The Bucket List [Blu-ray]

The Bucket List [Blu-ray] Review

At first The Bucket List was something I did not care if I saw or not because I knew the two main characters would die, and I thought it would be depressing. But while the beginning was slow and frighteningly morbid, the film was actually inspiring and somewhat uplifting.

Can two terminally ill men who are complete strangers with different personalities and backgrounds enjoy an adventure-packed vacation during some of the last months of their lives? The answer is yes, if you're in the movies where remission, money, and wit can come at the drop of a screenwriter's pen.

Jack Nicholson's character had the money, while Morgan Freeman's character had a lifetime of knowledge; so much so that I wondered why appearing on Jeopardy didn't top the so called bucket list. But while the extent of their vacation and list of things to do before they "kicked the bucket" was extreme, their growing appreciation for one another and effect on each other's lives were realistic enough to make an impact.

And while this movie was not one of Nicholson's funniest, the movie was a real joy to watch. It will make you think about the value of life, death, family loyalty, and everlasting friendship. At the very least, it is one way of getting to see some of the most exotic places in the world, all in one sitting.

The Bucket List [Blu-ray] Overview

You only live once, so why not go out in style? That’s what two cancer- ward roommates, an irascible billionaire (Jack Nicholson) and a scholarly mechanic (Morgan Freeman), decide when they get the bad news. They compose a bucket list – things to do before you kick the bucket – and head off for the around-the-world adventure of their lives. Sky dive? Check. Power a Shelby Mustang around a racetrack? Check. Gaze at the Great Pyramid of Khufu? Check. Discover the joy in their lives before it’s too late? Check! Under the nimble direction of Rob Reiner, the two great stars provide the heart and soul, wit and wiles of this inspired salute to life that proves that the best time of all is right now.

The Bucket List [Blu-ray] Specifications

"You measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you," says the quietly wise Carter Chambers, played with gravitas and grace by a Morgan Freeman. In Rob Reiner's moving, often hilarious film The Bucket List, all sorts of people measure themselves against the two heroes, Chambers and his hospital suitemate, Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson). But as Cole finds, having spent his entire life building a Fortune 500 company, none of that much matters when cancer, the great equalizer, pays a visit. The film traces the adventures of the two unlikely friends, who meet in a hospital cancer ward, each given six months to live. The "bucket list" of the title refers to a lifelong list of goals that a teacher of Chambers once advised him to compile--and achieve--"before you kick the bucket." Soon the two are off on what may be the last grand adventure of their life, vowing to tick off as many goals (skydiving, race-car driving, seeing the wonders of the world) as they can in the time they have left. What starts as a medical melodrama becomes a road trip, yet the men's mortality realities are never far from thought. The two leads give impressive performances, and remind the viewer of just how few American films focus on the lives and loves of senior citizens. Nicholson even manages to lose his persona in his character, much as he did in About Schmidt. There's a lovely John Mayer tune, "Say (What You Need to Say)," that's perfectly matched to the film's clear-eyed view of life: What does one person leave behind as his true legacy? --A.T. Hurley

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 22, 2010 19:52:05