**This review contains MINOR spoilers, no big reveals or plot twists**
It’s 1993, and after
graduating high school, valedictorian Brandy Klark (Aubrey Plaza) vows to lose her virginity to the desirable Rusty Waters (Scott Porter).
Living in Boise, Idaho, Brandy receives support from her friends Fiona (Alia Shawkat) and Wendy (Sarah Steele).
Before
Brandy conquers her main goal of intercourse with Rusty, Brandy makes a
checklist of mandatory foreplay activates to complete with hopes of
enjoying her once in a
lifetime experience
with Rusty as a sexual expert. Along the way, Brandy tries to ignore
relentless taunting from her sister, Amber (Rachel Bilson), and Brandy’s
mother, Jean (Connie Britton) is more understanding and supportive for
her daughter’s mission to explore her sexuality, but Brandy’s prudish
father, Judge George Klark (Clark Gregg) doesn’t approve of Brandy’s
plans.
During a
summer job
as the “newbie” lifeguard, Brandy has the perfect chance to catch
Rusty’s eye, but she’ll have to endure some hazing from Rusty, the other
lifeguards, and the manager, Willy (Bill Hader). Brandy plans to use
her longtime friends, Cameron (Johnny Simmons), Duffy (Christopher
Mintz-Plasse), and others as practice guys for the foreplay experiments.
Brandy is willing to do anything to fulfill her selfish and desperate
desires, but towards the end of her journey, Brandy is forced to answer
one crucial question: Is Rusty Waters really worth it?
Aubrey
Plaza continues to excel within her niche of being the quirky and dismal
woman, who’s a real pain in the ass most of the time. And I can’t
forget about Plaza’s signature cold and emotionless scowl. Although,
Plaza is a more sympathetic character here. Brandy is a stuck up and
bossy geek with a superiority complex, who idolizes
Hillary Clinton,
but you’ll see a softer side to this character in certain parts here.
Underneath all the struggles to fit in and capture the key to Rusty’s
heart (or his pants), Brandy is a lost teenager, who’s trying to find
herself, and enjoy some careless fun before it’s too late.
Clark
Gregg is a perfect fit for the old school father, who’s too uptight to
embrace any changes. The To Do List puts more focus on
Scott Porter’s
physical appearance, so in the grand scheme of things, his decent
performance as this California surfer dude is an afterthought. Bilson is
good for a few laughs, as the promiscuous big sister, who enjoys
bullying Brandy. Simmons and Mintz-Plasse are entertaining nerds, but I
give the edge to Simmons for the better performance. He’s spot on as the
more sensitive friend with a soft spot for Brandy. Mintz-Plasse isn’t
bad, but I guess I’m just burnt out on his reoccurring shtick, as this
delusional dork with an inflated ego as a lady’s man.
Bill Hader
is hilarious as the nonchalant manager, Connie Britton is harmless as
the supportive and understanding mother, and Sarah Steele is the funnier
one in the duo of Wendy and Fiona, as the persistent and free spirited
friend, who pushes Brandy to break out of her shell. And his screen time
is limited to a brief appearance, but
Andy Samberg’s
Van put a smile on my face. Long story short, he’s the lead singer in
this amateur band, who sports a grunge look, and there’s a scene with
Brandy in the pool’s shower room that brought me to tears, because I
laughed so hard.
The To Do List feels like something different at
first. Unfortunately, this one succumbs to a familiar and formulaic
through the motions pattern step by step, because twelve minutes into
the movie, I could EASILY predict the entire story. I couldn’t shake a disappointed feeling throughout the movie, but
I’ll give The To Do List some credit for avoiding the corny and clichéd
“I’m sorry, and I love you!” speech for Brandy’s character.
Did you know The To Do List was set in the 90’s? Well, you’ll see and
hear more than enough reminders throughout the movie. Look, I love
nostalgia more than anyone, and The To Do List features a very clever
90’s themed intro, but for the love of all things holy, I don’t need
constant hints and winks to remind me I’m watching a movie set in 1993.
Meg Ryan, Home Improvement, Zack Morris, Sleepless In Seattle, movie
posters including Jurassic Park. You name it, and The To Do List will
pull out a “Remember that!” reference for a nostalgia buzz. Sorry, but
The To Do List passed the point of overkill for 90’s nostalgia, because
everything feels way too forced after a while. Plus, I rolled my eyes at
some dumfounding attempts to point out the 90’s setting. Need an
example? I can clearly see a VHS tape on the screen, so I don’t need
someone to tell me they rented a “VHS” tape. Seriously, I was waiting
for the “Whoopsie!” Mortal Kombat guy to pop up on the bottom of the
screen, but he wouldn’t shout his famous catchphrase. Instead, the
Mortal Kombat guy would appear out of nowhere to say “Hey, did you know
The To Do List is set in the 90’s?”
The To Do List won’t change
the landscape for coming of age comedies, but it’s a satisfying entry in
the already crowded sub genre. Aubrey Plaza shines in the leading role,
providing the vast majority of laughs here, and Plaza is surrounded by a
rock solid supporting cast. The raunchy hijinks are consistently funny,
and the gross-out gags are guaranteed to pull a reaction out of you
(i.e. Brandy mistaking a real piece of floating poo for a candy bar).
Still, it’s a real shame, because without the familiar genre tropes, and
a constant need to remind the audience they’re watching a nostalgic
90’s film, The To Do List could’ve been one of the all-time greats.
Rating: 8/10
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