If you have only
seen the poster and title for this movie, you’d think that The To Do List is nothing but some cheesy life lesson about
throwing plans out the window and learning to live life on the wild side. The
wild side part is right… the rest, not so much.
It’s 1993 and Brandy
Clark is an extremely by-the-book bossy control-freak. She’s just graduated
high school, given her valedictorian speech, and has a full ride to Georgetown
University. When Brandy (Aubrey Plaza)
sees Rusty Waters (Scott Porter) at an after-grad party, she breaks out of her
shell, gets drunk, and ends up kissing him by accident. Never having felt anything sexually towards any guy before Rusty, and pressured to be more
sexually experienced, Brandy decides to make a to-do list based on every new-found sexual tip she’s given.
So with every
guy she meets or knows, she experiments with them and then crosses the deeds
off her list as she moves towards her goal of having sex with Rusty. In the
process, she makes a reputation for herself, hurts her friend Cameron (Johnny
Simmons), who also has a crush on her, and gets sex advice from her friends
(Sarah Steele and Alia Shawkat), mother (Connie Britton), and sister (Rachel
Bilson). Her father (Clark Gregg) can only watch helplessly
The To Do List is clever in the fact that it takes an
age-old topic like sex and turns it into this fun throwback to the ‘90s. Maggie
Carey writes and directs a well-paced and ridiculously funny film. For her
first feature film, Carey does a great job of keeping the film flowing and
bringing to life memorable characters and great dialogue.
Aubrey Plaza’s
expressions alone should be given an award. Her awkward wide-eyed stares can
only be compared to a deer caught in headlights. She has wonderful comedic
timing and her onscreen presence lights up the screen. We laugh with her,
sometimes at her, and experience all her endeavors as she crosses the line into
the realm of the sexually experienced. I look forward to seeing what films she
does next.
Johnny Simmons’s
character is easily and immediately reminiscent of Zack Morris. Simmons is
melodramatically funny, crushing on Brandy, and is slightly angst-ridden
(which is much more fun in the ‘90s!) Bill Hader takes the cake as the funniest
character in the film though. His presence is endearing and his character is
flustered, blunt, and protective without losing any of his humor.
The entire cast
gets props. They all have incredible chemistry and they all play off each other
extremely well. And while the film is all about sexual experimentation, it also
delivers a message that we don’t hear very often and it’s not a conservative
one, but an honest one. And while it does fly back and forth between its messages a
bit, it’s still made generally clear.
Carey writes and
directs a film that’s witty and funnier than it ought to be. The To Do List doesn’t take itself
seriously and doesn’t get bogged down by its own story line. It’s a refreshing
take on sex, combined with all the great things that make the ‘90s so memorable.
The cast is great, the script well-written, and you’ll be laughing most of the
way through.
