Thanks for checking out our Bucket List review, make sure to ceck out the video review at the bottom of the post!
The General Idea
Two cancer riddled dudes find out they have less that a year to live. In the hospital they become friends and decide to conquer a list of objectives before they die. They scrawl down their final to do list on a pice of yellow paper, call it The Bucket List and then we tag along for the ride.
The Good
Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson can do no wrong. These two talents have fun with this one; the commodore they share on screen seems to mirror real life. Most of the movie is a conversation between the two men as they go from task to task and with these two at the helm of conversation – you never get bored. This is a film that champions the importance of friendship and the two sell it well, ribbing and all.
The end of life is a valley that we all must walk through. Some get lucky and simply slip away in the night. But for those of us that are alive to hear the news of when we are expected to die; I can only imagine the intensity, pressure and confusion of what to do with your remaining days. This death film flips the coin and reminds us that life should always be the focus. Strangle every minute of glory out of life until it escapes you. Death will be, dwelling on the inevitable is a needless waste of time and gets in the way of quality worthwhile activities.
I enjoyed how Jack and Morgan shared some final goals and differed on others, all the while respecting each other as they enjoyed each other’s company. Living life well means living it the way you want to, and this movie stresses this fact. The good life for me is not the good life for you, but by all means we should try to achieve it.
The Bad
There was nothing in this movie that bothered me greatly. If I have to bring up something it is probably the fact that the movie unfolds exactly as you would expect it to. There are no surprises and if you saw the trailer you are probably going to guess how the whole thing will play out. This did not ruin the film for me, but it kept it from being outstanding.
Overall
This is an enjoyable feel-good movie about kicking the bucket. The message is one that considers the meaning of life, the measure of a person and the importance of vital living. Nothing gets your ass in gear like your own mortality and this movie uses dyin’ to teach us about livin’! I give this film a 7/10 and would recommend it as an inspirational drama.
Check out the video version of the review here:
Looks like its a Good MOvie. www,Hottdownloads.com
Done! Bucket List haters UNITE!
Kristina: Thanks.
One of the things that most bothered me about the film post-viewing was actually pretty simple…while crystalizing my argument against its validity as a ‘Finding Personal Truth Through What Amounts To A Quest’ movie…while being pretty damning nonetheless. And it’s this:
The entire notion of ‘the bucket list’, each of the items, could have been accomplished/dealt with using a montage.
Think about it: that’s how simplistic, that’s how superficial, that’s how facile this aspect is in context of the film.
So; the very premise of the film is, at its core, disposable.
Then what’s left?
Is it some aspect of personal revelation that unfolds for the audience to witness? (And I have to interrupt myself right here to lay another Foundation Dictum on the filmmakers: If you have to TELL the audience something, especially in a No-Don’t-Use-Narration-Don’t-Go-There! voiceover…you are truly and beyond-redemption lost. Clearly, everyone involved has forgotten what the basic process behind great filmmaking is. Which, putting it in another arena, sex, amounts to creating circumstances that get the participants to respond NOT by bluntly telling them that they should -“Aren’t I sexy?!? Don’t I turn you on?!? You WILL be stimulated!” but by effectively manipulating them towards this reaction. Anyone taking umbrage at the notion of ‘manipulation’ in all great filmmaking needs to go sit in the Time-Out Chair…and then hie themselves to a Film 101 class afterwards.) Uh, no. Neither of the characters ‘change’. Jack already has an appreciation for the finer things in life, it’s not like he comes to his senses. (And by the way… A person’s character is revealed through ACTION, not monologue.) Morgan? Just what is it that he could possibly have transformed from? Or to?
Is it some kernel of wisdom that the audience leaves the theatre having been blessed with, something that, even if seemingly throwaway, can add to their day-to-day from that point on, at the most unexpected moments? (I’m reminded of ‘Life’s like a box of chocolates…’) Uh, no. Because that would require that the people behind this movie were actually capable of infusing the material with something more than connect-the-dots dexterity storytelling-wise, that would require that they be engaged in more than an exercise in parading two of our best-loved actors in a ticket-selling vehicle.
It’s not even provoking some wide-eyed marvelling at what Jack and Morgan get up to, showing the audience something new, something it’s never seen before…
…or providing stuff that the audience might identify with, make connections with, find some affinity for…
Honestly, I don’t know what we’re left with. Frankly, I’m still kindasorta in shock that they took a solid -and admittedly genre-specific- premise and made such an awful mess of it.
No…come to think of it… My shock has more to do with the ongoing blindness of filmgoers, of critics, that they don’t seem to have enough of an understanding of basic film precepts as to know when something truly badly constructed has been foisted on them. Because, more than anything else, we all deserve better than this dreck. Even Messrs Nicholson and Freeman.
(Private aside to Kristina: Drop me a line at probitionate gmail, would ya…? Communication is next to godliness, isn’t it? Or is that clean fingernails…?)
@probitionate
Dear Lord, you are NAILING what is wrong with this movie, bubba.
“There are no obstacles…save for Morgan Freeman’s wife’s disagreement with the entire endeavour”.
Man, I’m giving spoiler warning right now because I gotta talk about this. What bugged me out was that the film actually tries to paint her in a negative light because of said disagreement. Hello, her husband is dying and then decides to go run off with some strange man he just met. Wouldn’t you be concerned?! She wasn’t even being a bitch about it, but the manner in which this film tries to make her into an antagonist was honestly confusing and uncomfortable. All of those scenes with Morgan acting nasty to her, claiming that “I’ve earned time to myself!” were downright horrible. If I was dying, I wouldn’t want to be by myself. I wouldn’t want my husband to be by himself, either, if I ever get married and have to face this issue. If the movie was about Morgan and his wife going ’round the world, this thing could have had an honest shot. Morgan’s character comes across as a selfish bastard, particularly during that scene with the phone call where she basically begs Loony Rich Man to release her husband and let him come home to spend his dying days with his damn family.
And now that I think about it, that phone call thing makes that later scene where Jack sets it up for that hottie to hit on Morgan in the bar and try to fuck him even more disgusting than it already was. How the HELL am I supposed to feel any sympathy or uplifting feelings toward a man who is pushing another man to cheat on a woman who just called him not too long ago, worried as hell about her fucking DYING HUSBAND? It was too ridiculous for words, and I cannot believe that anyone would legitimately feel moved about anything in this movie. It was manipulative beyond words.
I know, I know, it’s just a movie, bu that REALLY bothered me.
“I did get misty eyed. I cannot lie to you.”
I was ready.
On several occasions.
The pump was primed.
And then…
They completely and entirely botched the effort.
(Oh, and here’s a message to anyone THINKING about using a movie-ending voiceover by a character that DIES during the movie: DON’T! The effect is referred to as an unconscious mind-fuck.)
Listen to Roger Ebert, man knows what he’s talking about.
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/REVIEWS/801100301
Under other circumstances, as a screenwriter I’d love to delve into why this film didn’t work. But as most message boards aren’t interested in actually gleaning any insights into stuff like this, I’ll keep my comments short.
This is a traditional Hero’s Journey tale. And as such, there must be trials, there must be tribulations in order for it to be engaging. There should be sacrifice, the protagonist(s) should undergo transformation, and finally, we should feel enriched by their journey.
‘Bucket List’ provides none of the above. There are no obstacles…save for Morgan Freeman’s wife’s disagreement with the entire endeavour, and the weather (!)…there’s little sacrifice (Jack had endless resources), there’s NO transformation in the characters (this alone would have provided a much more satisfying cinematic result) and Lord knows, you’d have to be extraordinarily undemanding in your expectations to have felt enriched by either of their journeys.
This movie COULD have been wonderful. Instead, it really didn’t try hard enough at any juncture, and so ended up being, as I commented earlier, facile.
And it reminded me how how superficial a director Reiner can be.
wow…I havent’t seen such a good movie like The Bucket List in a while…makes you to re-think your priorities in life…if you haven’t seen it go for it! you won’t regret!
And Doug, I’m surprised you didn’t mention the AWFUL CGI in the movie. Looked like they were sitting in front of green screens for 80% of the film. Just horrendous.
In a word, this movie was…
…facile.
Aww Doug, this shitty movie won’t come between us:)
can we still be friends kristina
@Chris
It WAS horrible!
It was sappy and predictable but I did not dislike it. It seems to be splitting people about 50/50 on RT and that does not surprise me. I would not watch it again, nor would I buy the film on dvd but I did not regret seeing it and had an enjoyable enough experience.
Some people hate movies like this, and that is cool. I can see how people may not be able to get into this film; but I owe you my honest opinion, and fully welcome disagreement. I enjoyed the message and the vehicle of fluff did not bother me, for some the vehicle is too much a distraction to enjoy the film.
damn….i read kristinas review of this and she said it was horrible…..i might give it a shot…..maybe
Nooooo, Doug! Nooooo! It should never have been made! Booo!
It could have been 7-9 minutes shorter. I agree.
Amen, Mark. This movie was poop. Rob Reiner hasn’t made a good movie since “A Few Good Men,” although “The American President” was OK too.
They ought to retitle this movie, “Something’s Got to Give for the March of the Fogies.”
I did get misty eyed. I cannot lie to you.
I loved this freakin movie. Doug did this movie bring a tear to your eye?
LOL YA O WATCHED THE MOVIE AT FILMHILL.COM…good stuff
And at 97 minutes, a movie that was 7 FULL minutes too long.