Balek's Movie Review - The Bucket List

We're all going to die...but we don't have to go quietly into that good night.  I think that pretty much sums up The Bucket List in a short sentance.  After buying the DVD when it released, the wife and I finally made time between all the summer activities to sit down and watch the awesome duo of Jack Nickolson and Morgan Freeman delve into our own mortality, and how we view the lives we live and led.

The Bucket List tells the story of two terminally-ill men who, although they led very different lives up to their diagnosis, find themselves in a hospital room together.  Over the course of their treatment, a friendship grows between them.  One man, played by Freeman, has some what I will call regrets in his life...or at least opportunities he wish he had more time to explore.  However, his life was dedicated to his family, and as such failed to make the necessary time to do so, and now the clock is almost up.  These items are summed on a bucket list, appropriately named for the items on it...things you want to do before you kick the bucket.  The other man, played by Nickolson, is an increadibly weathly heathen who sees this as an opportunity to get some last minute fun in.  Unbeknownst to them though, through the course of their interactions, both men obtain a deeper understanding of who they are, what they are about, and more importantly how they want to live.

Needless to say, between Nickolson and Freeman, the acting was supurb.  The script was solid and moved along well, while still touching on some very deep ideas and getting the audience to really think.  There were a few places where I thought the cinematography was a bit muddled, but not enough to detract from the movie.  Nothing too much from an audio experience as you'd expect.

"You measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you."  That quote starts the movie, and really hits home.  I can't think of a better way to look at where I am now, and where I really want to be when the time comes to say goodbye to this mortal coil.  Needless to say, I've got some work to do.    In the mean time, I'd fully recommend the movie to anyone out there.  Just do yourself the favor and really think about what the movie is trying to say.  You'll be better at the end of it - and that can't be said of most of the entertainment we take in now-a-days.