HE has directed some of the most popular and influential motion pictures of the past two decades – "When Harry Met Sally," "Stand By Me," "Misery," "A Few Good Men," and "The American President," to name a few. Now, Rob Reiner directs what’s probably his most personal film to date: Warner Bros.’ new comedy drama "The Bucket List," a touching, no-holds-barred adventure that shows it’s never too late to live life to its fullest.

In the film, billionaire Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) and working class mechanic Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) are worlds apart. At a crossroads in their lives, they share a hospital room and discover they have two things in common: a desire to spend the time they have left doing everything they ever wanted to do before they "kick the bucket" and an unrealized need to come to terms with who they are. Together they embark on the road trip of a lifetime, becoming friends along the way and learning to live life to the fullest, with insight and humor.

Reiner responded to the story in an immediate, deeply personal way and felt it addressed issues that many people can relate to. "The baby boom generation, in particular, are really starting to examine and evaluate their lives in a deeper way and the themes touched on by ‘The Bucket List’ really resonate. Those of us who have parents or grandparents getting up in years can appreciate what it’s like to look back on the time spent and also to look ahead and really think about what we’re doing with the time we’ve been given. I knew this was a subject I absolutely wanted to tackle now.

"There was just something about it," he adds, citing the story’s potential for natural humor as well as intimately personal human situations, not to mention "the grand adventure that takes these two men around the world to figure out what’s been burning inside them their entire lives."

Acknowledging Reiner’s impressive body of work, producer Craig Zadan recalls, "What we liked about Rob was his ability to find the humor in emotional subjects. It’s that depth that gives him such impact as a director and exactly what we all wanted for ‘The Bucket List.’"

The challenge, Reiner concedes, was "to balance the humor and emotion of the story, to make it entertaining but not by cheapening it. It’s a serious subject and we wanted to treat it with the respect it deserves, but, at the same time, there’s so much potential for comedy and the energy of these two great actors sparking off each other is just a joy to watch."

As is so often the case, "It’s not so much the circumstances but the way in which people handle them that makes all the difference. That’s what gives ‘The Bucket List’ its radiance," says Zadan. "It’s a story with tremendous heart, warmth, and optimism. It’s full of life."