The Bucket List

When this movie was first advertised, I thought it would be a snooze...but I was wrong. I really enjoyed this very poignant story of two men (who are about to kick the bucket) and their attempts to complete all the things they felt were important to do before passing on. Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicolson make an enchanting pair, and their unlikely friendship in this film is very touching. I couldn't help but notice how incredibly old these two are, which has made me keenly aware of our mortality. I was impressed with the items on their list, many of which I would love to do as well (if I had an unlimited amount of money). Several years ago I made a similar list of things I needed to do or see before leaving Happy Valley forever...but now that I'm back in Happy Valley, I see how useless that really was. I think that the point of the movie was that we should realize that our relationships are more important than anything else...and that loving and being loved in return is what we all need to live a successful life. The major flaw in this movie was the use of the green screen...it was very obvious that each scene that was not in the United States was filmed on a green screen...I am annoyed by this because we live in a day and age when I should not be able to tell that the green screen is being used. The acting was great, the directing was ingenious (and I would have expected nothing less from Rob Reiner), and the writing was pretty good for a newcomer like Justin Zackham. Overall, I'm giving this movie 3 1/2 pigs.