I think the whole 'enjoy life, don't take it so seriously' message

Saw the film but I didn't really like it.

But is enjoying life solely about money? Is the film really saying to either do anything you want vs. buckling under to the demands of your job, with no room for something in-between?

Even when I was working (before retirement) & paying the bills every month, I also managed to enjoy life. I made art, I continued to read & grow as a human being, I took a day to explore the local park & discover its rich eco-system ... you get the idea. I do even more of that now that I'm retired.

Do you live to work? Or do you work to live? Is the job all that matters, or is it just the means to an end, i.e., the life you want to have? I think the film is asking some of those questions. Americans in particular are so absorbed in "success" that they seldom ask what it really means. Success at what? Is it owning the latest iPad or HD TV or digital gadget? Or is it creating a more meaningful life for yourself?

Maybe it's the emphasis on monetary success that's the delusion. Yes, we need a certain amount of money in this culture. But we don't need as much of it was we're programmed to believe. And we can't become whole human beings by simply making more & more money.

Essentially, the film is asking, What is life all about? What is OUR life about? How do you define it? Who defines it, you or someone else? How much of what we take for granted as being "real life" is actually just one of many social constructs?

You know, you can walk The Way in your own backyard if you want. REAL "real life" is so much more than the daily/weekly/monthly/yearly grind. And what does a grind do, except grind you up & spit you out? Is that what you want to settle for?

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It's not real life.

Pilgrimage - I can see the Dad wanting to take the journey for his son. And he owns his own business so he knows if he can afford to not work for a stretch of time.

But if you're an American to afford to get to Spain would be expensive. So either you've been frugal and saved up or you have the money and might be able to afford to leave a job for a month.

I didn't feel like the movie was trying to push messages like: enjoy life, quit your job, don't worry, etc. I think the movie stayed very realistic in terms of people having to go back to their lives, and the pilgrimage not really changing much in their lives. The Martin Sheen character was the only one who seemed to change his life quite drastically, the others didn't really change anything.

Your original post was years ago, so probably won't care, but I disagree about this film being unrealistic. I have met people, while travelling, that decided they weren't happy so sold their homes and most of their possessions and just travelled. I've met people who left school and spent years overseas, working in seasonal jobs like fruit picking, relying on the kindness of strangers and sometimes living rough, just to continue travelling. People who were dedicated to experiencing as much of the world as possible, often doing it on the bare bones of their ass.

From the context of this film, Tom was a specialist doctor in his 60s, so chances are he's long paid off his mortgage and has some financial freedom. Sure he's probably going to lose a lot of patients, but there are always more sick people.

I agree that for most people it is unrealistic to drop everything and disappear for a few months, and most jobs wouldn't allow it, but I think one of the underlying messages of the film was what are your priorities? Are you willing to be out of your comfort zone to experience more from life? Not everybody has the ability to take off for a few months, but unless you are impoverished you can save money over time and travel if you are disciplined. Sometimes you are going to have to sleep in crusty backpackers, in awful beds, but your getting to see other countries, which in my mind makes it totally worth it.

My wife and I go to somewhere new every 2-3 years, usually only for a month. It is expensive, and we have to make a lot of sacrifices to make it happen, but it is possible. 2 years ago we went to Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland and England. Next year it is Poland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. We don't get paid huge salaries, we have a mortgage and the expenses that go with it, we just choose to prioritise travel over other luxuries. We don't eat out, we don't got to films at the theatre, we don't buy expensive things. Also we live in New Zealand, so geographically speaking nothing is close to us except for Australia and the Pacific Islands.

You can make travel happen if you want it bad enough, a lot of people are just comfortable with staying where they are and only seeing their own country, which is fine, no judgement here, it's just not for me.

Happenstance has changed my plans, so many times my heart has been outgrown