Rich man/poor man

Bucket List treats life and death issues to pop philosophy | Mark Hemingway

The Bucket List (rated PG-13 for language) is certainly well-intentioned as it confronts the issue of impending mortality head-on. But, intentions aside, the film is wanting in its execution.

Jack Nicholson plays Edward Cole, a man who's made a fortune privatizing hospitals. When he is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he is forced to share a hospital room with Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) because of a for-profit policy he implemented in his own hospitals. Chambers, a closet genius, was forced to give up his dreams of higher education for a career as an auto mechanic so he could raise his family. The two opposites form an unlikely bond when both realize they have less than a year to live.

They set about creating a "bucket list," a list of things to do before kicking the bucket. With Cole's financial resources, the two men pursue everything from skydiving and car racing to climbing the pyramids and visiting Mt. Everest. Along the way, the two discuss the meaning of their lives ad nauseam—and in a way that wouldn't prove thought-provoking outside a freshman dorm at 2 a.m.