The Morgan Freeman movie Roger Ebert hated with a passion
Morgan Freeman's performance may have gotten pass marks from Roger Ebert, but the film itself was summarily torn to pieces.
(Credits: Far Out / YouTube Stills)
Film » Cutting Room Floor
Wed 22 January 2025 16:45, UK
Morgan Freeman is one of those actors whoâs never been shy in admitting when theyâve taken a role solely for the money, even if itâs obvious to anyone watching that heâs only there for the paycheque. However, it wasnât one of those cash-grabbing gigs that infuriated Roger Ebert.
Cinemaâs favourite wizened sage has been open and honest in naming features like blockbuster bomb Hard Rain, shoddy Stephen King adaptation Dreamcatcher, and the entirety of Gerard Butlerâs Fallen franchise as parts he only took because they added an extra couple of zeroes to his bank balance, but that doesnât mean the veteran has devolved into nothing but a money-hungry mercenary.
Thereâs a hint of irony to the fact the Freeman flick Ebert so vehemently despised was something the Academy Award-winning star was eager to work on for a number of reasons, one of which was his illustrious co-lead. On the plus side, The Shawshank Redemption alumâs performance did get pass marks from the legendary critics, whereas his opposite number did not.
A movie that nobody wanted to make in the first place, there must have been plenty of egg on faces in boardrooms around Hollywood when Rob Reinerâs The Bucket List didnât just earn $175 million at the box office but entered the titular term into the zeitgeist, where itâs remained ever since.
For a lot of viewers, itâs a lightweight and inoffensive end-of-life crisis comedy anchored by two iconic actors bringing plenty of chemistry and pathos to the screen, a sentiment Ebert would wholeheartedly disagree with after his review awarded it just one star out of four and urged hospitals worldwide not to show it to patients because âthere may be an outbreak of bedpans thrown at TV screens.â
Ebertâs biggest issue with The Bucket List was Jack Nicholson, remarking that âloveability is not a strong suitâ for the three-time Oscar winner. As for the picture as a whole, Ebert was highly critical of the dynamic between the two leads, lamenting how Freemanâs signature narration boils down to him âextolling the saintly virtues of a white person who deserves our reverence.â
As mentioned, Freeman did escape unscathed compared to Nicholson, with Ebert highlighting the stately star as âthe sole redeeming merit of the film,â although he did make a point of noting that heâs âappeared in more than one embarrassing movie, but never embarrassed himself.â As for the other half of the central pair? âMaybe itâs not Jack Nicholsonâs fault that his role cries out to be overplayed, but itâs his fate and ours.â
The Bucket List definitely ladles on the schmaltz as thick as possible, and it was too sickly for Ebert to stomach. Itâs not a great film by any stretch of the imagination, although it is one that makes for an easy watch. If it werenât for Nicholson, perhaps the critic would have been more willing to embrace the sentimentality.
Related Topics
Jack NicholsonMorgan FreemanRoger Ebert