See Something Majestic

Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile. Albert Einstein

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Life? What is the definition of living? What is defined as a worthwhile life? When it’s all done and over and the final cascade of dirt is on the coffin, has it all been worth it? When is it too late to really live and have any of us ever truly achieved what we fantasized about in the impossible day dreams of our youth? Big questions, but are there any answers . . .

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Carter Chambers and Edward Cole are brought together not by the joyous things in life, but by the end of life. The glorified Edward Cole, billionaire owner of a multi-national corporation whose sumptuous life belies a lonely and dejected heart meets his unlikely suite mate, Carter Chambers, a lowly mechanic with big dreams that were, alas, never fulfilled. Together, they accept that both their lives, different as they were, will be the same in the end - - - meaningless. And so begins a journey not of death, but of recapturing lost opportunities. Together, they intend to complete “the bucket list,” Carter’s assignment from a long forgotten professor who required that his students make a list of things they wanted to do before they “kicked the bucket.” Then, his whole life was ahead of him; now it’s almost over and he realizes that he never truly lived. However, as this medical melodrama hits the road, relating the characters’ grand travels, their achievement of dreams, their daring brought on by the knowledge that safety and security are no longer obtainable for them, a subtler message begins to unravel as long kept secrets are revealed and the inner dissatisfactions of life resurface. For, while the items on the bucket list have always mattered to our protagonists, the achievements of these objects have never been the main focal point of their dissatisfaction. Can redemption, love, and lost opportunities truly be recaptured? Can the meaning of life be discovered when life itself is almost over?


The Meaning of Life:

The Bucket List proves to be far more than a medical thriller or a “crying” movie where the female members of the audience produce roll after roll of tissues merely for the sake of annoying their male counterparts. Instead, The Bucket List is one of those rare films that changes the viewer’s perceptions. Young or old, rich or poor, whatever your station in life, whatever your beliefs, whatever your attitude, this film will effect you in a positive yet poignant manner. The purpose of the film is not to mindlessly entertain; this is a film about life and what it’s really like. There are no “rose tinteds” and there are no unrealistic tragedies. This is life in all its beauty and in all its brutality and because of this sense of realism the moral of the story is made powerfully, forcefully relevant. This is one of those rare movies that will live on in the viewer’s memory comforting in the bleakest moments with its message of hope and fairness even in the face of tragedy and death.

Combined with the seriousness of the storyline was a surprising dose of humor. While this may seem strange upon first examination, the humor effectively created a realistic aura and softened some of the more heartbreaking moments of the film, furthering the impression that life, even in its bleakest of moments, is always a beautiful and worthy thing and that joy, no matter what the situation, is not too far away.

Bringing this poignant message home is our wonderful cast of talented actors most notably Morgan Freeman as Carter and Jack Nicholson as Edward. As usual, Morgan Freeman’s eloquent and melodic voice provides a most charming narration and his use of realistic emotion through his physical acting and clever intonations truly convince the viewer that Morgan Freeman is Carter. Likewise, Jack Nicholson actually pulls off his role as Edward. While I admit that I usually find Jack Nicholson irritating in that the viewers are almost always aware that they are watching Jack Nicholson and not the character, I was delighted to notice that he refrained from this, shall we say, overbearing presence, during the Bucket List and actually became his character. Combined together, they were an unstoppable duo that brought the characters and the film vibrantly alive.

While this isn’t the type of film in which the viewer is treated to scenes of a car exploding from three different angles, the plot was, nonetheless, riveting and endlessly surprising. The viewer was never quite sure of what was going to happen next. The plot was expertly crafted and moved from one scene to another fluidly furthering the bittersweet aura of the film and maintaining the viewer’s unwavering attention creating a stunning and deeply effecting conclusion.

Recommendation: Despite the vast quantities of movies that I have watched since the beginning of my college career, The Bucket List will remain the most memorable and deeply moving of them all. This is a film that will alter the viewer’s perceptions whether they are young or old, regardless of their station in life and of their beliefs. A truly magnificent film in the fashion of To Kill a Mocking Bird and Paper Moon, this is a movie not to be missed. Highly Recommended.

Countess_Eva