Director: Maggie Carey
Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Johnny Simmons, Alia Shawkat, Donald Glover, Bill Hader, Jack McBrayer, Andy Samberg, Clark Gregg, Connie Britton
Cert: 15
Running time: 104 mins
Year: 2013
The lowdown: Lewd, crude, non-judgemental and kinda sweet, Maggie Carey’s debut feature is likely to split audiences. Aubrey Plaza heads up this early 1990s set sex comedy as a brain boning up on sexcapades before embarking on her college years. With chuckles and naughtiness that would make American Pie heat over, this is the movie your parents warned you about.
The full verdict: Certain comedies get by on the likeability of their cast. And with Plaza, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Community’s Donald Glover, Arrested Development’s Alia Shawkat, and 30 Rock’s Jack McBrayer, The To Do List boasts a hot collection of current comedy talent.
And honestly, this helps when the fluids fly and poo gets munched (we kid you not).
But, in a strange way there is something refreshing about Aubrey Plaza’s Brandy Klark and her quest to lose her virginity in an academically rigorous fashion.
Working through an epic naughty list with an anthropologist’s curiosity, Brandy is arguably a model of female empowerment. Although opinions on this are likely to vary… wildly.
Yet, The To Do List is a movie that leaves the relationship tears to the guy (Simmons, as Brandy’s hapless admirer), names the to-die-for college stud Rusty Waters (Porter) and avoids sermonising as the amorous academic gets stuck in.
Plaza brings to Brandy the same withering stare sass she displays so effectively in Parks and Recreation (with dialogue acknowledgements courtesy of references to the “Parks department”).
The rest of the cast are also hot for giggles, including Hot Rod’s Andy Samberg as a wannabe rock god.
Uneven and with a pretty even hit/miss gag ratio, there is still not-for-Nan fun to be had here.
Not so much Easy A as Raunchy C+ then…
Rob Daniel
[youtube id=”LJgX-urOfhQ”]
