The Bucket List

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Last night I kinda went back on a promise that I'd made to myself, and watched the movie "The Bucket List." For those of you unfamiliar with the plot and premise of this film, two terminal cancer patents -- one an extravagant over-the-top Billionaire (Jack Nicholson) and the other an automobile mechanic and devoted family man (Morgan Freeman) make a list of things to do before they "kick the bucket," and then set out to do just that in the time that they have left to them.

I'd avoided seeing this movie because it seemed just a little too close to home, and also because I didn't especially like the premise of the whole "bucket list" idea in the first place. But as it turned out, it was just another sentimental buddy movie, where the screen presence of two superstar performers sometimes obscured what was actually a very interesting and closely-crafted script. Rob Reiner's direction may have had something to do with that as well -- the whole film just seemed...well, technically competent, emotionally predictable, and just a little too contrived. But I still enjoyed it, and also think it's a movie that could grow on me in time. It was fun seeing Rob Morrow (who played Joel on the series "Northern Exposure") back playing a Doctor again. That sort of thing. But I didn't mean to turn this into a film review....

What bothered me about the movie was the way it played upon cliches and stereotypes of the cancer experience, without really exploring the heart of what living with (and dying from) cancer is really like. Which admittedly would have been hard to do. But that's kinda what I'd expected, and one of the reasons I'd stayed away from watching this movie up until now. But I also found that the "buddy" aspect of the movie came across very well, even if the actors themselves often seemed to be playing caricatures of themselves (or, more accurately, their previous film persona), rather than the characters scripted by the writer. But enough already. I'm still not convinced I ought to write my OWN bucket list. But maybe if I watch the movie one more time....

“You know, the ancient Egyptians had a beautiful belief about death. When their souls got to the entrance to heaven, the guards asked two questions. Their answers determined whether they were able to enter or not. ‘Have you found joy in your life?’ 'Has your life brought joy to others?’”

--Carter Chambers (played by Morgan Freeman) in "The Bucket List"