The Bucket List

The Bucket List
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Rob Reiner
Produced by	Craig Zadan Neil Meron Travis Knox Justin Zackham
Written by	Justin Zackham
Starring	Jack Nicholson Morgan Freeman Sean Hayes Beverly Todd Rob Morrow
Cinematography	John Schwartzman
Editing by	Robert Leighton
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	December 25, 2007 (limited) January 11, 2008 (wide)
Running time	97 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$45 million
Gross revenue	$174,310,293 (worldwide)

The Bucket List is a 2007 film directed by Rob Reiner, written by Justin Zackham, and starring Academy Award-winners Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. The main plot follows two terminally ill men (portrayed by Nicholson and Freeman) on their road trip with a wish list of things to do before they "kick the bucket."

The film received its premiere on December 15, 2007 in Hollywood. It opened in limited release in the United States and Canada on December 25, 2007 and was distributed by Warner Bros. The film opened in wide release in the United States and Canada on January 11, 2008 and was released in the United Kingdom on February 8, 2008. The film was released in Australia on February 21, 2008.

The film received mixed reviews from film critics, but was a box office success, opening at the top of the box office, and grossing a total of $174.3 million worldwide.

Plot

Blue-collar mechanic Carter Chambers (Freeman) and billionaire hospital magnate Edward Cole (Nicholson) meet for the first time in the hospital after both have been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Although Edward is reluctant to share a room with Carter, complaining that he "looks half-dead already," they become friends as they undergo their respective treatments. Carter is a gifted amateur historian and family man who had wanted to become a history professor; in his youth had been "broke, black, and with a baby on the way" and, thus, never rose above his job at the McCreath body shop. Edward is a four-time divorced healthcare tycoon and cultured loner who enjoys nothing more than tormenting his personal valet/servant, Matthew (Hayes), whom he calls Thomas. He makes Matthew serve Carter as well as him and orders his employee and doctor (Morrow) to familiarize himself with Carter's health.

Carter begins writing a "bucket list," or things to do before he "kicks the bucket" (i.e., dies). After hearing he has less than a year, Carter wads it up and tosses it on the floor. Edward finds it the next morning. He urges Carter to do everything on the list (suggesting he add things like skydiving) and offers to finance the trip. Carter agrees, despite the protests of his wife, Virginia (Todd).

The pair begins an around-the-world vacation. They both go skydiving together, get tattoos on their hands, climb the Pyramids, drive a Shelby Mustang, eat dinner at Chevre d'Or in France,visit and praise the beauty and history of Taj Mahal,India ride motocycles on the Great Wall of China, and attend a lion safari in Africa. Atop the Great Pyramid, looking out over the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure, they confide about faith and family, revealing that Carter has long been feeling less in love with his wife and that Edward is deeply hurt by his estrangement with his only daughter, who disowned him after he sent some people to "take care of" her abusive husband.

In Hong Kong, Edward hires a prostitute (Rowena King) for Carter, who has never been with any woman but his wife. Carter declines and, realizing that he loves his wife, asks to return home. On the drive back, Carter reciprocates by trying to reunite Edward with his daughter. Edward angrily storms off. Carter returns home to his wife, children, and grandchildren where they have a nice family dinner telling stories and sharing jokes while a frustrated Edward stays home eating frozen dinners alone.

The family reunion is short-lived. In the preparation for a romantic interlude, Carter suffers a seizure and is rushed to the hospital. The cancer has spread to his brain. Edward, who is now in remission, visits him and they share a few moments, where Carter reveals to great amusement the origin of the "world's most rare coffee" (Kopi Luwak) they had discussed earlier, over which Edward obsesses and Carter has refused to drink. Carter crosses off "laugh till I cry" from his bucket list and insists Edward finish the list without him. Carter goes into surgery, but the procedure is unsuccessful and he dies on the operating table.

As Carter passes on and the news is given to his wife and family, we see Edward finally attempt to reconcile with his daughter. She not only accepts him back into her life but also introduces him to the granddaughter he never knew he had. After greeting the little girl with a kiss on the cheek, Edward crosses "kiss the most beautiful girl in the world" off the list.

Edward delivers a eulogy at the funeral, explaining that he and Carter had been complete strangers, but the last three months of Carter's life were the best three months of his (Edward's). He crosses off "help a complete stranger for the good" from the list.

In the epilogue, it is revealed that Edward lived until age 81, and his ashes are brought to the Himalayas by Matthew. As he places a Chock Full o' Nuts coffee can alongside another can, he crosses off the last item on the Bucket List ("witness something truly majestic") and places it between the cans. Carter's narration reveals that the two cans contain their ashes and that Edward would have loved this, because he was "buried on the mountain... and that was against the law."

The "Bucket List"

1. Witness something truly majestic
2. Help a complete stranger for the good
3. Laugh till I cry
4. Drive a Shelby Mustang
5. Kiss the most beautiful girl in the world
6. Get a tattoo
7. Skydiving
8. Visit Stonehenge
9. Spend a week at the Louvre
10. See Rome
11. Dinner at La Chevre d'Or
12. See the Pyramids
13. Get back in touch (previously "Hunt the big cat," added after being earlier added and crossed off)
14. Visit the Taj Mahal
15. Hong Kong
16. Victoria Falls
17. Go on a safari
18. Drive a motorcycle on the Great Wall of China
19. Sit on the Great Egyptian Pyramids
20. Find the Joy in your life

Other titles

• In Spanish, the film is named Ahora o nunca or Antes de Partir, which mean "now or never" and "before we leave," respectively.
• In Turkish, the film is named “Şimdi ya da Asla,” which translates to “now or never”.
• In Russian, it is "Пока не сыграл в ящик," which is an idiom and may be translated as "before kicking the bucket."
• In Armenia, it has two titles: "Քանի դեռ կանք" ("while we are alive") and "Քանի դեռ ոտքերս չեմ ձգել" — an idiom that may be translated as "while I'm alive."
• In Hebrew, its title is "מתים על החיים" (MEITIM AL HA-HAYIM), meaning "dying for life," a phrase of "dying to live."
• In Brazil and México, it is titled "Antes de Partir," which translates to "before leaving."
• The Italian version is called Non è mai troppo tardi, translating as "it's never too late."
• The German version is titled Das Beste kommt zum Schluss, which translates to "the best comes at the end."
• The French title is "Sans plus attendre," which translates to "without further waiting." (In Canada, the French title is "Maintenant ou Jamais," which translates to "Now or Never.")
• The Finnish version is titled Nyt tai ei koskaan, which means "now or never."
• The Czech version is titled Než si pro nás přijde, which translates to "before it'll come for us."
• The Polish version is titled "Choć goni nas czas," which means "although time is chasing us."
• The Japanese title is "Saikou no Jinsei no Mitsukekata" which translates to "How to find the greatest life".
• The Korean title is 죽기전에 꼭 하고 싶은 것들, which translates as "Things you want to do before dying."
• The Vietnamese title is "Tận hưởng cuộc sống" which translates to "Enjoy your life."
• The Hungarian title is "Bakancslista" which translates to "boot list".
• The Serbian title is "Lista poslednjih želja" ("Листа последњих жеља") which means "the list of last wishes".
• The Slovenian title is "Preden se stegneva" which means "Before we kick the bucket".
• The Romanian title is "Ultimele Dorinte" which means "Last wishes"

Reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 41 percent of reviews were positive, based on 147 reviews. It also has a 24 percent rating from their top critics. Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 40 out of 100, based on 33 reviews. Roger Ebert, who had thyroid cancer, spoke for himself when he criticized the film's portrayal of cancer sufferers, writing in his one-star review that The Bucket List "…thinks dying of cancer is a laff riot followed by a dime-store epiphany."

Box office

The film opened in wide release in the United States and Canada on January 11, 2008 and grossed $19,392,416 in 2,911 theaters, averaging $6,662 per theater and ranking #1 at the box office. The film closed on June 5, 2008, never having a weekend decline of more than 40%, with a final gross of $93,466,502 in the United States and Canada and an additional $80,843,791 in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $174,310,293, easily covering the film's considerable $45 million budget and turning a sizable profit for distributor Warner Bros. Pictures. The film was well-received by audiences, resulting in a user score of 7.5/10 at the Internet Movie Database, a 76% approval rating from users at Rotten Tomatoes, a user score of 8.0/10 from users at Metacritic, and a B grade from users at Box Office Mojo.

Accolades

Named one of the Top Ten Films of the Year by the National Board of Review.

Soundtrack

A score album from Varèse Sarabande was released on January 15, 2008, featuring composer Marc Shaiman's original score for the film as well as a selection of newly recorded themes from Shaiman's previous scoring projects, including City Slickers, Simon Birch, The Addams Family, Mother, North, Sleepless in Seattle, South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut, Mr. Saturday Night, and Stuart Saves His Family. It also features a rearranged version of the James Bond theme "Goldfinger" (titled "Printmaster"), with Shaiman's own voice and lyrics in which he spoofs the industry's habit of tracking music in scenes where they don't belong. The full list of 23 tracks is as follows:

1. Hospital Hallway (from the movie)
2. Like Smoke through a Keyhole (from the movie)
3. Best in L.A. (from the movie)
4. Really Bad News (from the movie)
5. Vie en Rose (from the movie)
6. Hotel Source (from the movie)
7. Did You Hear It? (from the movie)
8. Flying Home (from the movie)
9. Homecomings (from the movie)
10. Life and Death (from the movie)
11. The Mountain (from the movie)
12. End Credits (from the movie)
13. Theme from The American President ("A Seed of Grain")
14. Theme from City Slickers
15. Theme from Simon Birch
16. Theme from The Addams Family
17. Theme from Mother
18. Theme from North
19. Sleepless in Seattle / A Wink and a Smile"
20. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut/"Blame Canada"
21. Theme from Mr. Saturday Night
22. "Printmaster" (After John Barry's "Goldfinger")
23. Theme from Stuart Saves His Family ("What Makes a Family")

The theme song, John Mayer's "Say," is not included on the Bucket List soundtrack.

DVD release

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc June 10, 2008.

Popular Culture

1. Referenced in 2010 season of Jersey Couture with regard to driving on a racetrack, "aren't you glad I have exciting things on my bucket list unlike your other sister."
2. Offered as explanation for 2010 bank robbery attempt: "A DeLand woman who previously told television reporters she robbed a Sanford bank because it was on her "bucket list"