The Bucket List (Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson)

I’d heard of the film ‘The Bucket List’ about ten years ago, after a friend watched it. She introduced me to the idea of a ‘Bucket List’ - things we hope to do before we ‘kick the bucket’. It’s a phrase that has become so widely used now that it’s hard to remember that it was coined by this film in 2007. We hadn’t seen the film, so when I saw a new DVD - still sealed in cellophane - at a church sale, I didn’t hesitate to pay 50 cents to buy it, and we decided to watch it last night. 

Part of the reason for picking the film up is that one of the main characters is Morgan Freeman, who is one of my favourite actors. The other is Jack Nicholson, who is also well-known. I knew the outline of the story, such as it is: two terminally ill patients decide to make a list of things they have always wanted to do, and then actually do them. But I had no idea how it would all pan out.

The first twenty minutes or so of the film are so depressing that, despite the high quality acting and script, we almost stopped watching. We meet Carter (Morgan Freeman) who works as a mechanic in a garage, and Edward (Jack Nicholson) who is a high-powered millionaire businessman. Carter is clearly a likeable and highly knowledgeable man, while Edward is pushy, arrogant and loud. He owns the hospital where he is subsequently taken, and finds himself in a room with Carter. 

That part is fine, but there was rather a lot of medical talk, unpleasant images of Edward reacting badly to chemotherapy (albeit from behind) and their eventual diagnoses. In the context of what’s supposed to be a light comedy drama, this seemed very heavy - and their rapid apparent recoveries, seeing them setting out to travel the world and fulfil their dreams (funded by Edward) a bit unlikely.  

But of course it’s an unlikely premise anyway; I didn’t find Edward’s character particularly believable, although I liked Carter very much. Edward is the one who pushes them to go, persuading Carter that they might as well enjoy their last few months. Carter’s wife Virginia is not convinced; she’s a nurse, and understands his illness and that she may lose him. She doesn’t want him away, possibly becoming ill again while out of the country. 

The travelling part of the film is a series of short snippets - the two drive racing cars, visit the pyramids and many other landmarks that Carter had only ever dreamed of. We learn that he had wanted to be a history teacher, but took a job as mechanic when his wife learned that she was expecting their first child. He never fulfilled that dream, although his knowledge is so extensive that he is able to explain many artefacts and historical detail to Edward as they travel.

It’s well done, and in places amusing, although there’s always the diagnosis in the background, and I kept wondering when one or other of the men would show signs of becoming ill again. There’s an excellent supporting character in Thomas (Sean Hayes) who is Edward’s PA, treated badly at times but willing to speak his mind too. Gradually Edward does start to think more of Carter and his family than himself, although he remains quite self-centred.

I did appreciate the way that Morgan Freeman’s character is so likeable, with a strong Christian faith which he only mentions when directly asked. There are a few brief conversations about the nature of faith and God, and he isn’t at all pushy. But he’s clearly lived an upright, moral and loving life; and while he’s a bit disillusioned with his marriage and family, an incident happens that puts it all into perspective. 

The ending of the film is perhaps a tad schmaltzy, but that’s fine. Given that it’s (predictably) not a happy ending, I thought it well done, with one of the characters, at least, finding hope for the future. And it’s really the only ‘story’ part. The idea of a ‘bucket list’ was novel when it was introduced; the film made a great impression on my friend ten years ago. But now, with the phrase in common parlance, and the basic plot well known, there wasn’t much that was moving or which we could relate to. If it weren’t for the excellent performances from the two main characters, I wouldn’t recommend it at all.

The rating is 12, which I think is right, given the subject matter of the film. There’s very little bad language, and nothing explicit but unlikely to be of much interest to anyone under the age of about fifty anyway. 

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews

The Hundred-Foot Journey (Manish Dayal)

About five and a half years ago, I watched ‘The Hundred-Foot Journey’ at a friend’s house. I liked it so much that I put it on my wishlist, and was subsequently given it by one of my relatives. But as I had seen it already, I didn’t pull it out to watch with my husband until this week.

My only memory of the story was that it was about a restaurant, and that there was some conflict. I had entirely forgotten the storyline, and in particular the traumatic opening scenes. There’s a major conflict in India, and a family who own a popular restaurant are forced to flee. Sadly one of the family dies in the fire, so they are grieving as well as running for their lives.

There’s a brief stay in London, and then they decide to try mainland Europe, with all their belongings packed into a rickety van. Inevitably it starts to go wrong… and they meet the delightful Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon) who gives them shelter and some French food. She works at a local restaurant, which is owned by the imposing Madame Mallory (brilliantly played by Helen Mirren), rather a high class place which boasts of a Michelin star. 

The family head, known as Papa (Om Puri) decides to buy a derelict building, just a hundred feet over the road from Madame Mallory’s place. It was formerly a restaurant, so he is convinced it can be rebuilt… but, unsurprisingly, some of the locals object. There’s quite a disturbing amount of racism as well as ignorance of Indian cuisine, and the rivalry between the two restaurants is quite intense, unpleasant at times.

Helen Mirren is billed as the star of this, but although she is excellent, Manish Dayal is the main character. He plays Hassan, the son of the family most dedicated to cooking. The story really revolves around him as he takes on the role of family provider, while accepting his father’s leadership and sometimes strange decisions. He works hard at his craft, and also studies late at night to learn about the secrets of French cuisine. He also finds himself very attracted to Marguerite - and yet competing with her, at the same time, as a chef.

There are some stresses in the film, as tensions rise; racism is an ongoing thread, and there are some good contrasts between the different cultures and cooking styles of Europeans and Indians. There’s humour too; not laugh-aloud jokes or slapstick, but amusing comments or actions, which give relief to the heightened tension as the Indian family fight to make their dream fulfilled. 

I had not recalled any of the threads of the plot, so found myself enjoying it all over again. The acting is flawless, the people believable, and the pace suited us perfectly.  We both thought it an excellent film  It’s rated PG but I can’t imagine it would be of any interest to children or younger teens unless they have a passion for cookery. I would have thought 12 would be a more suitable rating. There’s very little bad language and no scenes of intimacy beyond a kiss, but there’s violence and some quite disturbing sections of the film, particularly at the beginning.

However, for older teens and adults, I would recommend 'The Hundred-Foot Journey' very highly.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews

Man Up (Lake Bell)

We couldn’t remember the film ‘Man Up’, which was sitting on our shelves, although as it turns out, we first saw it as recently as five years ago. Indeed, I started to recognise scenes and storylines as we watched, but I had entirely forgotten the outcome, and most of the detail.

Lake Bell stars as the somewhat nerdy and gauche Nancy. We meet her in a hotel room, trying on make-up and practising introductory phrases… and then she decides she really doesn’t want to join in a huge, noisy Hawaiian themed party which she has been invited to. This is partly because it’s really not her scene, but also partly because her friends are setting her up with a man who they think will be perfect for her.

She joins the party and he is far from perfect. We next see her in the train, on the way to another party; this time to celebrate her parents’ fortieth anniversary. Her sister keeps calling her, worried that she might not turn up, although it transpires that Nancy is usually quite predictable and reliable. She gets into conversation with a girl on the train, who leaves a book behind…

Nancy tries to find the girl to return the book, knowing she needs it in order to meet someone. This leads to a sequence of misunderstandings which result in her pretending to be the other girl, without actually stating it, and spending the day with Jack (Simon Pegg). They get along well, both of them a bit awkward but gradually discovering things in common including a passion for ten-pin bowling. 

Into the plot comes the sleazy Sean (Rory Kinnear) who remembers Nancy from secondary school, and always had a crush on her… a crush which turned into a somewhat creepy obsession. I didn’t find him amusing at all, although I think he was meant to be.  Instead he comes across as a complete loser with a mind in the gutter and a bizarre sense of entitlement. 

There’s not a whole lot of plot - the film is less than 90 minutes, and basically covers a single day where a great deal of alcohol is consumed, and the two main characters discover they rather like each other… but when Jack eventually learns the truth about Nancy, he is determined to meet the real Jessica, while Nancy gets to her parents’ party, albeit very late. 

The acting is good, if exaggerated at times, although I couldn’t really relate to Nancy, who’s such a mixture of naivety (despite being 34) and confidence - she seems to take any opportunity to talk in adult language. 

And yes, there’s an inevitable epilogue to this, one that I thought was well done if a tad ridiculous, and quite amusing. Unfortunately, although the film was free of any violence or overt scenes of intimacy, there were almost continual references to sexual activities, and a fair amount of bad language. I didn’t feel any of it was necessary - we really didn’t need to know Nancy’s theories or past, and it all rather detracts from the emotional impact of the film which is about taking chances, being spontaneous, and trusting instincts. 

So the rating of 15 is about right; not that it would be of much interest to anyone younger. I would have liked it better if the language and innuendoes had been more subtle or even non-existent. But perhaps the producers didn’t want it to be rated 12. In the stricter ratings of the US, this film is rated R which does seem a tad excessive.

We didn’t watch the ‘extra’ on the DVD this time.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews