In this blog post, we follow the two men in the movie The Bucket List as they realize the meaning of life while fulfilling their bucket list before death, reflecting on why precious values only become clear in the final moments.
‘The Bucket List’ refers to a list of things one wants to do before dying. This film tells the story of two men facing death who work together to accomplish the items on ‘The Bucket List’. Thinking about death isn’t exactly something we all enjoy. Death is often a topic we want to avoid, and even contemplating it can feel uncomfortable. However, rather than merely dealing with death, this film helps us realize what we should truly cherish in life. Despite this, the film is never heavy or dark. That’s because it tells a story about life, not the dark side of death. As the two protagonists work through their ‘Bucket List,’ they reflect on their own lives. Watching these two men, the audience is prompted to reflect on their own lives. In essence, the film poses the question: “Are you living a happy life right now?”
The two men meet in a hospital room. Carter, a knowledgeable car mechanic, and Edward, a wealthy tycoon with a notoriously prickly personality, both receive terminal diagnoses and begin their battle with illness in the same hospital room. However, they weren’t friends from the start. Edward resented that he, the hospital’s owner, couldn’t have a private room, while Carter thought Edward was a weirdo and a terrible person. But with their final moments approaching, the two gradually felt a shared sense of suffering and grew closer. As they asked each other questions and slowly got to know one another, they soon became friends who shared personal stories and played cards together.
Meanwhile, as the end of his life drew near, Carter recalled something his college philosophy professor had given him: ‘The Bucket List’. He began writing down the things he wanted to do before his life ended. By chance, Edward finds the ‘Bucket List’ Carter dropped. When Edward asks what it is, Carter explains the whole story. Intrigued by the ‘Bucket List’, Edward jots down a few things he wants to do and persuades Carter to do everything on the list before dying. Doing all these things would cost a lot of money, but Edward, having nothing but money, assures Carter not to worry about funds. Hesitant at first, Carter eventually accepts his friend’s proposal, and the two begin their final adventure to fulfill ‘The Bucket List’.
However, Edward and Carter’s journey meant forgoing further treatment, effectively giving up even the possibility of extending their lives. Carter, the family man, faced opposition from his wife. Yet Carter resolved to follow his friend Edward’s lead and, despite his wife’s fierce objections, set off on the journey to fulfill ‘The Bucket List’ with Edward. The very first thing Edward and Carter chose to do before dying was skydiving. They savored the thrilling rush of jumping from an airplane, feeling the exhilaration of life. They also got tattoos, raced cars with excitement, and reveled in pleasures they hadn’t felt in decades of living. Through this journey, they rediscovered the freedom and spirit of adventure they dreamed of in childhood and re-experienced the small joys of life they had forgotten, buried by daily routines.
Edward and Carter traveled the world in private jets, staying in the finest hotels and living a life of luxury. While pursuing thrilling and sight-filled plans like hunting on the Serengeti plains and visiting the pyramids, they also found opportunities during their travels to have sincere, deep conversations about their lives, gradually reflecting seriously on their own existences.
As they opened up to each other, they gradually came to know each other more deeply. In this process, Carter also discovered that Edward’s inner self was actually very tender, especially harboring painful memories about his daughter. Despite appearing stronger than anyone else on the surface, seemingly cold and unfeeling, Edward was in fact a man with a soft heart and deep compassion. Carter comes to understand that Edward had been tormented by his failure to mend his relationship with his daughter, which had driven him to maintain an even colder, more detached demeanor.
Their trip to Tibet, meant to see the majestic sights, ended with worsening weather, forcing them back to their daily lives. On the way back to America, however, Carter thoughtfully had Edward stop in front of his daughter’s house. Edward, angered by Carter’s excessive consideration, lashed out, saying this trip had started as a mere whim and that Carter shouldn’t interfere so much. Edward, having argued with Carter using cold, unfeeling words, returned to his daily life. Carter, too, returned to the warm embrace of his family and enjoyed happy times. However, Carter’s illness worsened, and he eventually collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. Edward, who had coldly pushed Carter away as if he would never see him again, was the first to rush to the hospital, showing his unwavering friendship for Carter. Carter then reveals to Edward that the Kopi Luwak coffee he had so enjoyed all this time was actually coffee processed from cat feces. The two then proceed to “laugh like crazy.”
Leaving the hospital behind, with no hope left for Carter’s life, Edward seeks out his estranged daughter to heal his own long-standing wounds. Edward breaks through the cold exterior he’d built up over the years and attempts reconciliation with his daughter. Through restoring his relationship with her, Edward finally escapes the inner pain that had tormented him for so many years. Contrary to Edward’s worries, his once-cold daughter warmly welcomes him, and his granddaughter gives him a kiss on the cheek. Edward thus fulfills the item “kiss the prettiest girl.” In this moment, Edward finally rediscovers the precious values of life he had lost and realizes true happiness.
Meanwhile, Carter passed away before Edward. At Carter’s funeral, Edward confessed to the crowd that he had lived three happy months through Carter. Soon after, Edward also died. Both were cremated, their ashes placed in a coffee can, and finally laid to rest on a wide-open mountaintop, fulfilling their last ‘Bucket List’ item and bidding farewell to the world.
This film prompts audiences to contemplate life’s true value through the journey of two men facing death. We vicariously experience the protagonists’ lives and ask ourselves, “Am I living a life without regrets?” Only when death threatens to take their breath do the protagonists finally reflect on their lives. That life contained both happy memories and unhappy ones they wished to change. Through this process, the audience contemplates what truly matters in their own lives and how they should live to uphold that value.
This is the message I wish to convey: Even when overwhelmed by a busy life and lacking leisure, let us occasionally reflect on our own lives. It is a small yet crucial practice to avoid living a life of regret and to live a happier life. There’s an old saying: “It’s too late to close the barn door after the horse has bolted.” It means we should prepare in advance. Just like this saying, we too need to prepare ahead of time. This isn’t about preparing for death itself. It’s about preparing in advance for opportunities to recalibrate our own lives. Then, when we stand before death like the protagonists later on, we’ll be able to say our lives were happy.
