Movie: The Bucket List (PG-13)
Released: January 11th, 2008
Runtime: 1 hr. 37 min.
Ticket Price: $7.50 Matinee
Refreshments: Gummy Bears
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Sean Hayes, Beverly Todd & Rob Morrow
Director: Rob Reiner
Rating: Worth a Matinee
Synopsis: Two men that find out they are in there final months decide to fulfill some life long wishes before that day comes. So, they create a “Bucket List” of things to do before they kick the bucket. On their list includes things like seeing the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, and the Pyramids in Egypt, skydiving, and racing cars.
Review: The Bucket List is a funky concoction of comedy and drama. A movie about two old men on their deathbed doesn’t really sound funny, but there are a lot of comedic moments to go along with the dramatic ones. It won’t make you laugh until you cry, but you will laugh plenty.
Watching Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson play off each other was a treat. It is hard to believe that with all the movies these two have been in over the years, this is the first time they have ever worked together. Their dying Odd Couple duo on a worldwide road trip was great fun to watch.
For a movie that runs only 97 minutes, they take their time introducing the characters and letting them develop more than a pseudo-friendship before sending them out to cross things off the list. This was a good thing. Had they just sped through to get to the fun part, the fun part wouldn’t have been as fun.
Even, if some of the sentimentality is a bit over-the-top. Overall, it is done pretty well. There are a couple of times when things get crossed off the list that if you don’t feel at least somewhat touched, then you must be pretty cold.
On the down side was the special effects. Some scenes were downright cheesy in their look. The type of shots you might expect from a low budget made-for-TV movie, but not usually seen on the big screen.
The Bucket List is worth taking in a matinee. Mainly for the performances by the two main characters, but also because you will leave the theater feeling good, which is more than can be said about a lot of films.
What did you think of The Bucket List?
