The To Do List Review

The To Do List

2.5 stars out of 4

By Brett Takeshita

Finally, we get a perverted teen sex comedy from the female perspective in The To Do List. How does it fare? For the most part, this is a funny, inventive, and fresh comedy that entertains with its mix of smarts and raunch.

The year is 1993, and Brandy (Aubrey Plaza) is graduating high school as valedictorian. Sure, she's ridiculously smart and nerdy, but she's been hitting her books way too much. What hasn't she been hitting? That. (Wink wink). Brandy's dirty sister, Amber (Rachel Bilson), tells Brandy that she must become more sexually experienced before heading off to college. So what does Brandy do? She makes the "to do list" filled with sexual deeds that she wishes to experience. Motor-boating, hickeys, and dry-humping are just some of the acts included on the naughty list. (If I listed some of the other activities, this review would turn X-rated way too quickly). All of Brandy's little -- or maybe I should say big -- conquests will lead to the ultimate goal: losing her virginity to Rusty Waters (Scott Porter), the bro-y surfer dude who is hotter than a San Fernando Valley summer.  But just how far is Brandy willing to go -- both figuratively and literally -- in order to become a real grown woman?

This is the cinematic debut of writer-director Maggie Carey. With The To Do List, she has created a film that is smart, refreshing, and brave. As a female, Carey totally understands Brandy and fleshes her protagonist out with complexity. Brandy is a weird yet likable character, and what's great is that she is discovering and owning her sexuality without remorse from herself and others. We root for Brandy, and I imagine that many young women will either relate to her or know other women like her. This is because of Carey's deep characterization in both her fine script and through her spot-on direction. Carey makes all of her characters vastly different while completely engaging. She understands youth culture, and the conversations between Brandy and her peers -- especially her girlfriends -- are totally unique and witty. Of course, just because Carey spends much time humanizing her characters doesn't mean that she stints on the jokes. The To Do List is filled with physical and verbal humor of every kind. Most of the jokes are crude, nasty, filthy, and always R-rated. Fortunately, the jokes are often original, sharp, and hysterical. I admire Carey for her fearlessness in injecting her film with so much dirty and nasty material that is usually reserved for films made by men, starring men. Carey proves that she can be just as raunchy and nasty as the boys. I like that.

As much as I appreciate Carey for being daring and fearless, I feel that she occasionally plays it a little safe. For example, one of the most memorable scenes in the film features something really nasty in the pool. I don't want to give it away, for it will have you cringing in disbelief. While I admit that the scene is shocking and totally disgusting, it doesn't feel germane to the film at hand. Carey thinks audiences will dig it simply because -- as the bridal gown fitting scene in Bridesmaids shows -- many people love gross-out humor. However, here it simply feels like a joke that will apply to the lowest common denominator -- one to get cheap and easy laughs. However, this scene comes across as shocking without being all that funny. There are a couple of other gags and jokes, both physical and verbal, that feel similarly cheap and disgusting without adding much to the film, itself. While The To Do List is frequently funny, the plethora of jokes work best when they're focused on what's really important here: the highs, lows, joys, and pains of sex. Thankfully, Carey frequently sticks with the clever sex jokes, which are by far the funniest.

What really helps sell the crazy humor in this film is the talented cast, which is filled with actors who know and do comedy extremely well. Although the 29-year-old Aubrey Plaza does not look like a high schooler (which might be a problem for some), she is a master of dry deadpan comedy. All the Plaza trademarks are here: the awkward delivery, the off-kilter timing, the flat facial expressions, and sheer unpredictability. Plaza is a phenomenal lead who really carries this entire film. The rest of the hilarious cast includes Johnny Simmons, Bill Hader, Donald Glover, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Andy Samberg, Connie Britton, and Clark Gregg. These actors are excellent in their supporting roles and totally own their solo moments during which Carey allows them to truly show off their comedic chops. But for the most part, this is Plaza's movie, and she owns it.

The To Do List is a fun, entertaining, and frequently hilarious comedy that is perfect for the summer time. It's been a while since we've gotten a smart and fresh teen sex comedy, and The To Do List fits the bill nicely. I hope that this film paves the way for more female-centric R-rated comedies. If they're as funny, intelligent, and brave as this film, I will be pleased. Two and a half stars out of four.