The Bucket List (2007)
Directed by Rob Reiner
Corporate billionaire Edward Cole and working class mechanic Carter Chambers are worlds apart. At a crossroads in their lives, they share a hospital room and discover they have two things in common: a desire to spend the time they have left doing everything they ever wanted to do and an unrealized need to come to terms with who they are. Together they embark on the road trip of a lifetime, becoming friends along the way and learning to live life to the fullest, with insight and humor.
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17 films that influenced The Bucket List
What critics say influenced The Bucket List
If nothing else, Reiner seems weirdly tuned into the Baby Boomer zeitgeist — in the early ’70s, his role as Mike “Meathead” Stivic on “All in the Family” made him America’s hippie; in the early ’90s, his Castle Rock Entertainment gave us “City Slickers,” which put a big smiley-face on male menopause; and now that Woodstock Nation is pricing nursing homes, we get “The Bucket List,” which plays like Ingmar Bergman’s “Wild Strawberries,” reimagined as an uninspired sitcom and travelogue.
Frequently, the screenplay by another newbie, Sergio G. Sanchez, seems like it's merely a compendium of stellar moments from other horror hits: In addition to Pan, there are elements that strongly recall The Devil's Backbone (also by del Toro), The Others, The Innocents, The Omen and – I hesitate to add – Friday the 13th.
Cue the theme to The Odd Couple.
Nicholson and Freeman, both 70, had not worked together before, but they are as in step as Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly hoofing together as old-timers in "That's Entertainment!" Sometimes, you just have to trust the chemistry.
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When Ron Howard’s retirees rediscovered their youth in Cocoon, there was a joyous wonder in their remembrance of it and the passion they still carried.
Yet Denzel Washington's previous film as director, 2002's admirable Antwone Fisher, failed to grab the Academy's attention, and I suspect the same fate will befall this inspiring if overly familiar story that owes its allegiance not so much to history (it alters many facts) as to Dead Poets Society, Hoosiers and countless other "Carpe Diem" flicks.
Some of them show incredible bravery, as in Mike Nichols' "Wit," with its great performance by Emma Thompson .
Rob Reiner proved bewitching and insightful on pre-adolescence (“Stand By Me”), on-the-road youth (“The Sure Thing”) and adult love and lust (“When Harry Met Sally”).
How does a filmmaker go from making gems like “This is Spinal Tap,” “The Sure Thing,” “When Harry Met Sally” and “Misery” to the likes of “Alex and Emma,” “The Story of Us,” “Rumor Has It” and now this wallow for the aging Me Generation?
In films from The Sure Thing (1985) to The American President (1995), he examined the eternally—and wonderfully—youthful hopes, fears and dreams of budding romance that stay true whether you're a college student or the guy in the White House.
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RUMOR HAS IT..., ALEX & EMMA, and THE STORY OF US, not to mention the notorious flop NORTH, are far cries from his work on THIS IS SPINAL TAP and THE PRINCESS BRIDE.
This is a mild comeback for Rob Reiner, the once can't-miss director of "Spinal Tap," "The Princess Bride," "When Harry Met Sally" and "A Few Good Men." His script chooser suffered lapses in judgement that led to "Rumor Has It," "Alex and Emma" and "North."
Rob Reiner, whose last really good film was in 1995 (“The American President”), does not improve his directorial losing streak with “The Bucket List.”
Considering Rob Reiner's output lately (twelve years since The American President , his last decent film), it's tempting to call The Bucket List a triumph, if only on the grounds that it's not awful.
In films from The Sure Thing (1985) to The American President (1995), he examined the eternally—and wonderfully—youthful hopes, fears and dreams of budding romance that stay true whether you're a college student or the guy in the White House.
Finally, it represents a surprising return to form for Rob Reiner, who hasn't delivered a film this effective since 1995's The American President .