The To Do List - C+

Rated R, 90 minutes

Pleasantly profane "To Do List" cheapens a female coming-of-age story

Aubrey Plaza

With current, crowd-pleasing coming-of-age tale "The Way Way Back" and "The Kings of Summer" geared toward the guys, it seems natural for one to come along for the girls, and the appealing "The To Do List" fills that void but it's hardly anything new in terms of relationships. And while peppered with some genuinely fun moments, it takes the low road too often enough it feels too cheap in the end. Set in 1993, Boise, Idaho valedictorian Brandy Klark (Aubrey Plaza) wants to shed her uptight image before college, so she assembles a to do list of all the "activities" she missed out on in high school which results in a very interesting summer. Directed and written by TV veteran Maggie Carey in her feature film debut, the pleasantly profane "The To Do List" has a game cast, in particular a charming lead, but it lacks heart, looking and often feeling very cheap and overly low-brow. Newcomer Plaza, who had a breakout year last year with "Safety Not Guaranteed" and "10 Years," is a perfectly winning lead, capturing the awkward playfulness and of a horny 90s teen, and she's surrounded by a goofy (but cardboard) cast of characters: her amusing parents Connie Britton and Clark Gregg, her slutty sister Rachel Bilson, a slacker boss in Bill Hader (who also co-produced) and an equally awkward teen pal in Dallasite Johnny Simmons. Yet what's problematic is Carey's shallow script, which meanders sitcom-like from one profane, awkward episode to another, lacking the depth and emotion of others in this genre (some are mildly funny, others not so much) and without shedding much light into relationships or teens. It's refreshing that Carey provides a feminist entry in the typically male-dominated genre of coming-of-age, but it needs a more thoughtful, smart script, plus its R rating seems ironically geared more toward adults than its target audience of young adults or teens. Other than an energetic soundtrack filled with some nice 90s tunes you probably hadn't heard in awhile, the best thing about "The To Do List" is the genuinely lovely, talented actress Plaza (who has Kristen Wiig-esque potential when it comes to comedy), but it needs more heart and less cheap laughs.

Wes's Grade: C+