K-SCORE: 29
Writer/Director: Maggie Carey
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Johnny Simmons, Bill Hader, Alia Shawkat
Spoiler Level: None
“I’m not sure when I’m supposed to laugh”
Oy. The To-do List. At least it didn’t take itself too seriously. For one thing, this is a high school comedy starring a bunch of actors in their late twenties or early thirties. They’re not passing. If it’s part of the comedy, I’m not sure when I’m supposed to laugh. Sometimes I thought the film was threatening to drop completely into the realm of ‘spoof’ and then it’d make an attempt at genuine drama or a more serious theme relevant to young people that kept it clinging to the edge. That’s usually not a good place to be. Sure with pitch-perfect writing and a strong sense of narrative tone, some stories, like The Lego Movie can be simultaneously a satire and what they’re satirizing, but The To-do List isn’t even close to good enough to pull this off.
Aubrey Plaza’s performance is often awkward without being funny. Her blunt line delivery is enough to amuse on Parks and Recreation when she’s so starkly contrasted with big happy personalities like Andy Dwyer and Leslie Knope, but with this mediocre cast she comes across as almost dull. The semi-transplanted character is especially problematic given the conflict of losing your virginity before college. I basically never believed she was who she said she was. Even if I did, her character is too weak for a lead like this. ‘Frequently makes to-do lists’ is an iota of personality, not a life-defining trait. Johnny Simmons and Alia Shawkat are similarly unremarkable.
There are a few funny moments marbled with the awkward and the mundane, but ultimately too few. And nothing of value comes at or after the climax, so it leaves you shrugging your shoulders, immediately ready to forget anything it had to say. Sadly, The To-do List lands securely into a category of comedy that grows by the day: ones that can’t consistently make you laugh so go with making you uncomfortable as a substitute.