Humor, healing make ‘List’

After being told he has a year to live, Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) begins revising his metaphorical list of what he wants to accomplish before he dies. Coincidentally, Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson), his roommate and owner of the hospital, has a similar diagnosis, wants that list to be a reality. The two set out to find adventure and instead discover more about themselves in “The Bucket List.”

It is an old story that plays out in real life as often as it does onscreen. The previews invite the audience to believe they will be attending a fast-paced comedy with the philosophical ruminations that inevitably come with a story about two men not just traveling the world but also toward death. Still, the trailers are more misleading than should reasonably be expected.

The film starts out slowly, introducing Carter and his foil Edward. Because these characters are stock figures, the screenwriters could and should have spent less time with the introduction.

Where the screenwriters unexpectedly succeed is in a surprise theme. The movie is not just about Carter and Edward; it’s also about how the choices these two make affect their loved ones, most notably Carter’s wife, Virginia (Beverly Todd). If one can look past Todd’s less-than-convincing performance, a new and exciting twist on the genre can be found.

There is little action in the film. In fact, the script could easily be performed on stage with minor tweaking. Too often a thrill is passed over in favor of a lecture on Buddhist philosophy or the meaning of true love as represented by a mausoleum.

Overall, the movie is a bumper car ride. Some parts are humorous enough to elicit laughs. Others are so full of honest pathos, the audience will respond audibly as well. But then there are the obvious jokes that fall flat and scenes where some actors are going too far and the others not far enough. The dialogue careens from the tediously realistic to theatrically elevated but just as often hits a perfect compromise. The voice-over narrations at first feel like lazy scriptwriting, but the pay off is satisfying.

And don’t look for anything groundbreaking from Nicholson or Freeman. They are wonderful in their parts, but that’s because they’ve played them so many times before.

Even with all its flaws, “The Bucket List” is still entertaining and thought- provoking with an ending both moving and spot on for the tone of the piece. “The Bucket List” is not the buddy comedy it pretends to be, but on a night when some drama and humor are in order, the film just might be what the doctor prescribes.