Friday, March 29, 2013

The Bucket List - Movie Review

Watched 'The Bucket List' again recently. I'd watched in but in bits and pieces and never got down to watching it fully at one go. So when Raja came down for a day we decided that the bucket list should be watched.

A cast that has Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman is too tempting to let go and when it has a title like 'The Bucket List' its even more so. The veterans take it all to a new level living the roles of an intellectual car mechanic Carter, who missed his chances in life but still hangs on philosophically (Morgan Freeman) and a capricious, whimsical, rude, rich, self-made man Edward Cole who regrets nothing (Jack Nicholson). What's common to both is that they land up with terminal illnesses and end up sharing a room in Jack Nicholson's hospital. And so begins their journey of growth and adventure as they expand on a bucket list that Morgan Freeman starts to make and throws away when he learns he is going to die within a year. Funded by Nicholson's money the two take off to Egypt, India, China, Africa, France, Hong Kong, the Himalayas and more importantly - a journey of self-growth. Freeman realises that sometimes it is not bad to live for himself first and Nicholson realises that sometimes its better to accept that he made mistakes and rectify them instead of being stubborn. Carter makes peace with the way his life has panned out and Nicholson makes peace with his estranged daughter and finds love and peace in his reunion and his little grand daughter. (I'd rather be right than happy!)

Jack Nicholson is the type who says 'never pass a loo, never waste a hard on and never trust a fart' while Freeman is the type who says 'have you found joy in your life? has your life brought joy to others?'. It's funny because the two actors bring alive a morbid theme like dying of cancer and make it entertaining as they search for the joy in their lives. It also makes one think a bit about all the chances one has had that one has not taken and what one could still do while one has the time and opportunity. One of those movies you could watch again and again and not get dragged down by too much intensity or drama. Perhaps even take something back every time you watch it.

1 comment:

Rajendra said...

Yeah, it's my highlight for 2013 already! Lovely actors these two. Rob Reiner apparently is the guy who also directed When Harry Met Sally a few years ago.