DVD Review: The Bucket List

DVD Reviews

By Jeff Swindoll Jun 11, 2008, 19:35 GMT

“Maybe we should go frozen like Walt Disney?”

Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman globetrot around the world fulfilling a list of things to do before they kick the bucket. It could’ve been a Hallmark movie of the week, but in the hands of old pros Nicholson and Freeman it rises above that. Mechanic Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) has just discovered that he has cancer. Multimillionaire hospital owner Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) has discovered the same thing. Due to Edward’s cost saving measures at the hospital he finds himself sharing a room with Carter instead of a private room, thanks to his own policies.

Both men are given bad news in that they don’t have much time left on the planet. Carter begins to formulate a list of things to do before he kicks the bucket, but wads it up. Edward finds it on the floor and decides to add some “fun” things to it, use his money to fund it, and take Carter along. Since Carter’s time on earth is limited this doesn’t exactly sit well with Carter’s wife Virginia (Beverly Todd), but the two men set off on a globetrotting adventure to make sure they can cross everything off the list – and also learn some life lessons before the end of there’s arrives. In the hands of less experienced actors the subject matter of the Bucket List would only rise to the level of a movie of the week on the Lifetime Channel. However, under the expert guidance of director Rob Reiner and the solid performances of Nicholson and Freeman it rises to eloquence. We don’t want to think about it much but we’re all headed for the bucket eventually and the film doesn’t pull any punches in that our heroes are on their last roundup. Think of the film as a sort’ve Big Chill for the soon to be chilled set. Sure there are some maudlin moments, but they’re made palatable by our two stars. There are plenty of moments of frivolity for a film that’s basically about death but they offer a welcome respite from thinking about the grim end. That being said there’s also some fine acting that nearly results in some tears as Nicholson comes to terms with what life he has last as well as Freeman. The Bucket List is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 televisions on one side and a fullscreen transfer on the other. Special features include the 5 minute “Writing a Bucket List” where screenwriter Justin Zackham talks about the inspiration for the film. Next is the 4-minute “Say” music video by John Mayer. If you put the disc in your PC DVD-ROM drive you’ll get two deleted scenes and a featurette called “Jack and Morgan All Seriousness Aside” (that was “coming soon” when I went to the website).

It may be about death, but Nicholson and Freeman add some life to their performances. The Bucket List was a hit at the box office so the lack of many special features, especially a commentary from Reiner or the stars, is somewhat perplexing. However, the movie is still good without extensive special material. The Bucket List is now available at Amazon. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a July 7th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.

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DVD Review: The Bucket List

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