Review of The To Do List (2013) by Thegodfatherson — 22 Aug 2013

Despite working in the industry for over a decade, The To Do List is Carey’s first feature and it shows. For better and for worse, it’s clear the writer/director put a lot of heart and passion into the movie.

The film successfully marries its 90s backdrop with retro hipster chic and even makes fun use of its check list premise by punctuating each of Brandy’s conquests in freeze-frame shots labeled with their respective sex acts.

Still, while The To Do List throws a lot of creative ideas and jokes at the screen, only a fraction of them are essential to the larger development of the story and characters as if Carey didn’t quite nail the balance between what to include in the final film and what needed to be cut.

That said, The To Do List includes plenty of ridiculous (and cringe-inducing) moments that are sure to entertain moviegoers looking for a raunchy teen comedy. The setup may not be as original as it would have been back in the time of the film’s 1993 setting but there are enough clever pop culture references and awkward comedy setups to keep the movie feeling fresh even when it covers ideas that audiences will have seen play-out onscreen before.

Carey’s coming of age tale isn’t a must see, but with a strong lead and some honest insight, filmgoers who are intrigued by the premise or the assembled cast have good reason to put the movie on their own To Do List.