Plot: What’s it about?
Set in the summer of ’93 The To Do List is an often hilarious coming-of-age teen comedy about a dorky female virgin who hopes to lose her virginity before she enters college. The plot is nothing new, but it does offer a fresh angle in that the lead is a female this time, not the usual male lead. Aubrey Plaza plays Brandy Klark. She is a Straight A student and graduates head of her class. The problem is that she has never been sexually active. She creates a “To-do list” of all the sexual activities she hopes to do before the summer is over. She takes a job as a lifeguard at a swimming pool for the summer. It is also where she hopes to ultimately win the love of Rusty Waters (Scott Porter). Bill Hader plays the manager at the pool and has several funny scenes. Some of the film’s best scenes are when it forgets the plot and just lets the characters do their thing (so to speak). The staff at the pool play frequent jokes on Brandy and she seems to take it rather well. The film makes zero apologies for its crude and lewd behavior. The Brandy character has one goal and the film doesn’t try to justice her actions one way or the other. A lot of what’s funny in this film is that most of the characters are adults playing in their teens. That was intentional and meant to act as a running joke. Another amusing running gag is the way Brandy constantly corrects peoples grammar (Whom as opposed to Who) even in casual conversation as well as some of her sexual activities. She even writes her name on the inside of her bras. There are more 90’s references than I can count, but they’re mostly subtle, quick sight gags that aren’t forced. Really, this benefits the film in that Brandy often resorts to looking up sex terms in an encyclopedia where in today’s world it would be a few clicks away on the internet. There’s even a funny moment when she wants to ask the librarian about a “Tea Bagging”. The supporting cast does fine work here as well. Andy Samberg shows up as the singer of a local grunge band. We also get performances from Bill Hader, Johnny Simmons and Rachel Bilson as Brandy’s more sexually experienced older sister Amber. The entire cast here is spot-on and each character is given something to do.
I won’t say this film reinvents the wheel or is the Holy Grail of teen sex comedies, but it is consistently funny and features a cast that rises to the occasion. Clark Gregg and Connie Britton are also funny as Brandy’s parents. They’re rarely (if ever) certain of what advice to give Brandy, but they’re still likeable and funny. I also enjoyed the constant bickering between Brandy and her older sister Amber. Brandy often tones down curse words in exchange for a lesser, more appropriate adjective. I mentioned the 90’s references and it was amusing seeing a lot of the styles from back then as well as the trapper keepers and clear, corded phones among other things. There’s even a reference to a joke from “Caddy-shack” that while gross, is still rather funny. The film features several very funny moments although it might be too much for some viewers. A lot of the gags lean towards gross out jokes and some moments are more embarrassing than anything else, but more often than not, the film works. I was also happy to see that Brandy’s two friends: Wendy and Fiona (Sarah Steele and Alia Shawkat) aren’t typical stock characters. They’re much more experienced with sexual activities than Brandy, but they’re good friends to her and actually approve of her “list”. Aubrey Plaza also does a good job as Brandy. She more than holds her own and despite being inexperienced with a lot of things she is still easy to root for. The film does hit a few familiar notes (especially in the last act), but it never gets sappy or sentimental. It very much sticks to its central premise and delivers on that level. As far as the film pushes the envelope, surprisingly it features zero nudity. It was overlooked in theaters, but The To Do List is one of the funnier movies released this year. It might not cater to all tastes, but it takes an amusing premise and generates more than enough laughs to warrant a recommendation. Check it out.
Video: How’s it look?
Sony is pretty consistent in their quality and this disc is no exception. The AVC encoded 1.78:1 transfer delivers a wide color palette throughout. There’s plenty to look at in this film and the image never disappoints. Background shots were strong and well-defined and flesh tones always accurate. The day scenes never show any softness or other defects. Aubrey Plaza has a small gap between her front teeth that is slightly more evident in HD. The scenes at the pool where brandy works also display strong detail. The water is crystal clear and I could see straight to the bottom and make out how deep each section was with the numbers along the sides of the pool. The print is clean and free of grain of other flaws, this is a solid transfer.
Audio: How’s it sound?
The DTS HD track is nice, but this is a comedy above all so don’t expect much from the rear channels. They do, however kick in when the soundtrack requires them to. There are plenty of songs throughout the film and the track is well balanced when the songs are played. Background noise during some of the party scenes also puts the rear channels to good use. Some of the pool scenes also make good use of surrounding area. Vocals were clear and free of distortion and other problems. I feel more than pleased with this track, no problems here.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Surprisingly there isn’t an unrated cut of the film on this disc. The extras are decent, but slim and surely they could’ve given us a little more than what we get here. This is a single disc release with a UV digital copy insert. This also features the usual reversible cover art that accompanies many Sony titles.
- Commentary – Bill Hader and Writer/Director Maggie Carey provide a nice chat with some good notes
- Deleted Scenes (3:55) – Only three short scenes here. The commentary mentions much more than what we get here.
- The Re-Do list (2:55) – Is a mildly amusing set of bloopers.
- Dirty Mouth (2:07) – A montage of the vulgarity in the film
- Maggie Carey: Directing her to do list (3:00) – Is a standard behind the scenes look. It’s too brief to offer anything too detailed.
- Previews
- Digital Copy
