Well, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to see this movie- but the person I was seeing a movie with REALLY wanted to see this, so I went ahead and did so.
Now, I could get critical about the details, the bad editing, the poor sound quality (not sure if it was the theater or the actual movie), and other stuff- but that’s not why I’m here.
As I watched this story of two old men longing to live before they die, I wondered what my own bucket list would be. Well, I wouldn’t call it a bucket list- that just sounds preposterous/stupid to me.
Carter constructs his bucket list. Edward steals it, sees it, and begins to dream. He tells Carter, in so many words, “Let’s do this stuff!” Carter responds with excuses upon excuses and one that stood out to me was something on the lines of this. You see, Carter’s freshman philosophy professor told his students to write a “bucket list” of things they want to do before they kick the bucket. Carter puts it off until, well, the foot’s accelerating in the direction of the bucket. He’s got 6 months to 1 year to live. So he writes things like “See something truly majestic” and “Drive a Shelby” (a car he’s loved for years). However, when Edward actually proposes to do them, Carter back down, saying they were only “theoretical.” It was more about writing the bucket list than actually accomplishing the items on the list.
How often do we, as Christians, create lists like these- theoretical lists, where the only thing we expect to do with them is write things down and think about life and how we should live. In Sunday school, we have little kids write down ways they can love their classmates at school- sharing food, taking turns, saying nice things. Then we, the older and more mature Christians, go to Bible studies and such and create noncorporeal lists, verbal lists, in which we say things like “I wish I could…” or “I should…” or “I’m really gonna start…” Do we actually take our lists seriously? When we look at the Gospels, look at Jesus’ treatment of “outsiders” and say that he told us to love our neighbors as ourselves, that too is a list. And we can’t even execute that one item.
Shocking as it is, in a small way, Jack Nicholson kind of plays the Holy Spirit in this movie.
Okay, okay, I know. Nicholson’s character Edward tries to get Carter to go cheat on his wife and he curses up a storm and treats most other people with disdain and disrespect. But ignore all that, and focus just on what Edward does for Carter. He provides him with money to fly around the world and do amazing things. He’s a comforting friend that actually does try to help him do the right thing. And he truly cares about the betterment of Carter. He cares about making him a better, more flourishing, more alive human being. (and I still am questioning the comparison, and maybe I will post a rebuttal to that statement. but for the moment, Jack Nicholson plays the Holy Spirit in The Bucket List.)
In this movie, Carter and Edward do more in 3 months than they did in an entire lifetime.
Or did they?
Edward did, surely, for he learned to love and to take joy in others and give joy to others- that is truly an adventure.
But Carter was already living the adventure, and I think he realizes that in a scene where he is sitting at the table, surrounded by his wife, children, and grandchildren. He complains earlier in the movie about the work he did so that his kids would be okay. However, at this moment, I think he realizes that the real adventure is to live the real, day-to-day life- dealing with family issues, the job, life in general.
Still, he did have a great time riding a motorcycle on the Great Wall of China….
John 10:10
Carter and Edward truly bond. They share their lives together for a few months, and somehow become as close as lifelong buds. I think that’s because they did some certain things together that friends should do together.
– They suffered together- in cancer, in family trials, in dashed expectations
– They adventured together- they tried new things, they went new places
– They dreamed together
– They laughed together
– They served eachother
The last scene of the movie (DON’T READ THIS IF YOU DON’T LIKE “SPOILERS” OR WHATEVER) shows two coffee cans sitting atop a mountain- containing the remains of Edward and Carter. Their final resting place represents their hearts- side by side, like David and Jonathan. (It might sound fruity, but it really is cool if you think about it.) (And if you just thought about it and still think it’s fruity, well then I throw apples at you!)
There are actually a bunch more ideas floating around in my head, but these are what I’ve got for now.
– God calls us to fulfill our “bucket” lists- John 8:51 (there might be a better example)
– The Holy Spirit provides what we need to truly flourish- Ephesians 3:16 (among other verses)
– The true adventure to be lived is to live your life where you are- 1st Corinthians 7:17
– True friends/brothers suffer together, dream together, live and die together- 1 Corinthians 12:26
http://openingeyes.wordpress.com/2008/01/28/the-bucket-list/