Pre-Fatal Flair

There is nothing original about Rob Reiner's senior-style buddy film "The Bucket List," starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as two terminally ill men, but that doesn't stop it from being an appealing enough fluff piece. And that's a welcome change for Reiner, considering his last three films are "Rumor Has It...," "Alex & Emma" and "The Story Of Us" (worlds away from the holy trio of "When Harry Met Sally," "The Princess Bride" and "Stand By Me" in the late '80s). He may not have another knockout left in him, but at least he's showing signs of a pulse.

Edward (Nicholson) and Carter (Freeman) meet in "The Bucket List," written by Justin Zackham, while sharing a hospital room. They get off to an "inauspicious beginning, to be sure," as Carter points out in his recurring narration, but they bond over their cancer and imminent expiration dates. Following their serendipitous union, they decide to act out a list of things they've always wanted to do before kicking the bucket — hence the film's cheeky title.

Their many adventures include hopping on a plane to the French Riviera, finding their inner Paul Newman on a race car track and making a pit stop in Hong Kong for black walnut ice cream. Some of their outings are effectively mushy, such as when they sit and gaze at the Egyptian pyramids, while others made me feel sicker than they are (jointly singing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" on an African safari? Really?). They can afford these luxuries because Edward is a corporate billionaire, and he doesn't have people back home who love him. Carter, a longstanding auto mechanic, has a wife who loves him, but he still goes on his merry way. Apparently the allure of marriage can't compete with that of exotic final-hour vacations; a lovely message, indeed.

The main reason to see "The Bucket List," besides the cinematic world tour that you won't get to experience in real life, is to watch Nicholson and Freeman blissfully banter. The seasoned actors have a seemingly great time together throughout the film, barring the occasional buzzkill of leaky catheters or uncontrollable vomit. Nicholson does his infectious wisecracker routine while Freeman continues to wear his earnestness like a coat that never goes out of style. Neither is doing anything remotely out of the ordinary, but their shared enjoyment has an airborne effect.

As a comedy, "The Bucket List" does the trick, but it lacks the same spark as a tear-jerker. Given the morbid subject matter, it's not difficult to predict what will happen — that magical "live forever" potion has yet to hit pharmacy shelves. Thankfully the film is mostly light and harmless, not one of the year's best but nothing too hazardous to your health.