|
|
|
|
| Select
a Category: HOME | MOVIE REVIEWS | 4 STAR REVIEWS | TRAILERS ABOUT US | CONTACT US | LINKS | PUBLISHING PERMISSION |
|
|
|
THE BUCKET LIST 4 Stars – Inspiring It is often said that “money is the root of all evil.” That is not true. It is the “love of money” that causes a person to do evil and especially
to
lose
their
ability
to
love
people. Becoming a person who has less and less compassion for others because
that
would
interfere
with
their
financial
pursuits,
a
lover
of
money
can
become
increasingly
isolated
and
joyless
even
as
their
wealth
accumulates.
But
it
is
not
only
the
wealthy
who
can
lose
their
joy.
A
self-sacrificing
person
can
have
mounting
resentments
due
to
repeatedly
setting
aside
their
own
goals
and
dreams
and
miss
out
on
the
joy
their
sacrificial
acts
typically
create.
Taking
a
life-time
to
realize,
many
do
not
take
the
opportunity
to
evaluate
their
lives
and
choices
until
it
is
too
late.
But
for
a
lucky
few,
there
is
just
such
an
opportunity
for
change.
That
is
the
compelling
message
of
Rob
Reiner’s
“The
Bucket
List.” The unlikely pairing of two persons on such divergent paths
is
accomplished
by
their
mutual
diagnosis
of
terminal
cancer. Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) is the pursuer
of
wealth.
Having
a
knack
since
his
teen
years
for
making
money,
he
explains
that
his
only
successful
marriage
is
to
his
work.
Having
four
failed
marriages,
Cole
has
become
the
quintessential
recluse
who
has
little
empathy
or
compassion
for
others
and
treats
even
his
most
loyal
assistant
Tom,
a.k.a.
Matthew
(Sean
Hayes),
with
disdain. His self-sacrificing hospital roommate is Carter Chambers (Morgan
Freeman).
A
brilliant
auto-mechanic
who
knows
the
answer
to
every
question
on
Jeopardy,
Chambers
had
dreams
of
becoming
a
history
professor
when
his
wife
Virginia
(Beverly
Todd)
became
pregnant
with
their
first
child. Responsibly setting aside his own plans, Chambers
took
a
position
as
a
mechanic
to
provide
for
his
new
family. Always intending to return to school, his sacrificial
act
became
a
permanent
way
of
life
as
more
children
were
added
to
their
family.
Resenting
this
loss
of
his
dreams,
Chambers
fulfills
the
role
of
father
and
loses
love
for
his
wife
and
passion
for
his
life. The opportunity to evaluate who they
are
and
make
the
change
of
heart
needed
for
them
to
find
joy
in
their
lives
comes
when
Chambers
remembers
an
exercise
his
freshman
philosophy
teacher
had
assigned
his
class.
They
were
to
make
a
list
of
the
things
they
want
to
do
in
their
lives
before
they
“kick
the
bucket.” Taking the assignment literally, Cole and Chambers
set
off
on
an
adventure
prescribed
by
their
list
and
experience
transformation. The key descriptor comes when they
are
sitting
on
the
top
of
an
ancient
tomb
in
Egypt
as
the
pyramids
tower
before
them.
Chambers
explains
that
it
is
an
Egyptian
belief
that
when
one
enters
the
after-life
a
person
is
asked
two
questions:
Did you find joy in your life? And, Did you bring joy to others?
Though
this
is
a
fictional
question
not
asked
in
the
Egyptian
Book
of
the
Dead,
it
has
the
ring
of
authentic
spiritual
evaluation
and
is
worthy
of
our
consideration
as
well. We won’t tell how Cole and Chambers
find
the
joy
in
their
lives
but
we
can
easily
recognize
that
it
did
not
come
from
Cole’s
money
or
from
Chambers’
intellect.
It
comes
from
their
hearts
being
reconnected
with
those
who
want
to
share
their
love.
That
is
something
worthy
of
all
of
us
to
accomplish
before
that
final
bucket
is
kicked.
DISCUSSION:
________________ Cinema In Focus is a social and spiritual movie commentary. Hal Conklin is former mayor of Santa Barbara
and
Denny
Wayman
is
pastor
of
the
Free
Methodist
Church.
For
more
reviews:
http://www.cinemainfocus.com. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
| Select
a Category: HOME | MOVIE REVIEWS | 4 STAR REVIEWS | TRAILERS ABOUT US | CONTACT US | LINKS | PUBLISHING PERMISSION |
|
|
© 2000-2007 Cinema In Focus
