The To Do List (2013)
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Critics Consensus: The To Do List may play things disappointingly safe given its rather daring premise, but writer-director Maggie Carey's sure hand -- and Aubrey Plaza's performance -- keep the laughs coming.
Critics Consensus: The To Do List may play things disappointingly safe given its rather daring premise, but writer-director Maggie Carey's sure hand -- and Aubrey Plaza's performance -- keep the laughs coming.
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Featuring an all-star comedy cast including Aubrey Plaza, Johnny Simmons, Bill Hader,Alia Shawkat, Sarah Steele, Rachel Bilson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, DonaldGlover, Scott Porter, Andy Samberg, Connie Britton and Clark Gregg, "The To Do List" is a comedy about close friends and a special summer project, loosely inspired by the real-life adventures of first-time writer/director Maggie Carey. Set in 1993, valedictorian Brandy Klark wants to shed her uptight image before college, so she assembles … More- Rating:
- R (for pervasive strong crude and sexual content including graphic dialogue, drug and alcohol use, and language - all involving teens.)
- Genre:
- Comedy
- Directed By:
- Maggie Carey
- In Theaters:
- Jul 26, 2013 Wide
- On DVD:
- Nov 19, 2013
- US Box Office:
- $3.4M
Cast
-
Aubrey Plaza
as Brandy Klark -
Johnny Simmons
as Cameron -
Bill Hader
as Willy -
Alia Shawkat
as Fiona -
Sarah Steele
as Wendy -
Rachel Bilson
as Amber
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The To Do List Videos
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LoginCritic Reviews for The To Do List
All Critics (106) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (55) | Rotten (51) | DVD (1)
Not since the schmaltzy Bucket List has there been a more blatant example of checklist comedy than the ultra-raunchy The To Do List.
It's good-natured and raucous, with many scenes that are just sketched but a few that are truly funny.
Many of The To Do List's jokes have this first-draft, is-that-all-there-is? quality.
By proudly wearing its "otherness" (a word I use ironically) on its sleeve, The To Do List feels fresh and strange and wondrously new. It shouldn't, but it does.
"The To Do List" doesn't reinvent the wheel; we all know the "summer that changed everything" trope. But it's startling when you realize how rare it is to see a girl chasing sexual experience so doggedly - and with such a lighthearted tone.
Don't go to The To Do List expecting a comedy genre-buster along the lines of Bridesmaids. Rather it's more of a one-joke repeater set in the hot Boise, Idaho, summer of 1993.
This raunchy teen comedy more than earns its R-rating ... but it does so with a lot of heart.
One more overly crude teen comedy
The film gives these people just about nothing funny to do, and it's full of both gross-out gags that don't connect and dialogue that isn't especially funny.
Painfully awkward encounters ensue, with Plaza handling it all with her deadpan elegance.
"The To Do List" is another one of those films that begs the question of how the writer ever thought it was a good idea.
The jokes are frequent, rapidly fired, and often sharply written, featuring crude sexual dialogue about everything imaginable from masturbation to states of sexual arousal.
While it's too gentle to be a classic, it's still worth a look.
Writer/director Maggie Carey's clodhopping coming-of-age yarn merely proves that terrible teen movies are now a source of equal-ops embarrassment for both genders.
Uneven and with a pretty even hit:miss gag ratio, there is still not-for-Nan fun to be had here.
Maggie Carey's feature film debut is full of lazy shots, duff lines and dodgy acting. But it also contains fresh ideas and hilarious gags.
It has heart and intelligence to offset its more raucous moments and looks destined for cult appeal.
A cast of familiar and frequently funny TV notables makes The To Do List a sweet prospect, but this tepid, oddly pitched teen comedy is unlikely to get anyone off.
I didn't believe any of it.
A few laughs.
The great Audrey Plaza is let down by weak material in this mirthless female-centric gross-out comedy.
Enjoyable teen sex comedy that gains points for its female perspective and features both strong comic performances and a decent script, despite some of the gags being a bit hit-and-miss.
The To Do List is an American teenage sex comedy set in 1993, which may have been the last year in which any of the cast members could have convincingly passed for a teenager.
Even as this comedy strains to be goofy and transgressive, it catches us by surprise simply because it dares to explore first-time sexual experiences through female eyes.
Carey drops the ball with a script that's both meandering and mean-spirited, not to mention laughter deficient.
A muddle.
Audience Reviews for The To Do List
Coming of age sexual odysseys have been seen before, but never so female friendly and reliant on the gross-out factor. There's something so realistic and funny about the exploits of youth, and becoming a woman on top of that, lends to adolescent humor that we've never seen before. Director and writer Maggie Carey really knows how to make films for women and uses both realism and perversity to make a genuinely funny film about what it's like for a teenaged girl when she starts realizing her own sexual ambition. It's really sweet on top of being gross out funny, and that just doesn't get seen enough with a female in the lead. It went a little off-color at times, and got a little too familiar with her parents, but that just lent to its charm and dry humor.
MoreSuper Reviewer
***
Basically the "To Do List" is a female version of "American Pie". It's about a girl(Aubrey Plaza) who graduates as the top of her class and realizes she has no sexual experience. So she decides to make a To-Do List(includes handjobs, blowjobs, etc.) to accomplish before she goes to college in the fall. I gotta say I didn't expect much from this, but this is very funny. I laughed a lot, and my wife actually stayed awake through the entire thing, which rarely happens. The cast is made up of mostly B and C level actors who do a decent enough job. Plaza does ok, but I think this role could have been handled better. She's not bad, just not great either. The Andy Samberg and Bill Hadar have small roles and both are fantastic. I wish Sandberg had a bigger(and different) role, but he is still awesome. The humor is very sophomoric and sexual(it's rated R), so if that's not your thing then you should skip. But, if you want a good lighthearted, sex comedy, then this is definitely worth checking out!
Super Reviewer
I haven't laughed this hard in a while. Aside from it's odd editing choices and weird sounding audio, "The To Do List" is a blast to watch, albeit somewhat disturbing. As we follow Brandy (Aubrey Plaza) journeying through the stages of sex, she learns life lessons, even though the people should be more caring than they are displayed here. Clark Gregg is amazing as the father and they could not have made a better casting choice. I found myself laughing through every scene, not only at the gross-out gags, but at the genuine dialogue-driven gags as well. This is a very well-written comedy, the actors all seem to be having fun, and the director handles the material really well. The film takes a few too many risky turns, and some choppy editing can become distracting, but overall, it's one of the best comedies of 2013!
MoreSuper Reviewer
Super Reviewer
The To Do List Quotes
- Brandy Klark:
- Teabagging. Must be British.
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