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The Bucket List (2007)

tomatometer

40

Average Rating: 5.1/10
Reviews Counted: 167
Fresh: 67 | Rotten: 100

Not even the earnest performances of the two leads can rescue The Bucket List from its schmaltzy script.

25

Average Rating: 4.5/10
Critic Reviews: 36
Fresh: 9 | Rotten: 27

Not even the earnest performances of the two leads can rescue The Bucket List from its schmaltzy script.

audience

81

liked it
Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 242,254

My Rating

Movie Info

Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman star as two terminally ill cancer patients who decide to break out of the hospital and live their last days to the fullest in director Rob Reiner's seriocomic road movie. Edward Cole (Nicholson) is a corporate billionaire who is currently sharing a hospital room with blue-collar mechanic Carter Chambers (Freeman). Though initially the pair seems to have nothing in common, conversation gradually reveals that both men have a long list of goals they wish to

PG-13, 1 hr. 37 min.

Drama, Action & Adventure, Comedy

Justin Zackham

Jun 10, 2008

$93.5M

Warner Bros. Pictures

Cast

All Critics (174) | Top Critics (37) | Fresh (72) | Rotten (100) | DVD (19)

You get the performances you expect from these two great stars, which lift this story mercifully but marginally above its meager content.

January 15, 2008 Full Review Source: Film.com | Comment
Film.com
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The movie is caught in the crossfire of its two missions -- to celebrate the universal things that "really matter" in life (friendship, family) and to celebrate what it means to live like Jack Nicholson.

January 11, 2008 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | Comment
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Not every film about death needs a bald Swede and a game of chess: Sometimes, the sky-diving's enough.

January 11, 2008 Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | Comment
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

By the end of The Bucket List, silliness has been replaced by pretension, and while there may not be a dry eye in the theater, many of those tears will be shed in embarrassment for giving in to such hooey.

January 11, 2008 Full Review Source: Detroit News | Comment
Detroit News
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Acting's good, but Bucket is half-empty.

January 11, 2008 Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | Comment
Denver Rocky Mountain News
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Watching Nicholson and Freeman on the same screen and their characters Edward and Carter embarking on a sojourn of discovery is hard to resist.

January 11, 2008 Full Review Source: Denver Post | Comment
Denver Post
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Whilst this remains reasonably captivating for its first hour, it kinda runs out of steam after that...

January 30, 2012 Full Review Source: Flicks.co.nz | Comment
Flicks.co.nz

A modestly uplifting, and at-times poignant, buddy comedy that manages to make the most of the worst of situations.

August 14, 2009 Full Review Source: Times-Picayune | Comment
Times-Picayune

...contrived and forced, almost begging the audience to pull out the hankie.

February 12, 2009 Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | Comment
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

An endearing film that will bring you to tears and have you cherishing every relationship and day you have.

January 5, 2009 Full Review Source: Entertainment Spectrum | Comment

...a hopelessly uneven endeavor that's ultimately felled by a lamentable emphasis on heavy-handed bursts of schmaltziness.

December 20, 2008 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | Comment
Reel Film Reviews
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Bucket List

this was a wonderful movie with great characters and perfect diologue. seeing these two hollywood icons on the screen together was a treat and the film helps you rethink life in a similar way to kurosawa's great film ikiru. a must see.

January 18, 2008
sanjurosamurai
danny d

Super Reviewer

This was the best movie for skydiving since point break.

November 4, 2011
Joe McCall

Super Reviewer

    1. Dr. Hollins: Humour is always a good sign.
    2. Edward Cole: Kiss my ass.
    3. Dr. Hollins: Apparently, so is surliness.
    – Submitted by Augusta M (54 days ago)
    1. Edward Cole: Why thank you Kyle, I never even thought of that!
    – Submitted by Augusta M (54 days ago)
    1. Edward Cole: Just do it on how you do it for your family.
    2. Thomas: So...would that mean giving all the money to my assistant?
    – Submitted by Augusta M (54 days ago)
    1. Edward Cole: We live, we die, and the wheels on the bus go round and round.
    – Submitted by Chris P (10 months ago)
    1. Carter Chambers: You measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you.
    – Submitted by Chris P (10 months ago)

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