The Bucket List (Movie Review and Its Philosophical Ideas)

I. About the Movie

Blue-collar mechanic Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) and billionaire hospital magnate Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) meet for the first time in the hospital after both have been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Although Edward is reluctant to share a room with Carter, complaining that he “looks half-dead already”, they become friends as they undergo their respective treatments.
Carter is a gifted amateur historian and family man who had wanted to become a history professor in his youth, had been “black, broke, [and with a] baby on the way” and, thus, never rose above his status as a mechanic at the McCreath body shop. Carter loves showing off his knowledge and his favorite show is Jeopardy!. Edward is a four-time divorced health-care tycoon and cultured loner who enjoys nothing more than tormenting his personal valet/servant, Thomas (Hayes), who later reveals his name is actually Matthew. Edward prefers to call him Thomas because he finds the name Matthew “too biblical”. Edward enjoys drinking Kopi Luwak, one of the most expensive coffees in the world.

During their time in the ward, both Carter and Edward seem to find common ground as they have intellectual personalities. Carter begins writing a “bucket list” for all, or things to do before he “kicks the bucket” (i.e., dies). After hearing he has less than a year, Carter discards the list. Edward finds it the next morning and urges Carter to do everything on the list (and adds more things to do), and offers to finance the trip for both of them. Carter agrees, despite the protests of his wife, Virginia (Todd). Edward and Carter begin an around-the-world vacation. [1]

Naturally, their plan isn’t as simple as it sounds. Both have unfinished business back home, and soon their journeys are interrupted by real-life demands. They also have metaphorical baggage to unpack, the biggest of which is facing death knowing that they’ve made peace with their lives.[2]

II. Philosophical Ideas/ Concepts

• Life

The movie The Bucket List will actually tells us how we should make our life worth living especially if your days were being numbered. What’s good about this movie is that they encourage the viewers to at least try not to drown their selves in sorrow but to go out and make the most out of your life until you have the chance.  The idea is simple, it teaches us that we should live life to the fullest, so that by the time you die, you have achieved everything that you have ever wanted to, and don’t regret a single thing. It teaches you to not spend your life doing things that you don’t enjoy, and to get out there and live your life to its maximum potential. Just like what Edward Perryman Cole said:

“We live, we die, and the wheels on the bus go round and round.”[3] 

Remember that in living our life we must create memories that we can cherish as we leave this world. Never waste any time, because you will never appreciate the value of it until you have less. Just remember the conversation between Carter and Edward, it goes this way….

Carter Chambers: Forty-five years goes by pretty fast.

Edward Cole: Like smoke through a keyhole.[4]

In order for you to know if you’re life is worth living, try to ask yourself what Carter Chambers ask Edward Perryman. His question goes like this….

Carter Chambers: [to Edward, of the two questions asked of the dead by the gods at the entrance to heaven] “Have you found joy in your life? Has your life brought joy to others?”[5]

Life has no limitations, except the ones you make. The trick is to enjoy life. Don’t wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead.

• Death

The main plot follows two terminally ill men (portrayed by Nicholson and Freeman) on their road trip with a wish list of things (bucket list) to do before they “kick the bucket“.[6] The movie The Bucket List teaches us how we should deal with death. Everyone knows they’re going to die but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently. So some people kid themselves about death. But The Bucket List showed us that there’s a better approach. To know you’re going to die, and be prepared for it any time. We really don’t experience the world fully, because we are busy doing things we automatically think we have to do and facing death changes all that. When you realize you are going to die you see everything much differently, Edward and Carter proved that. They proved to us that if we will spend all our time worrying about dying, living isn’t going to be much fun. Don’t let yourself sink your own ship. The world is doing that already for you, don’t add to it.

• Friendship

Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson ) and Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman ) are exact opposites: One is a hedonistic multi-millionaire playboy; the other is a loyal, long-married mechanic.[7] Edward Cole plays a health-care firm CEO who finds himself a patient in one of his own hospitals. Thanks to his cost-cutting “two beds to a room, no exceptions” policy, he gets parked in the same room as a mechanic Carter Chambers who wanted to be a history professor before life made other plans for him. [8] Those two men become fast friends. When their prognoses turn grim, they make a pact to complete a “bucket list” — an inventory of things they need to do before they die — and set out to complete it.

Sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives put us directly on the path to the best things that will ever happen to us. Who could have imagined that during your numbered days you will meet someone that will have a big impact on your life? If you would recall, Edward delivers a eulogy at t
he funeral, explaining that he and Carter had been complete strangers, but the last three months of Carter’s life were the best three months of his. Here’s what Edward Cole said during Carter’s funeral…

Edward Cole: The simplest thing is… I loved him. And I miss him. Carter and I saw the world together. Which is amazing… When you think that only three months ago, we were complete strangers! I hope that it doesn’t sound selfish of me but… the last months of his life were the best months of mine. He saved my life… And he knew it before I did.[9]

He crosses off “help a complete stranger for the good” from the list. From that moment we can actually conclude how Carter affected Edward’s life. They were strangers; exact opposite of one another but that doesn’t even become a reason for them not to become friends. I love how two people could come together over a common bond, and it really exemplifies that sometimes our greatest friends are not like us, but in fact, totally different from us.

• Love  

The Bucket List has shown us different kinds of love. Maybe love for work, love for money but Carter Chambers’ character showed us his love for his wife Virginia while Edward Perryman’s character showed us his love for his daughter. At the top of the Great Pyramid, looking out over the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure,[10] they confide about faith and family, revealing that Carter has long been feeling less in love with his wife and that Edward is deeply hurt by his estrangement from his only daughter, who disowned him after he drove away her abusive husband. In Hong Kong, Edward hires a prostitute named Angelica (King) for Carter, who has never been with any woman but his wife. Carter declines and, realizing that he loves his wife, asks to return home.  As the movie goes on the character of Carter dies and the news is given to his wife and family, a letter was given from Carter was given to Edward it goes like this…

Carter Chambers: [in his letter to Edward] Dear Edward, I’ve gone back and forth the last few days trying to decide whether or not I should even write this. In the end, I realized I would regret it if I didn’t, so here it goes. I know the last time we saw each other, we weren’t exactly hitting the sweetest notes-certain weren’t the way I wanted the trip to end. I suppose I’m responsible and for that, I’m sorry. But in all honestly, if I had the chance, I’d do it again. Virginia said I left a stranger and came back a husband; I owe that to you. There’s no way I can repay you for all you’ve done for me, so rather than try, I’m just going to ask you to do something else for me-find the joy in your life. You once said you’re not everyone. Well, that’s true-you’re certainly not everyone, but everyone is everyone. My pastor always says our lives are streams flowing into the same river towards whatever heaven lies in the mist beyond the falls. Find the joy in your life, Edward. My dear friend, close your eyes and let the waters take you home.[11]

After reading that letter, Edward finally attempts to reconcile with his daughter. She accepts him back into her life and introduces him to the granddaughter he never knew he had. After greeting the little girl with a kiss on the cheek, Edward crosses “kiss the most beautiful girl in the world” off the list. That particular scene touched my heart.

I’ve seen the movie The Bucket List more than once. Every time I watch it I always feel the same feeling.  My eyes are usually a little puffy and red rimmed. I usually don’t like when people die except in horror movies. Haha. Now I know why I love Disney type movies.  People don’t die in them; at least, not any characters that I’m emotionally invested in. None of that was the point.  The point is that watching that movie has been on my to-do list.  I’m all about adventure and making sure that we live our lives instead of just existing on this plane of existence.  We are here to enjoy, to make the best of, to help others and to enrich. The movie shows that there are lessons to be learned everywhere you look and that sometimes, it’s the simplest things that make all of the difference.

---

[1] Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia

[6] Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia