was a solitary man, going fifty, thinking that I have already experienced things which could make my "bucket list" (climbed high mountains (Mont Blanc, Gross Glockner, Triglav, Durmitor, Fujiyama, Kilimanjaro... to name a few), visited Great Pyramids, well not Great Wall of China, but at least Great Wall of Ston, well not Taj Mahal, but instead many other magnificent temples (Angkor Wat in Cambodia, temple of Karnak in Egypt, temples of Nara, Japan... to mention a few), been on safaris in Tanzania and Rwanda...) to reference those matching items pursued in the movie. Now, after its second viewing, coincidentally on my wife's birthday, I'm almost sixty realizing that only by starting a family and having this cute little toddler of ours to chase and play with every day (and... quoting another listed item, in "kiss(ing) the most beautiful girl in the world", compete with her mother), I have pushed my life's wish list much closer to completion...Finally, after a decade of his successes in 80-ies and beginning of 90-ies with movies that I have enjoyed watching very much ("This is Spinal Tap" (1984), "Stand by Me" (1986), "The Princess Bride" (1987), "When Harry Met Sally..." (1989), "Misery" (1990), "A Few Good Men" (1992)), "The Bucket List" marks Rob Reiner's successful comeback and it stands as his easily the-best-of-the-new-millennium directorial effort thus far.
