Carpe Diem

At first blush, a movie about two men dying of cancer didn’t seem all that appealing to me. Critics however were all praises, and persuaded by such reviews, we went to see it. I have to say that the critics were right and then some! It stars Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as the aforementioned cancer patients who meet at the hospital room where they are both confined. Despite their different backgrounds and personalities, they strike an unlikely friendship and bond over the travails of cancer treatment and gin rummy. When they are given the news that they have at most a year left to live, they decide to make a bucket list. This is the list of all the things they want to do before dying. They travel around the world, indulge in adrenaline sports and along the way, help the other and witness something magnificent. In the end, they come away with the fullest appreciation of life and more importantly, the goodness in life.
Despite the movie’s underlying premise of death, this is a movie about living to the fullest. It is about two individuals who re-learn to laugh, love and make friends. It is all the more moving for its lack of sentimentality and preachiness. The message is delivered with the lightest hand and credit rightfully goes to Freeman and Nicholson who play their parts to perfection. Nicholson is the gruff scoundrel, with a barely hidden smirk hovering around his lips while Freeman is the wise and calm man with all the answers (literally, in his case). It must also be said that it is a very funny movie, with laugh out loud scenes and witty repartee among the leads. Funny and moving, Bucket List is a good way to be reminded that all of us need to seize the day.