Lifc 502 Movie Review

Two older men, both faced with cancer, come together to check off the items on their bucket list before they die. The men, Carter Chambers and Edward Cole were played by actors Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, respectively. Chambers, who is African-American, worked as a mechanic and deemed himself an intellectual. In contrast, Cole, a Caucasian, was a businessman and a billionaire. The two could not have been any different and in the real world most likely not have paired up.

An unlikely pair, Cole and Chambers meet while in the hospital receiving chemotherapy while painfully waiting to find out whether they will survive. The two men were quite different, one a blue-collar worker and married for over forty years and the other a billionaire who was self-centered, distrustful, and had little integrity, was divorced four times, and was estranged from his daughter. The only thing these two had in common was cancer and while in treatment, the pair became friends. Faced with only one year to live, Cole and Chambers ponder how to live out what’s left of their lives. Cole comes across a bucket list that Chambers had discarded that included items like helping a stranger and essentially dares him to think on a grander scale, specifically traveling around the world with him (Reiner, 2007).

Hence, the pair travel around the world sharing magnificent experiences, such as motorcycling on the Great Wall of China, jumping out of an airplane, and flying over the North Pole. Throughout their travels, the pair have an ongoing conversation about the meaning of life. Each is facing death from a different prospective. Cole perceives that we live and die and that the wheels just keep turning (Reiner, 2007). On the other hand, Chambers believes in God and proclaims his faith. Through this continual conversation both learn about one another. Chambers learns that Cole became estranged from his daughter after driving her abusive husband away.

While sitting on the top of an Egyptian pyramid and overlooking the valley below, the pair discuss how the Egyptians perceived death. To clarify, after death and the soul ascended to the gates of Heaven they were asked two questions about their lives and how they answered determined whether they could enter or not. This conversation led Chambers to the realization that his relationships were meaningful and that his family was extremely important to him. Cole, on the other hand, just kept his focus on the bucket list. After the pair returned to the US, Chambers attempted to reunite Cole and his estranged daughter, which upsets Cole.

Defensively, Cole questions what the trip meant to him, how the reconciliation would play out, and blurts out that he does not want to die alone. This exchange led to the men parting ways and vowing never to speak again.

After learning that his cancer had spread to his brain and died during surgery. He left a letter for Cole thanking him and asking him to seek out and find joy in his life. This led to Cole’s reconciliation with his family and his daughter. In the end, Cole recognized the value that meeting and traveling with Chambers had to him and hoped that Chambers would be waiting on him when he died. Cole died at the age of eighty-one and his and Chamber’s ashes were placed on a peak in the Himalayas. Coaching Implications

The journey of Cole and Chambers consisted of inspirational moments and discoveries of two men wanting to live a fulfilled life. Like a life coach, the movie causes the viewer to pause, reframe how to view life, and to act. While neither man was a coach, both unknowingly coached each other. Despite their differences and difficulties, the men were able to bond, hold each other accountable, and go on a journey seeking the meaning of life. One found his faith, Chambers, and the others was rejuvenated (William & Mendez, 2015). There are multiple message that resonate with those watching the move. Messages of hope, joy, forgiveness, and living a meaningful and purposeful life are supplied by the characters of Cole and Chambers and are applicable to everyone regardless of what stage of life they are in.

While there were numerous coaching lessons throughout the movie, a couple resonated to me. First, do not wait until you are faced with death to live life fully. As the movie portrayed making a bucket list is a way to find joy and meaning in your life and deepen the relationships that are important to you. As a coach, it is imperative to listen to a coachee’s hopes and dreams and walk alongside them to reach those dreams and live their best life. Additionally, asking open ended questions as the two men did in the movie. Second, how do you want to be remembered or what legacy do you want to leave? When Cole presented the eulogy for Chambers it made me pause and think how I would like to be remembered. Cole was able to turn his life around, reconcile with his daughter, and rejuvenate his relationships by determining what was important and necessary in his life, like a coach guiding a coachee through the discovery of what is and is not important in their life.Personal and Professional Implications

The Bucket List gave me pause and made me think about the things in my life that I had put off or those that needed attention. I, like Cole, have relationships that need mending and nurturing. After watching the movie, I made of list of the things I had postponed and made a simple bucket list. It doesn’t matter what stage of life you are in it is important to live a life full of purpose and meaning. As a coach, the movie solidified my determination to help others and walk alongside them on their journey wherever they are in life. Further, the movie is a good example of how two very different people can come together, find joy, and life their fullest life.