0
Usenet Posted 18 years ago
Screenwriting

In defense of "The Bucket List"

Well, my oldest sister (whose husband suffers from an Alzheimer's-like disease) got some time off and went to the movies. She loves Morgan Freeman and was relieved that Jack Nicholson wasn't portrayed as some kind of post-Medicaid sex machine. She's looking for uplifting movies these days and I can't fault her for that.
She liked the movie.
I'm not here to rehash the script or the movie; I'd like to think about the deal.
Yeah, it was obviously written for Freeman and Nicholson. And yeah, after two weeks it earned the basic cost of hiring Freeman and Nicholson and Reiner and making the movie.
But it seems like $40 Million is a lot of money to invest to win back a couple hundred grand.
So could this movie have been a tremendous success without Freeman/Nicholson? Take that guy who is the spokesperson for those Allstate Insurance commercials. Or a generic curmudgeon such as Fred Thompson? Same movie. Same script. Same director. Same budget... except, of course, the Allstate guy and Thompson would've worked for scale. Could "The Bucket List" have been a "hit" based on the story or the script?

So you've got the question: is "The Bucket List" a script that can make a marinally-profitable Hollywood movie, or did the script have the chops to be a blockbuster indie? Put the same $5 Million or so into the production values and don't pay Freeman/Nicholson their combined $40 Million fee, and would you have the same movie? Based on the script?

If the script is so strong, a $5 Million production budget (which is, basically, what it was) could well have earned $15-20 Million at the box office. But with Freeman/Nicholson, it's struggling to go a couple of hundred grand over bottom-line costs. With a $45 Million box office.

It's hard to figure. I've always wondered about Warner Bros' first conception of "Cassablanca" with Ron Reagan and Ann Sheridan..

Joe Myers
"Play it, Sam! I paid for this piano!"
.
  

Top answer

[nq:1]I'm not here to rehash the script or the movie; I'd like to think about the deal. Yeah, it was obviously written for Freeman and Nicholson. And yeah, after two weeks it earned the basic cost of hiring Freeman and Nicholson and Reiner and making the movie.

  • [nq:1]I'm not here to rehash the script or the movie; I'd like to think about the deal.
  • Yeah, it was obviously written for Freeman and Nicholson.
  • And yeah, after two weeks it earned the basic cost of hiring Freeman and Nicholson and Reiner and making the movie.
  • But it seems like $40 Million is a lot of money to invest to win back a couple hundred grand.
  • So could this movie have been a tremendous success without Freeman/Nicholson?
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

13 Answers
0
[nq:1]I'm not here to rehash the script or the movie; I'd like to think about the deal. Yeah, it was obviously written for Freeman and Nicholson.  And yeah, after two weeks it earned the basic cost of hiring Freeman and Nicholson and Reiner and making the movie. But it seems like $40 Million is a lot of money to invest to win back a couple hundred grand. So could this movie have been a trem
0
[nq:1]Well, my oldest sister (whose husband suffers from an Alzheimer's-like disease) got some time off and went to the movies. ... first conception of "Cassablanca" with Ron Reagan and Ann Sheridan.. Joe Myers "Play it, Sam! I paid for this piano!"[/nq]
That's just kind of how it works.
A friend of mine has a movie shooting right now. Started off and just a $5 million nice little indie.
0
[nq:1]Well, my oldest sister (whose husband suffers from an Alzheimer's-like disease) got some time off and went to the movies.  She loves Morgan Freeman and was relieved that Jack Nicholson wasn't portrayed as some kind of post-Medicaid *** machine.  She's looking for uplifting movies these days and I can't fault her for that. She liked the movie. I'm not here to rehash the script or the movie; I
0
[nq:1]Yeah, it was obviously written for Freeman and Nicholson.  And yeah, after two weeks it earned the basic cost of hiring Freeman and Nicholson and Reiner and making the movie. But it seems like $40 Million is a lot of money to invest to win back a couple hundred grand.[/nq]
So how do you figure a "couple hundred grand?" Are you a studio accountant? The movie has already grossed close to
0
[nq:1]Used To Watch On TV and Oh, Him - Wasn't He In That Thing We Liked? because no one goes to see that film. They go to see Jack Being Jack and Morgan The Wise Old Negro, doing what they do.[/nq]
A little insulting there Steven. Morgan Freeman plays Morgan as much as Jack plays Jack. So what, exactly, does the "Wide Old Negro" mean? Is that Obama's problem? He doesn't shuck 'n' jive enough?
0
[nq:1]So how do you figure a "couple hundred grand?" Are you a studio accountant? The movie has already grossed close ... going to gross about $30 million more domestically. And then there is (I suspect) a foreign release scheduled. Then DVDs.[/nq]
Haven't seen it (not my sort of thing) and didn't read the script when it was floated on the group (I smelled a trap. I haven't investigated the ti
0
[nq:1]So could this movie have been a tremendous success without Freeman/Nicholson?  Take that guy who is the spokesperson for those Allstate Insurance commercials.  Or a generic curmudgeon such as Fred Thompson?  Same movie.  Same script.  Same director.  Same budget... except, of course, the Allstate guy and Thompson would've worked for scale.  Could "The Bucket List" have been a "hit" ba
0
[nq:1]So could this movie have been a tremendous success without Freeman/Nicholson?  Take that guy who is the spokesperson for those Allstate Insurance commercials.  Or a generic curmudgeon such as Fred Thompson?  Same movie.  Same script.  Same director.  Same budget... except, of course, the Allstate guy and Thompson would've worked for scale.  Could "The Bucket List" have been a "hit" ba
0
[nq:1]But if they hadn't responded, or if comparable stars had not it would never have been made at any budget.[/nq]
Which was my original point... long ago and many threads back.

I would not be interested in a movie about two old guys dying.

- Bill
0
[nq:2]But if they hadn't responded, or if comparable stars had not it would never have been made at any budget.[/nq]
[nq:1]Which was my original point... long ago and many threads back. I would not be interested in a movie about two old guys dying. - Bill[/nq]
Oh, the humanity.

Related Questions