Good story telling trumps special effects. It almost seems like a lost art. Well not to writer Justin Zackham. We have two opposite personalities, one I relate to (Carter Chambers by Morgan Freeman), the other a polar opposite (Edward Cole by Jack Nicholson). Carter is a Christian who devoted his life to the well being of his family, while Edward is the classic agnostic that has spent his entire life amassing a fortune. Both are confronted with a closing expiration date and seek to cram in "all the things they wanted to do but never did" moments in life within this small window. This became the impetus for the Bucket List. What endeared this movie to me, though there is foul language, is the non-pushy and very real witness of Carter. At times I almost heard myself talking! Carter was very real. He had real flaws, believable fears, and an understandable assurance of eternal salvation. He understood the nature of faith, while Edward looked on, though not able to "get his head around it". To whit Carter would reply, "Maybe your head is in the way?" Priceless.
