The To Do List is the feature film debut of director Maggie Carey, who also penned the script. It stars Aubrey Plaza as Brandi Klark, an uptight overachiever who was valedictorian of her graduating high school class. She is also very much still a virgin. After a less than satisfying sexual experience at a graduation party, she makes it her mission to not only lose her virginity, but to go as far as to make a list of all the sexual experiences that she needs to try before heading off to college in the fall.
If this sounds pretty ridiculous, it is. Right from the very beginning you will sense a very lose and silly tone. Set in Boise, Idaho in the summer of 1993, we are introduced to Brandi after she graduates high school and makes it her quest to become an expert when it comes to sex come time for college. Her sister Amber (Rachel Bilson) is the opposite of her, who more so resembles her mother (Connie Britton) than their uptight father (Clark Gregg). Brandi gets a job at the local pool where she is teased and tested by everyone including her boss (Bill Hader) and the rest of the staff.
Her friends Fiona (Alia Shawkat) and Wendy (Sarah Steele) convince her to explore her sexuality after a failed encounter with local pretty boy Rusty Waters (Scott Porter). She makes it her quest to make up for all the missed sexual exploits, all while leading on her best friend Cameron (Johnny Simmons) who has a serious crush on her, even though she just plans to use him to check off some acts of her “to do list.”
The film never really finds its groove, and relies on a lot of silly scenes and humor that is uneven, and only works every so often. When it does work, its thanks to a solid group of supports that include Gregg, Britton, Bilson, Shawkat, Porter, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Donald Glover, and Andy Samberg. Even though all these great supporting actors are included, I couldn’t help but feel like all of them are severely underused. Especially Clark Gregg and Connie Britton, who are great as her parents.
Aubrey Plaza is definitely the right choice for this role, awkwardly nerdy enough to play a nerd, but sexy enough to pull off the sexual exploits that she indulges in. It’s basically a severely horny version of her Parks & Recreation character April. This film wouldn’t have worked without her, and she is one of the few things holding it together. The real star of the film is Bill Hader, who is actually Carey. Maybe Carey intentionally gave Hader all the best material, but there’s no denying that he is the scene stealer here. He had me hysterical throughout the film, and if he can continue to find roles like this, than it will be a lot easier to get over him leaving SNL.
The To Do List is a bit of silly fun, but it loses its way more often than not, never really pulling it together. It’s uneven and at the end of the day is pretty flat and forgettable. If anything it’s worth seeing for the performances from Plaza and Hader who are undeniably fun. The To Do List definitely felt like a wasted opportunity as it never capitalizes on nostalgia that it thinks its acting sincere towards, and it is often too silly to the point of no reward. Go see it for the comedic performances.
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