Film review-Bucket List: Things to do before you die

By: Dexter R. Matilla

MANILA, Philippines – Given that it’s Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman sharing equal billing in “The Bucket List,” it still doesn’t hide how poorly written it is.

For what it’s worth, the only thing that Nicholson and Freeman did was elevate it to decency with their effortless portrayals of two ageing men, Edward Cole and Carter Chambers, strangers to each other but who go away on a trip and do the “craziest” things after finding out they only have less than a year to live due to cancer.

Life lists, as they are affectionately called, have been around for a while especially since the baby-boomer generation learned to appreciate making their own. It has given rise to books such as Patricia Schultz’s “1,000 Places to See Before You Die: A Traveler’s Life List” and Karol Jackowski “Ten Fun Things to Do Before You Die.”

“Bucket List” gives its take on the life list as experienced by Cole, a billionaire hospital magnate, and Chambers, a car mechanic, for the past 40-plus years. Despite their obvious differences in social standing, they share the same room at Cole’s hospital. Would anyone have imagined that?

It is here we learn that Cole has been married and divorced multiple times and is dependent on his assistant, Matthew, a.k.a. Thomas (Sean Hayes), to manage his tasks.

Chambers is a “Jeopardy” fanatic, hopes of becoming a history teacher, and is happily married to a nurse, Virginia (Beverly Todd).

Chambers then comes up with his “bucket list,” things he would like to do before he “kick(s) the bucket.” It doesn’t need any convincing for Cole to inject his own ideas to the list and the two go on their trip, much to the chagrin of Virginia.

Their adventure takes them to Egypt, Hong Kong, China, etc., with the voice of Freeman’s character vainly reciting lines that, honestly, border on overkill.

Justin Zachman said that he had Freeman’s voice in his head when he was writing the script. Perhaps he was too focused on the actor’s predilection for ethereal characters rather than making sure the story would be able to stand on its own. It’s as if the audience would not be able to get the meaning of “living life to the fullest” on their own.

“Bucket List” does not really do anything that has not probably been done before, and Nicholson and Freeman have played characters similar to Cole and Chambers many times already.

But it is easy to appreciate the film and really hard to hate it because of the two lead actors’ performances and, clearly, the film was done with older viewers in mind.

Published in the February 4, 2008 Lifestyle section of the Phil. Daily Inquirer.

~ by thegame121 on February 13, 2008.