The Bucket List (2007)

"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.

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.

Imagine the horror of having to share a hospital room! That's like the worse thing that has happened to the rich creep in this movie and then he finds out he has inoperable cancer. No problem, he goes off on an orgy of spending to fulfill his bucket list. Here's a bit of free advice: if you can charge everything on your bucket list to your credit card you are one shallow human being. Far be it from me to tell anyone else what they should or shouldn't do but I've seen enough of life to understand that money doesn't go very far in the "life enrichment" department. This movie is like that ridiculous Make a Wish Foundation that sends dying kids to Disneyland or wherever when what these kids probably really need is just for someone to hold their hand and read them a story. This lifestyle porn film is just one more bit of doggerel telling us that consumption is the same thing as creativity or fulfillment.To turn the old phrase "if you're so smart how come you aren't rich?" in my view it should read, "If you're so rich why aren't you smart?"

Two terminally ill men make a listStarring Jack Nicholson and Morgan FreemanWritten by Justin ZackhamDirected by Rob ReinerThis is a great film. Plenty of laughs and drama mixed together with some top class acting. Once in a while a movie comes along which grabs you by the ghoulies. One minute you are laughing and the next minute tears are streaming down your face. There's not a lot to dislike about this one. In fact I have no negative comments whatsoever.This is a great film. Easy to watch and not easy to forget.10/10