Movie · 2007 · Drama, Comedy · 1h 37m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 3.0/10 (427.7K ratings)
Find the joy.
Overview
Corporate billionaire Edward Cole and working class mechanic Carter Chambers are worlds apart. At a crossroads in their lives, they share a hospital room and discover they have two things in common: a desire to spend the time they have left doing everything they ever wanted to do and an unrealized need to come to terms with who they are. Together they embark on the road trip of a lifetime, becoming friends along the way and learning to live life to the fullest, with insight and humor.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.0/10
IMDb: 7.3/10
Letterboxd: 3.35/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 40%
Metacritic: 42
TMDB: 7.2/10
Director
Rob Reiner
Production
Two Ton Films, Zadan / Meron Productions, Reiner / Greisman Productions
Cast
Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Sean Hayes, Beverly Todd, Alfonso Freeman, Dawn Lewis, Rob Morrow, Brian Copeland, Rowena King, Annton Berry Jr., Destiny Brownridge, Verda Bridges, Ian Anthony Dale, Jennifer Defrancisco, Angela Gardner, Noel Gugliemi, Jonathan Hernandez, Karen Maruyama, Amber Mead, Serena Reeder
Curator Review
Verdict
A sentimental, easy-to-watch road movie powered by the charm of Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, but it’s also broad, manipulative, and often more obvious than moving. If you want a gentle, star-driven reflection on mortality with some humor, it works; if you want sharper writing or less glossy life-lessons, it may feel thin.
Best for
viewers who like comforting, mainstream tearjerkers
fans of buddy comedies with an emotional edge
audiences in the mood for an accessible movie about mortality and second chances
people who enjoy star chemistry over narrative complexity
Skip if
you want subtle or unsentimental storytelling
you’re allergic to obvious inspirational dialogue
you prefer grounded realism over polished wish-fulfillment
you dislike movies that lean heavily on sentiment and score
Overview
The Bucket List is built to be liked: two heavyweight performers, an easy premise, and a tour of big emotions wrapped in a road-trip structure. The movie’s best asset is the chemistry between Nicholson and Freeman, who make even the most familiar lines feel lived-in and playful. When it stays with the men themselves, it can be warm, funny, and unexpectedly tender.
Worth noting
But the film also has a very polished, very calculated idea of inspiration. It often feels like it is arranging emotional beats rather than discovering them, and the glossy wish-fulfillment can undercut the more serious material about illness, regret, and class. The result is a movie that is sincere but blunt, moving but frequently overdetermined.
Bottom line
As a crowd-pleaser, it does its job. As a meditation on mortality, it is less convincing than it wants to be. Still, for viewers who want an undemanding, star-driven comfort watch with a few genuine laughs and some melancholy, it remains easy to sit through.
Top Letterboxd reviews
issy 🥝 · 742 likes
I just know when leonardo dicaprio grows old he’s gonna look exactly like jack nicholson. that’s not the only thing I took from this film it was very heartwarming and all but it’s an overwhelming thought
{Todd} (1★) · 286 likes
"This... was supposed to be fun." -Edward,
Old.
This is not a comedy, it's a depressing atrocity. It's old man wisdom porn mixed with a heaping dollop of morose reflection. I wanted to see men doing tons of cool stuff and living life to the fullest and I got that for like ten minutes and then spent most of my time in a hospital being sad.
Recommended to people who want to think about dying.
Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine (3★) · 197 likes
Starring: My Name is Morgan Freeman
Two titans of acting are having a good time/vacation as they pretend to kick the bucket. Freeman and Nicholson’s chemistry is pretty good and definitely makes for a lot of the fun of the movie, especially their banter. The humor was alright; the gag with the glasses seemed like something out of a Happy Maddison’s movie. The music was really good—a little too manipulative, but it got the job done.
All in all, it… more
rafid · 183 likes
they're were so old in 2007
Wesley Stenzel (3★) · 168 likes
Looks and feels like a midbudget TV episode (with some hilariously shoddy CGI and cheap production design), and the premise is a Republican’s wet dream — a billionaire private medicine mogul and his new best friend, a working-class Black man who pulls himself up by his bootstraps, go on one of the most extravagant vacations ever committed to film. But, despite the clunky plot, Nicholson and Freeman actually commit to the bit (I can’t remember seeing Jack cry in a… more Looks and feels like a midbudget TV episode (with some hilariously shoddy CGI and cheap production design), and the premise is a Republican’s wet dream — a billionaire private medicine mogul and his new best friend, a working-class Black man who pulls himself up by his bootstraps, go on one of the most extravagant vacations ever committed to film. But, despite the clunky plot, Nicholson and Freeman actually commit to the bit (I can’t remember seeing Jack cry in a… more
2013 · Drama, Adventure · 1h 55m · R · Curator 8.5/10 (234.6K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, MGM Plus
Dryer and more observant take on old age, family tension, and the urge to make one last journey.