Non è mai troppo tardi

I can tell if a movie is good by the way it keeps me riveted to the story. And this is no exception. It's no surprise that a movie with highly talented actors like Nicholson and Freeman would be good. It's not that I'm normally attracted to movies with a deep inner meaning, but this is one movie which didn't beat you over the head with it. I mean, here are two guys who are facing death and decide to go out & do all the things they've ever wanted to. Some scenes are dramatic, others are funny, and in the end, the deep inner meaning just kind of shines through without a bunch of sappy sentimentalism. And yes, I did get a bit watery eyed near the end, which means this is a good story that you can get into & feel part of.

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.

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")

Usually I'm not into these kinds of movies, but with the casting of Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman I had to see it. I'm really glad that I decided to give this a try.

The story is quite predictable, but I still enjoyed it. Never mind how impossible the storyline is because it is a great movie about friendship - how two men become great friends in a short time and help each other out throughout the time they are together. It moves along at a smooth pace and I never got bored, so the writer gets credit for that. The acting was top notch as Nicholson and Freeman draw forth the right emotion in the audience at the right time. The emotional parts are done just right, but the funny scenes are the best. I laughed throughout the movie but not as much as I would in a true comedy movie, but the comic scenes in this one really work and Nicholson is the "main man" in them. It does have a message at the end about how you should live your life to the fullest, how your family is important, and how you should be happy in life and the movie delivers that message perfectly.

Other than the predictable storyline and the sometimes cheesy dialog, the movie is great. I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for a feel-good movie.

8/10