Mc. Darell L. Janoras REFLICTION PAPER (BUCKET LIST) This movie is about two old men whom are medically ill and are given a few months to live. This movie can make you cry a little laugh a lot and realize tons of things. In the beginning of this movie, Edward, portrayed by jack Nicholson, is just a rich guy whom just feel happiness just thru money, he believed that having so much money can make you happy, he is just a happy go lucky man even thou he know he was sick, until he met Carter, portrayed by Morgan Freeman. in a cancer ward owned by him.
Days have gone by and both of them go thru medical practices and then they both received the news that they are given a few months to live. Carter is a very intelligent man, whom once dreamed big but gave up his dreams because of financial problems, but as he grew old, he worked hard so that his kids won’t suffer what he went through and succeeded in it because he was able to make his children professionals. Edward and Carter stayed in the same room in the cancer ward, they soon became friends, and after receiving the bad news, Edward started to make a bucket list.
A bucket list is a list of activities that you would want to fulfil before you die, those activities are set to make you happy and contented with your life, and so they broke out of the hospital and performed the activities in the bucket list. At first carter is not sure about doing it but then Edward pushed him into it. They had so much fun, added new activities and removed some in the process. Until one day Edward told carter the story of him and his daughter. Carter felt the urge to help his friend.
Once when they were in Egypt carter asked Edward, have you found joy in your life and have you given joy to others life, and then Edward gave a vague answer. That was then carter realized that Edward wasn’t really happy with his life. When they went home to America, carter told Thomas, thou his real name was matthew Edward wants to call him that way, that he wants to bring Edward and his daughter together because carter believes that his friend will only find his true happiness when his daughter accepted him as her father.
And so Edward got mad at carter for batting in with his life. Soon after carter got ill and was sent to the hospital, Edward heard the news and spring towards the whereabouts of carter, when Edward reached the hospital carter’s wife gave him a letter. The letter said that he was sorry for batting in Edwards life, and that carter already accepted that he is going to die. He also said in the letter that instead of crying, he wants Edward to go to his daughter and make up to his bad decisions that led them into those situations, and so he did.
Soon after Edward realized that carter was right. No one can truly be happy when he or she is alone, you can only feel true happiness when you feel you are loved specially by your loved ones. In the end it turns out that carter saved edward’s life. He saved him in the arms of dying in vain and in sadness. Soon after Edward died too, but he did not die in vain he died happy because in his final months in this world he was able to get his happiness and was able to bring joy to others. And with that the movie ended.
Soon after I asked myself the same 2 questions carter asked Edward. Have I found joy in life? And have I given joy to others life? That is when I started to realize that I should get started pursuing my happiness and that I should pursue mine first before giving happiness to others. I used the word pursue because as I’ve seen in the movie, happiness is something that you work for, it is not given to you in a silver platter but you have to work for it in order to enjoy it. And after watching that movie I can say that I have learned a lot in it.
