The Bucket List (2007)

This film was an unexpected success at the box office, not because they thought it would be on a smaller scale but because of the collection and acceptance of the public so quickly, the production cost was only 45 million dollars while it left over 175 million dollars at the box office.

It managed to combine entertainment with humor and the philosophy of joyfully awaiting death without fatalistic dramas.

Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman play Edward Cole and Carter Chambers, two terminally ill death row inmates who meet at the same hospital, the former a smug millionaire and the latter a modest mechanic and former philosophy professor, who despite being from different worlds strike up a friendship and write a wish list of things they want to do before they die and embark on the adventure of making that last journey to achieve them.

During the time this odyssey lasts, all kinds of situations arise, highlighting the comic ones in which the wishes of one are extreme for the other but for reasons of commitment they must fulfill them.

It is entertaining, set in various parts of the world, with excellent photography and impeccable acting by two award-winning actors who have appeared in many films and who coincidentally were born in the same year, 1937.

The wish list of those condemned to die is varied and ranges from traveling around most of the world, getting tattoos, racing cars and enjoying their palate, all achieved thanks to Cole's money.

Criticism towards the film was varied, some considered it good while others did not and in the latter group are those who argue that the plot is weak and fails to transcend the anecdotal, while those who argue that it is a good choice is common to highlight the chemistry of the characters and the ease of entertaining with which it counts.

Besides the fact that it leaves us an important lesson of life since it bequeaths us the question of what are the important things in life, to give happiness or to live of whims and vanities that in the end do not provide transcendent moments.

Personally, I think it is a good option to have a good time and as I have said before, not always award-winning films are the best.

The director of this film was Rob Reiner, who was an outstanding television actor and before this film he had many others to his credit, among them the successful When Harry Met Sally...