It’s a bit of a surprise - shocking, really - that acting vets Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman have yet to work in a film together. Both are respected actors, each having won an Oscar (or more), both have been in their fair share of hits and misses, and heck, both blew out 70 candles, respectively, at their most recent birthday. Yet, mysteriously, they have yet to butt heads. Until now.
Enter The Bucket List, directed by Rob Reiner, who previously paired up with Nicholson 15 years ago in the critically acclaimed military lawyers drama A Few Good Men. In this one, Nicholson and Freeman play two terminally ill men who escape from the same cancer ward to go on a final series of adventures before they kick the bucket (hence the title). Their laundry list of things to do includes racing cars, pigging out and gambling in Monte Carlo, among others.
As promising as Bucket sounds, keep in mind it’s written by Justin Zackham. Justin who? Exactly. For the ill-informed, he is probably best known for writing and directing Going Greek, a 2001 film about an ex-football star, surrounded by a cast of unknowns, whose top goal is to pledge at his college’s coolest fraternity. Oh boy.
And Reiner’s directing track record as of late is shaky at best, too. In 2005, it was Rumor Has It, the Jennifer Aniston/Kevin Costner comedy that shares a loose tie with The Graduate (the novel, not the film). The film went on to earn just over $42 million at the domestic box office. Two years prior to that, he helmed the Luke Wilson/Kate Hudson bomb Alex & Emma. That one earned a meager $12 million.
Even so, it’s Jack. It’s Morgan. And with a decent script, The Bucket List should be successful, both critically and financially. (Eric Hughes/BOP)
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