The Bucket List

Though consistently buoyed by the stellar work of its two stars, The Bucket List comes off as a hopelessly uneven endeavor that’s ultimately felled by a lamentable emphasis on heavy-handed bursts of schmaltziness. It’s subsequently impossible to deny that Rob Reiner’s inherently lighthearted modus operandi often feels at odds with the downbeat nature of the storyline, and there’s little doubt that the movie is often as eye-rollingly sentimental as it is genuinely affecting. The film follows terminally-ill strangers Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) and Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) as they develop an unlikely friendship after being forced to share a hospital room, with the pair eventually embarking on a whirlwind trip across the globe in an attempt at fulfilling their respective “bucket” lists. There’s little doubt that The Bucket List fares best in its opening half hour, as screenwriter Justin Zackham places the emphasis on the two leads’ introspective conversations (ie Carter reveals his various regrets) – which effectively lends the proceedings an air of poignancy that proves impossible to resist. It’s only as the pair embark on their green-screen tour of the globe that one’s interest first starts to falter, with the inclusion of several egregiously cute elements – ie Carter and Edward sing along to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” while on safari in Africa – detrimentally affecting the impact of the somber storyline. And although the whole thing does pick up as it approaches its expectedly melancholy conclusion, The Bucket List‘s place as a missed opportunity is undeniable and it’s impossible to avoid the feeling that the two stars deserved so much better.

**1/2 out of ****