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Capone Glances Over Rob Reiner's THE BUCKET LIST!!
Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
There's nothing appallingly awful about Rob Reiner's latest about two elderly strangers who find out they both have only a few months left to live and decide to spend it together as kindred spirits carrying out a list of everything they've wanted to do before they die. One is billionaire hospital mogul Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson); the other is mechanic Carter Chambers (professional narrator Morgan Freeman), who has worked every day of his life with only his loving wife and family to show for it. Cole, on the other hand, has an estranged daughter and a persnickety assistant named Thomas (Sean Hayes) to show for his life's work. When the two men end up in the same hospital room, they concoct their master list of things to before they kick the bucket, and Cole sends Thomas to arrange activities such as skydiving, riding a motorcycle across China's Great Wall, sitting atop the Great Pyramids, eating the finest food and racing sports cars around a racetrack.
Sounds like fun, right? The problem is the movie confirms my number one truism about films in general: there is nothing more boring than watching other people have fun.
Granted, when the people are Freeman and Nicholson, things are a little less tedious, but that doesn't take away from the fact that simply observing these life-changing events one after another grows tiresome. With Reiner at the helm, you might expect the film to be overly jokey, but the truth is the film is sometimes too sentimental for its own good at the expense of humor. Subplots about Freeman trying to trick Nicholson into reconciling with his daughter and Freeman's wife chastising him for not spending his final months with the family really drag down this tale, which is a tough thing to do in a film that barely cracks the 90-minute mark. But THE BUCKET LIST's goals are far from lofty, and I'll admit I feel a bit guilty coming down on it so hard. The truth is I liked seeing these two Oscar-winning pros together in a film; they play off each other nicely. Freeman's "gentle-soul" routine softens Nicholson's characteristic wise-ass persona, while Nicholson inspires a bit of edginess in Freeman. Both adjustments are greatly appreciated.
Rob Reiner crossed the 60-year-old milestone last year, and I can't help but think that this film (from a script by Justin Zackham) is meant to commemorate that in some way. He's never been a subtle filmmaker with either his dramas or his comedies, but when he succeeds in entertaining (which he did as recently as his last film, Rumor Has It), for some reason it makes me happy. He made some of the pivotal films of my youth (THIS IS SPINAL TAP; MISERY; STAND BY ME; THE PRINCESS BRIDE; and WHEN HARRY ME SALLY, to name a few).
I hardly think I'm cutting the man any slack with this review of THE BUCKET LIST, but the truth is I was entertained by it more than I wasn't. That's hardly a rousing endorsement, I know, and that's because this film doesn't quite deserve it. But it's an easy film to watch, even if doesn't rock your universe as much as another film on the subject of "How to Spend Your Final Months on Earth" potentially could.
Capone
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First
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...Jack Nicholson's fat, bloated head as a punching bag. If I have to see one more trailer where Jack Nicholson rolls his shoulders saying, "Lets put some moves on", I'm going to fly to L.A. and beat his melon-head with a 9-iron.
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Watched Stardust last night. Add Deniro too the list as well.
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Of course, I haven't seen the movie yet and Capone does try to be gentle in his review, but at what point did it become a misdemeanor to make a movie for entertainment purposes? Even the "deepest," most "profound" or "evenlope-pushing" stuff gets old eventually. Well, maybe not to you AICN guys -- you seem to salivate at just about everything from Tarantino, Rodriguez, Smith and Roth no matter how disgusting, derivative or both.
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If Princess Bride is a pivotal movie of your youth, that makes you... fifteen?
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and beats up women, the old fart.
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Nicholson done? No way, have you seen THE DEPARTED?
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Princess Bride came out in '87. I was ten. Now I'm thirty. Where's the confusion?
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Rob, what happened???
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Seems like Princess Bride came out only a few years ago. I suppose I'm getting old.
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I'd like to see that endorsement on the poster!
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Your more on the ball than me today. He was great in that. My favorite movie of 2006. Back to sleep for me.
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Good one.
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I've ever seen. Yuck-Oh !!!
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Capone, i choose to believe that was a slipup. Mr. Freeman has been *acting* professionally since the mid '60s. That his voice shows up in a penguin documentary and the intro/outro of a recent 'Berg flick is to his credit, but cannot overshadow almost 50 years of skillful, sensitive *acting*. Cheers....
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I think it's American Express, that lists the things a person should do once in their lives. Like : see a Broadway play, climb a mountain, swim with dolphins, yadda yadda yadda. How convenient that Nicholson's character is a billionaire. In reality, these blue collar guys, would probably blow their cash on hookers and Viagra in Vegas. Might make a better movie.....
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I hear ya buddy. I'm sure Reiner wishes he was still in the middle of that run. Stand by Me, Princess Bride, Misery, When Harry... Maybe he could try another King adaption. I wish somebody would do the hearts in atlantis portion of Hearts in Atlantis. One of my fav books if anyone looking for a recommendation.
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Jan 11, 2008 12:45:37 PM CST
Nicholson is not yet done, but for me it wasn't
by nomoredirtyjokespleaseweareyanks
the Departed, but About Schmidt. He was absolutely incredible in that movie and it was his best role since the Crossing Guard
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Jan 11, 2008 12:48:04 PM CST
Nicholson is not yet done, but for me it wasn't
by nomoredirtyjokespleaseweareyanks
the Departed, but About Schmidt. He was absolutely incredible in that movie and it was his best role since the Crossing Guard
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Jan 11, 2008 12:48:04 PM CST
Nicholson is not yet done, but for me it wasn't
by nomoredirtyjokespleaseweareyanks
the Departed, but About Schmidt. He was absolutely incredible in that movie and it was his best role since the Crossing Guard
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Jan 11, 2008 12:48:04 PM CST
Nicholson is not yet done, but for me it wasn't
by nomoredirtyjokespleaseweareyanks
the Departed, but About Schmidt. He was absolutely incredible in that movie and it was his best role since the Crossing Guard
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I do like these guys and Morgan Freeman is good, despite his rather cookie-cutter characters these days. Nicholson is still capable of greatness, but he's starting to play "himself" entirely too often. For me, if these to actors can't make this movie entertaining it must be bad. Which annoys me, cuz I often prefer older folks and their problems over movies starring damn teenagers.
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and performance that shows that Jack doesn't phone it in with "Jackisms". A wonderful subtle performance.
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... awesome. Subtle performance.
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Jan 12, 2008 7:56:31 AM CST
I'm not even done reading the first paragraph,
by grammaton cleric binks
but just wanted to say thanks fora review with a plot summary san spoilers. Moriarty gave one a week or so ago, and I learned nothing about the movie except he wanted to love it but didn't. Now that I have some information I can choose to see the movie or not.
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and so did the crowd that saw the movie last night at the Texas Cinema Starplex 12 theatre in San Marcos, TX. I know that this comment will be evidenced of my being the least hip person on aintitcool, but I loved the performances and the chemistry of Freeman and Nicholson. Yes, the script is filled with hoary cliches, cheesy lines, formulaic plot devices--> but the performances elevate the material or elevate past the material. I think that this is 2008's first sleeper hit and possible 1st $100 million picture. The mostly over 50 crowd that I saw it with loved it.
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He also did The Shawshank Redemption and Million Dollar Baby. I know what Capone means. Sometimes, when I get up in the morning, I hear Freeman's voice as the beat cop yells at me to move along: "The streets aren't a pleasant place for anyone, let alone a timid, delicate specimen like this one . . ." It's either Freeman or Daniel Stern.
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Jan 12, 2008 3:33:24 PM CST
thankfully, at least morgan wasn't stuck playing the magical neg
by the podosphere
saw an LA screening a few weeks back. nicholson and reiner were there. jack's the man, that's all i can say. in person, in kind of a similar way to shatner, believe it or not.
the movie was very enjoyable. and they were really smart about pulling the legs out from under any too-obvious opportunities to tug at your heartstrings. it was a man's movie in a way i don't expect you punk pud-pulling yutes to understand.
letterman's doing bucket list jokes on john mccain. it's mccain's own fault. he's been on the stump (and not in a massawyrm kind of way) talking about the presidency being his goal for his final service to his country, tho not in those exact words. letterman picked that up immediately and ran with it. -
the subject line used to cut off input on these talkbacks.
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Everything about it sounds dull as fuck.
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Freeman is a good actor and Jack has some good one liners but overall it's just lame and trite. Next.
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this looks like a credit card commercial (like the one running right now where the kid and his dad go to scandinavia). Whats dissappointing about this is just add it to the list of two great actors finally in a movie together and its just midiocore at best. I've come to realize that there is no good way to have two similar actors appear in the same movie and have it be awesome. You can do ensamble work, but having two majors actors be the only stars just will never work.
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one star...he fucking hated it. It does look pretty damn godawful. if a film's only saving grace is that it "entertains" you..well ok, but it better entertain the fuck out of you!. otherwise itd a waste of celluloid. the dude does not abide middle of the road wishy washy piddlyposh.
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I love Rob Reiner's the Princess Bride "as you wish" quote. Steals my heart every time. Rob's interview about Flipped was pretty good. http://bit.ly/9qJwR9
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