The To-Do List Review

Rated R (Pervasive Strong Crude and Sexual Content including Graphic Dialogue, Drug and Alcohol Use, and Language—All involving Teens)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 44 Minutes

Cast-

Aubrey Plaza-Brandy Klark

Johnny Simmons-Cameron

Alia Shawkat-Fiona

Sarah Steele-Wendy

Rachel Bilson-Amber Klark

Scott Porter-Rusty Waters

Bill Hader-Willy

Donald Glover-Derrick

Christopher Mintz-Plasse-Duffy

Andy Samberg-Van

Adam Pally-Chip

Connie Britton-Mrs. Klark

Clark Gregg-Judge Klark

Jack McBrayer-Hillcrest Pool Manager

Directed by Maggie Carey

If you wanted to learn about sex back in the day, you had to try it out yourself.

Note: Screened on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at Regal E-Walk Stadium 13.

Since the genre's rise during the early 1980's, the coming-of-age teen sex comedy has almost exclusively focused on the men losing their virginity and when they finally do, it's always treated as a triumphant moment without any repercussions whatsoever. Things aren't so rosy for the opposite sex; in 1982's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," Jennifer Jason Leigh's Stacy Hamilton ends up getting pregnant and is forced to have an abortion. Similarly, Ellen Page's Juno also gets pregnant in Jason Reitman's 2007 film of the same name but instead of an abortion, she decides to give the baby up for adoption. Even when the sex is only pretend like in 2010's "Easy A," Emma Stone's Olive is still ostracized by her classmates due to her supposedly promiscuous behavior. It creates an uncomfortable double-standard where men can have all the sex they want without facing the consequences while women should just not have any sex at all because they'll always be judged or punished for it. Maggie Carey's directorial debut "The To-Do List" thankfully changes all that. For once, a female character isn't publically shamed for wanting to have sex and is even encouraged to do so by both her friends and parents. Nothing trumps experience as the age-old adage goes. Carey's "The To-Do List" may feel rough around the edges from a technical standpoint but the film succeeds in delivering a ribald teen sex comedy that's both genuinely funny and refreshingly honest, even if it doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel when it comes to its genre.

Taking place in Boise, Idaho in 1993, Brandy Klark (Aubrey Plaza) is a straight-A student who's graduating high school with top honors. Not only is she the valedictorian of her class but she's also receiving a full scholarship to Georgetown University in the fall. To celebrate, Brandy's best friends Fiona (Alia Shawkat) and Wendy (Sarah Steele) drag her to a kegger, where she encounters the impossibly-hot Rusty Waters (Scott Porter). Brandy immediately becomes smitten with him but discovers that she's completely ignorant on all matters of sex due to her sheltered lifestyle. Following the advice of her experienced older sister Amber (Rachel Bilson), the over-achiever decides to approach her problem like a school research project and creates a list of every sexual act she's ever heard of, with the intention of doing all of them by the end of the summer so that she can finally lose her virginity to Rusty. With the support of her friends, Brandy dives headfirst into her sexual journey while also working as a lifeguard at a local swimming pool run by the perpetually lazy Willy (Bill Hader). As she starts to understand her sexuality and gain more confidence, Brandy learns that her former lab partner Cameron (Johnny Simmons) is harboring a secret crush, which complicates her goal of losing her virginity.  

When I first saw "The To-Do List" way back in April (yes, it's been screening for that long), director Maggie Carey popped in to say hello before dropping this bombshell: the inspiration for her new film came from her first hand-job. While this is definitely a case of 'too much information,' Carey's frank honesty (to a bunch of strangers sitting in a theater no less) serves as a prime example of why "The To-Do List" succeeds in the first place: it treats sex in a way that's true to life but also exaggerated enough so that we can laugh along. To the uninitiated, the concept of sex amazes just as much as it confuses. Nowadays, a person can easily look up what a 'rim job' is online but back in 1993, you couldn't do that. Although it occasionally delves into sight gags involving all manner of bodily fluids, a lot of the humor is derived from Brandy's complete lack of experience in sexual matters. She remarks to herself that tea-bagging 'must be British' and states that getting a pearl necklace sounds 'really elegant.' The structure of the film doesn't deviate from the established formula seen in other teen sex comedies but where it differentiates from them is the overall message in regards to sex. When Brandy embarks on her quest, it's with a mixture of fear and excitement. However, the more she learns about sex, the more it underwhelms her. Hell, she describes getting 'finger-banged' as someone digging at an itch they can't scratch! The end of the film can come off as a little preachy yet it's conclusion of sex being only a big deal if you make it a big deal is rather refreshing. Sometimes sex is just sex.

Given how ubiquitous the internet is today, it was smart of Carey to set the action in 1993, a few years before the 'World Wide Web' started to enter the public consciousness. "The To-Do List" is filled with 90's in-jokes from its shots of cassette tapes and the Mac Color Classic to its references to popular television shows like "Home Improvement" and "Beverly Hills 90210" (I fully admit to watching this back in the day because Jennie Garth was hot…and still is). Even the film's soundtrack is pulled from that decade and includes such one hit wonders like 2 Live Crew's Me So Horney (which is played during the opening credits), Naughty by Nature's O.P.P., Mazzy Star's Fade into You, and The Cranberries' Dreams. It's easy for a film like this to fall into the trap of being too nostalgic but fortunately Carey avoid this, creating a setting that's true to the era its depicting while also subtly poking fun at it at the same time. Less successful is Carey's skill behind the camera. Although she's been working in the industry for over a decade, "The To-Do List" is her first feature—and it shows. From a technical perspective, it looks somewhat rough but the main issue is that the film can come off padded at times and could've benefitted from a few more months in the editing room. Still, to get so much right on the first try is already impressive in its own right and that's something that should be praised.

The cast is another reason the film turned out better than expected. Aubrey Plaza has been hailed for her snarky, deadpan-styled comedy on NBC's "Parks and Recreation" and that talent certainly comes in handy in her role as uptight goody two-shoes Brandy Klark. Who else can say 'I am not a quitter' with a straight face while masturbating at the same time? What's great about her performance is that Plaza is able to pull off all the insecurities and confusion of being a teenage girl in a way that feels funny yet also endearingly sincere despite the fact that she's just one year shy of turning thirty. The rest of the supporting cast largely plays stock characters but the actors invest in their roles in small ways that allow them to shine in the film. Alia Shawkat (from "Arrested Development") and Sarah Steele share a great rapport with Plaza while Johnny Simmons is absolutely adorable with his character's puppy-like devotion to Brandy. Even the parents, played by Connie Britton and Clark Gregg (Coulson lives!), steal their share of laughs, particularly Gregg with his puritanical views on sex (Not the back door!). Rachel Bilson is humorously acerbic as older sister Amber and finally, Bill Hader (also Carey's husband) manages to rise above being a caricature as one of the few characters that matures along with Brandy.

Originally set for release on Valentine's Day, "The To-Do List" was pushed back toward summer before settling on July 26, 2013. Reception has been mixed with 56% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that the film had its fair share of laughs but 'play things disappointingly safe given its rather daring premise.' Playing in only 591 locations, it's unlikely the film will crack the top ten at the weekend box office yet it should still make a small profit given its production budget was only a measly $1.2 million. Although it doesn't redefine the teen sex comedy, "The To-Do List" manages to mix raunchy laughs and sincere honesty from a refreshingly female perspective. It's a small film made on a small budget but it ranks as one of this summer's more pleasant surprises.

Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5

"Freshman year is like one big sexual pop quiz. You need to do your homework."