I was especially reluctant to see the new movie The Bucket List starring two of my all-time favorite actors Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman and favorite director, Rob Reiner. I mean, let’s go over the facts: it’s about two older men who are dying of cancer and want one last chance to see the world. For a girl who watched one grandfather pass away shaking from Parkinson’s and another survive lung cancer, I was not about to get excited to see two men share a hospital room on screen. However, my sister made me swear I wouldn’t see the movie Juno without her, and my friend promised Charlie Wilson’s War to his father, so I was stuck. I thought to myself, okay, I can get through this, think of Jack Nicholson in Something’s Gotta Giveor Batman—not as a man dying of cancer. Armed with a giant Diet Coke and some mustered up courage, I sat in my seat waiting for the tears to begin. Funny thing was, they never started. Sure, the movie was sad: two dying men meet in a hospital room and only have six months to live; odds are they pass away. I was prepping myself for their death the whole movie, yet, when it came, it was sweet, not as heart breaking as I thought.

Perhaps I felt this way because the movie was shot and edited, in my opinion, as if I were watching a movie within a movie. Rob Reiner is one of my favorite comedic directors, but the comedy wasn’t the main focus in this movie. He shot it as if it were a play, a la Neil Simon’s Odd Couple. The lines were terse, yet meaningful. The laughs were real laughs between two actor friends. The things that they accomplished on their list were fun to watch and inspiring; but nothing was too over the top, nothing too contrived, nothing too devastating. I have to say, for me, the hardest part of the movie was the first half where the men are bonding in the hospital. To watch two strong men endure chemotherapy in their flannel pajamas hit too close to home and at points, I admit, my eyes had to jerk to the ceiling to steer clear of the screen.
It was a short movie, yet sweet throughout. It really told the story of this strong friendship, and really drove home the point that life isn’t over until it’s over. You can still accomplish, love, make friends, and laugh it up until your very last moment. Would I see it again? Maybe on HBO, and maybe starting from the middle. Would I recommend it? Only if you’re in a strong emotional mood and haven’t witnessed a loved one endure cancer. Does that rule out a lot of people? Sure it does. The acting was superior, because it is two incredibly talented actors on the screen; the directing was different, but fun; the script was play-like, yet thought-provoking. And, really, the only time I cried was when I forked over four dollars for a tiny soda. All in all, it wasn’t as sad as I thought it would be, however thanks, but no thanks, I’ll pass on it next time.

Article written by Olivia March Dreizen, © 2008 butyoudontlooksick.com