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Ray (Morgan Freeman) is an extremely well-informed automotive mechanic who’s been married for 47 years to the same woman. Edward (Jack Nicholson) is a billionaire who’s been married twice and has an estranged daughter. Ray and Edward meet as patients in a hospital room for two. They have practically nothing in common except a terminal cancer that will let them live six months more, a year if they’re lucky. Ray gets regular visits from his loving wife Virginia (Beverly Todd) and their four children; Edward’s only visitor is his man-Friday Thomas (Sean Hayes). At first these two cancer patients do not like each other, but proximity and shared pain soon bind them together. Knowing death is just around the corner, Ray makes a secret list of things he has always wanted to do but has had no time for; Edward discovers the list, adds some of his own and entices Ray to do them all together before they kick the bucket. Shrugging off his wife’s objections, Ray accepts Edward’s invitation to see the world in Edward’s private jet. Edward, of course, foots the bill, while his assistant Thomas makes sure everything goes smoothly. They skydive, race their dream cars, scoot through the Great Wall of China, stroll around Egypt’s pyramids and India’s Taj Mahal, live it up in Paris and Hongkong, brave the Himalayas, crossing off each item in their “bucket list” as they go along.
Although the sights and the settings give The Bucket List a touristy appeal, the action and the thrills do not come in until about an hour into the film. Its real value is enveloped in the dialogue which the viewers must be attentive to if they must catch the message until it carries them away. The two lead roles (Ray and Edward) couldn’t have been played better. The personalities of these two characters truly complement each other, and this fact is enhanced by the crisp exchange of lines and the perfectly timed injection of humor in the otherwise heavy exchange. Keen direction and editing ensured that the two characters would match and equal each other word for word, close-up for close-up. Few actors could share a frame with Jack Nicholson without being “eaten up” by his presence, and Morgan Freeman is definitely one of them.
The Bucket List is a great way to go around the world while exploring the inner depths of two men who know they have roughly 180 days to live. Before cancer claims their lives, they passionately pursue the things they’ve missed; at the same time they gain clarity of vision that leads them to greater self-knowledge. The tension between the two characters together living up their last days could lead the viewer into examining their own values—by asking themselves which character arouses their sympathy more. There’s Edward, not-so-subtly trying to convince Ray his lifestyle is superior; and there’s Ray, also resolutely trying to talk Edward into thinking as he thinks. The film shows the transformative power of the deep friendship forged between mature persons coming from different backgrounds and social status. The price of admission becomes a wise investment for the viewer who is ultimately led to challenge himself into preparing his own “bucket list.” What would you do if you knew you had but six months to live? How far would you go to do that? Would you change anything about you? If so, what would that be? If not, why not?
(Date Reviewed: 08 February 2008)
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