Post 7: Film of the week (WARNING, CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Film 4: The bucket list

Featuring the perfect combo of Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, Isee this as a very effective feel good film...

When, old mechanic Carter Chambers (Freeman), and billionaire hospitol mandate Edward cole (Nicholson) are both diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, they gradually learn to accept each other for their differences, Cole with his expensive jet set life of cars, money and holidays, and Chambers' finding the best things in life are the little ones. Reluctant to share a room with Chambers', Carter begins complaining and demanding that his every need be seen to, whereas Chambers is perfectly content reading his book and writing out his 'bucket list' (All the things you want to do before you kick the bucket). As the course of thier respective treatments progress, the pair grow close and become friends.

However, upon discovering he only has a year left, he scraps his plan and resigns himself to his book once more, Cole finds the list and desperatley tries to convince his friend to go for it and offers to finanace the trip, against the wishes of Carter's wife, they decide to go on the trip of a life time.

Across the year they take part in many experiences that range from skydiving to the most expensive meal they could buy, Halfway round the trip, they fall out over a dispute about Cole's family issues, and Carter returns home, only to later 'die on the table' after a siezure caused by cancer reaching his brain. Just before he dies, he convinces Cole to continue and finish the Bucket list.

Cole later reconsiles with his family and lives to the age of 81. In the epilogue, his ashes are placed next to those of Carter on a mountain in the himalayas whcich Carter would have liked because 'he was buried on a mountain... and that was against the law'.

Overall this is a very  good film in my opinion, there is some very heavy material when dealing with the cancer, but on the whole its full of laughs and feel good momenst, and despite the fact that they die in the end...although you may miss them, its a satisfiying ending as they achieved all they wanted to and died happily. The film was well recieved by audiences, achieving an over all gross of $174,310, 293. But was not rated highly by critics for the fact that it innacturatly protrayed the life of cancer sufferers as ' a daff riot, followed by a dime store epipheny'. Personally, i believe this is a very good film and if you are in the right mind set, a great pick me up.