Event

THE TO DO LIST

(2013) dir Maggie Carey w/Aubrey Plaza, Johnny Simmons, Bill Hader, Alia Shawkat, Sarah Steele, Scott Porter [104 min; 35mm]
It's summer 1993 and valedictorian Brandy Klark (Plaza) wants to shed her uptight image before college so, in true Type-A fashion, she assembles a color-coded to do list of sexual acts that she needs to complete before September. Possibly the best and funniest American teen-sex comedy since American Pie, THE TO DO LIST is all the more remarkable for centering on a female character. Plaza plays Brandy's repressed raunchiness to a tee and the film successfully balances between sweet, true moments and frank, over-the-top crudeness.

"The story is divided into chapters based around various naughty activities on her eponymous agenda. At the same time, writer-director Maggie Carey maintains the airy, blasé feel of mainstream entertainment, pulling off a combination that in contrast to today's conservative standards feels downright radical. It smuggles obscenities into pop culture vernacular with a goofy grin." Eric Kohn, Indiewire