Creative quotient
The story of two cancer stricken men who meet in a hospital and instantly strike off an unlikely friendship.
Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) is an incredibly wealthy hospital owner who firmly believes that he’s running infirmaries instead of health spas, and therefore demands that each room contain two beds and two patients. When a twist of fate lands him in his own hospital, he’s stuck sharing a room with Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman). Both men are dying of cancer, and the doctors give each of them only a few months left to live. The two slowly realise how much they enjoy each other’s company. When Carter begins writing a bucket list, Jack prompts him to see it through. The bucket list includes all things that Edward and Carter would like to accomplish in their remaining months, before they kick the bucket! Thanks to Cole’s wealth, the two end up touring the world, skydiving and racecar driving. As their list of goals begins to come to an end, they realise how much they’ve truly lived in the last few months of their lives. They also come to value their short friendship which impacts their lives immensely.

Technical expertise
In every sense of the word, The Bucket List is the tale of two contrasting characters. This film works because these characters are played by two completely contrasting actors. Jack Nicholson is his usual intense self. His character, that of Edward Cole is a man who undergoes a change of heart and perceptions thanks to his friendship with Carter. Nicholson, like any of his past performances in films like The Departed, Something’s Gotta Give and Anger Management acts like he’s Jack Nicholson and not some character.
Morgan Freeman on the other hand plays his role with an earthy and warm charm characteristic of his knack for worldly, wise and good-natured characters.
The chemistry between these veterans comes across as pleasantly refreshing, and thanks to that The Bucket List turns out to be a charming and fun film about warm human emotions.
The film makes an archaic story work only thanks to its actors and some well scripted dialogues. Rest of the film is average and allows sufficient room for the films stronger elements to dominate.

Verdict
The Bucket List is worth three stars. Nicholson and Freeman’s character portrayals are each worth a star and the comic verbal exchanges between the two are worth another twinkle.