The To Do List is a coming-of-age movie that is a period piece with blocks of humor from another movie that actually took place six years later then when this movie takes place. Got it? Good! OK…I’ll get into more detail since you asked nicely. The To Do List is a coming-of-age movie set in the Summer of 1993 and follows Brandy Klark (Aubrey Plaza) as she moves from high school to college and realizes she has more to learn in the form of sex. Yes, this is another one of those teens need sex to be real adults and find themselves movie where they learn a lesson along the way. Along with those lessons we the audience are given touches of humor from 1999’s American Pie in the form of some crude sexual situations that actually result in most of the comedy of the film.

So what did I think? You know the drill so click below the picture and read my ramblings.

Grade: 3 out of 5

Aubrey Plaza plays Brandy Klark, a Straight-A student who has done all that one can do in high-school except one thing – have sex. She is still a virgin and wants to not be one when she enters college in the Fall. With the help of her friends Fiona and Wendy (played by Alia Shawkat and Sarah Steele respectively), Brandy learns to stop being dull and learn to live. Of course it doesn’t help when her older sister Amber (played by Rachel Bilson) has had multiple sexual relationships in the past. Adding to that, her parents played by Connie Britton and Clark Gregg (Yes…Agent Colson is playing a father here) are a mix of 80’s conservative (Gregg) and free spirited (Britton). They add to the dynamic that is Brandy’s life.

Going into The To Do List I was worried that this would be another movie where the year it takes place is another character ala Hot Tub Time Machine and the way it used the 80’s but I’m very glad that Director/Write Maggie Carey used 1993 as the background and really making this feel like a movie from 1993. If I had to compare it to anything in style of the look and feel it would have to be Dazed and Confused in how the 70’s were portrayed. Now the flip side with this would have to be the very crude sexual jokes that were a little harsher and cruder then they were in the real 1993. The main plot of Brandy trying to do all things sexual before her first semester of college was funny and there are some cringe-worthy-laughs  such as the scene in the movie theater with her friend Cameron (played by Johnny Simmons) when Brandy was giving her first hand-job (never thought that would be in one of my reviews).

So the friendship that had been established before the events of the movie were there in how Fiona and Wendy interacted and tried to help Brandy with her plan. The knew their friend had put so much effort in her class work and studies that she never allowed herself time to date and “have fun” outside of school. However there was the nickname of Pancake that Fiona kept calling Brandy yet it was never explained where that came from so each time it was used it kind of threw me off for a few seconds on who Fiona was talking to.

This is a coming-to-age movie and a teen-flick so all your stereotypes where there. Brandy is the average girl that had too much time to date while her guy-friend Cameron was the guy that has the crush on Brandy but can’t get her to notice him as more then a friend. Then there is Cameron’s friend Duffy (played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse) who is the sex-crazed teen that think’s he’s more of a ladies man then the ladies think he is. But you can’t forget the laid back could-care-less pool manager Willy played by Bill Hader who manages Cameron, Brandy, Derrick (Donald Glover) and Rusty Waters (Scott Porter). Rusty is the guy that has caught Brandy’s eye and she will do anything to be near him. Lastly Andy Sandberg plays Van the lead singer of a grunge band and for the few minutes he’s in the movie you have to love his take on grunge.

The To Do List is rated R for very adult language, situations, and sexual references. It isn’t the funniest movie of the Summer but it isn’t the worst either. There is enough of everything that most will like the movie and like what they see.