The To Do List

There seems to be this be-all end-all stigma associated with college among teens that they believe will define them for the rest of their lives. Brandy Clark (Aubrey Plaza) is the perfect student, having just graduated as her high school’s valedictorian. Viewed as a nerd by her classmates and even her family, she decides that enough is enough and plans to lose her virginity by the end of the summer to the hottest guy in town, Rusty (Scott Porter).

Brandy’s only problem is that she had no clue about sex so she decides to make a to-do list of sexual experiences to have before she attempts the big one with Rusty. That list contains just about every vulgar and sexual act known in the English language even though Brandy doesn’t know what the majority of them are. She believes motorboating, for instance, has to do with an actual motorboat. It’s her complete innocence at the beginning that drives the humor in the film. She’s inexperienced in the subject of sex and believes that she can learn everything out of a book.

I should probably mention that the film takes place in the 1993, so it’s not like she could just Google everything either. There are ton of references to the pop culture of the time. Having a girls night out by watching Beaches on VHS was apparently a very popular thing to do. The film is very much geared toward the people who grew up in the nineties and are currently in college or have just graduated.

The To Do List revolves around Brandy attempting to check every item off of her sexual to-do list. To her, there are no feelings involved. They’re just actions and her studied self just wants to excel at them. Aubrey Plaza nails the role perfectly with great comedic timing and is able to be cute one minute and awkward the next.  She’s egged on by her friends, played by Alia Shawkat and Sarah Steele, who know more about sex than she does but are soon drawn away by her whorish antics.

The film is well rounded with a fantastic cast of comedic actors that includes Bill Hader, Rachel Bilson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Andy Samberg, Donald Glover, Connie Briton and Clark Gregg. This is one of those movies where everyone in it has something hilarious to say at some point. There’s never a dull moment as you gasp for breaths between laughs.

The To Do List is a raunchy, over-the-top comedy that is hilariously awkward. It’s the female version of Superbad only on a more extreme level; something I didn’t even think was possible. If you’re looking for a laugh this summer, the only thing you need to do is see The To Do List.