Antes de partir

"The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but that one is young." Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Now and then I should rethink what I've been learning all these years as a critic because I predicted The Bucket List would have all kinds of holes in it. It did, but they were tiny blemishes in an otherwise solid frame. This is a good movie, as much silly as serious. And therein lies the skill of director Rob Reiner, who makes sure Jack doesn't kill the lines with bluster and Morgan doesn't drown them in vocal sweetness.

Edward (Nicholson) and Carter (Freeman) meet in hospital where they have been given less than a year to live because of cancer. They bond, create the "kick-the-bucket" list of ten things to do before dying, and then do them. The hokey process shots at several of the world's wonders indicate the surety of Reiner's direction where he evokes the old Hope and Crosby road pictures and emphasizes that the journey is the important thing, not the destination.

Both men laugh and cry and change in subtle ways that make this not a maudlin exercise in death denial but rather a celebration of love through friendship, regardless of the grim future. Although Justin Zachman's script is overall weak given the actors' worth, there are lines that save it all from mediocrity: As Edward the cynic says, "We live, we die, and the wheels on the bus go round and round." As Carter the humanist says, "You measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you." The two philosophies, fate and love, caress in a slow dance to recognition of life's true value.

The Bucket List is not half as sappy as I sound so far; it is a sober rendering of life's lessons at the end by two different men who find their common humanity.

Greetings again from the darkness. Yes, this can be viewed as Hollywood formula with mass appeal and loads of stereotypes and clichés. On the other hand, it can be taken as a very accessible commentary on friendship, companionship and finding the joy in life. I prefer the latter. Either way, it does require a certain suspension of reality. Just ask Roger Ebert, who has made it his personal mission to bash the film.

Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman are both in prime form, and after a string of weak films, director Rob Reiner does a masterful job of keeping Nicholson from going over the top and from having Freeman kill us with sweetness. Even more impressive is the pacing of the early hospital scenes ... nothing is forced, no line of dialogue or shot seems hurried. This is two patients coming to grips with their situation. While the worldly travels are impressive, my favorite parts of the film are the scenes between the two beds in the same room.

On the downside, will someone please tell Hollywood that Morgan Freeman in the cast does not mandate a blasted voice-over from the man? We know he has a great voice, but if the narration adds nothing to the story, please just let the film do its thing.

There are some laugh out loud moments and one-liners, but there are also some strong moments of drama ... death has a way of creating those. This is a combination of road trip, buddy film and coming-of-age ... very unusual for two senior citizens! So while the story line surprises are few, sit back and enjoy excellent acting (including Sean Hayes), wonderful direction and a few life lessons. Good stuff for a movie that all ages can enjoy.

The quiet mechanic Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) is a man with a great general culture; has been married for forty-five years with his beloved wife Virginia (Beverly Todd) and has two sons – one lawyer the other engineer – and a violinist daughter. The caustic and bitter billionaire Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) owns many hospitals, has many divorces and one missing daughter. Following the policy of Edward, his hospital makes no exception giving a private room to him and he shares the same room as Carter. Along the days, they become close to each other and when Edward finds in the garbage the bucket list that Carter had prepared, listing all he wanted to do before dying, he includes his own items and invites Carter to a journey of friendship, discoveries and redemption.

"The Bucket List" has a wonderful screenplay, two fantastic actors and a predictable story about the journey of two terminal patients with cancer that find friendship, discoveries and redemption. The contrast between the two lead characters offers very beautiful moments with witty and spirituous dialogs alternating with funny and dramatic scenes. This is one of those movies that bring happiness to the viewer in spite of the unpleasant theme – illness and death. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Antes de Partir" ("Before Leaving")

Mechanic Carter Chambers and hospital magnate Edward Cole meet each other in a hospital.They both have a terminal lung cancer.But instead of giving up, just waiting to die on a hospital bed, they decide to go on a journey.They make a list of things to do and places to go before kicking the bucket.The Bucket List (2007) is a comedy drama film directed by Rob Reiner.One of the reasons this movie rises from mediocrity to something better is the main actors, Morgan Freeman (Carter) and Jack Nicholson (Edward).They're both born in 1937 and they really know their game.Sean Hayes plays Edward's valet/servant Thomas.Beverly Thomas is Carter's wife Virginia.Alfonso Freeman (Morgan's real son) plays Roger.Rob Morrow is the doc, Dr.Hollins.This can be quite funny from time to time.I especially enjoyed how Carter kept giving answers to questions on Jeopardy while having a serious conversation.And the whole Kopi Luwak business is quite amusing.Also the drama works in this movie.The Bucket List doesn't make dying such a serious matter.Or at least you can make the best of it.

A friend took me to watch "The Bucket List" tonight (it's usually the other way around, I take him to the movies I want to watch). As much as I love Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, I wasn't very excited about this... it looked really cheesy, and the reviews were not good at all (not saying I believe in most critics, but when I don't feel particularly curious about a movie AND the reviews are mostly negative, chances are that I'm gonna skip it). It turned out pretty good, actually... we've all seen movies about people who find out they only have some time left and make a list of things to do before dying (Isabel Coixet's "My Life Without Me", with Sarah Polley, is my favourite of them), and "The Bucket List" is not original or innovative at all, but Nicholson and Freeman alone make it worth seeing. It's not sappy as most movies about terminal patients, and it's entertaining enough. And even though it doesn't intend to be serious or thought-provoking, death is always a delicate issue, and this movie might make you reflect about how you spend your time: months ago, I was discussing with this same friend how, in movies, people only start living to the fullest when they get to know they're about to die. That's something we should all think about: to die, you only need to be alive, so we should all enjoy more the present instead of worrying so much about the future, because, unfortunately, there's no such thing as life guarantee. For its humor and tenderness, "The Bucket List" deserves a 7.5/10 from me.