THE STORY – After the death of her mother, Alex revisits her childhood aspirations, endeavoring to achieve her old goals, only to discover that pursuing these lifelong dreams takes her on an unforeseen and surprising journey.
THE CAST – Sofia Carson, Kyle Allen, José Zúñiga, Sebastian de Souza, & Connie Britton
THE TEAM – Adam Brooks (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 123 Minutes
First, there was “The Bucket List,” starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, as two delightful old-timers on a road trip to cross off all the things they want to do before they “kick the bucket.” Now, there’s Netflix’s “The Life List,” starring Sofia Carson, as a much less delightful woman who is nowhere near the end of her life but desperately needs a wake-up call. Written and directed by Adam Brooks and adapted from the novel of the same name by Lori Nelson Spielman, “The Life List” is an aggressively okay film. While it has a nice message about pursuing our goals, it lacks any flair and personality for it to be memorable. Its only redeeming quality is a cute, budding relationship between Carson and Kyle Allen’s characters.
Alex Rose (Carson) is stuck, and everyone can see it except her. She fields a million different questions at family gatherings about getting married and teaching again. Though she claims everything is okay – after all, she has a boyfriend and a marketing job in her mother’s cosmetic company – her mother, Elizabeth (Connie Britton), knows better. The Alex that Elizabeth knows would never lower her expectations or lose interest in her passion. Still, given the low energy Carson brings to the character, it’s hard to believe there’s another version of her who is a go-getter. We also never learn why she’s in this slump or what she was like before this.
Soon, her life changes when Elizabeth dies from a recurrence of cancer. When Alex and her siblings go to collect their inheritance from young lawyer Brad (Kyle Allen), she’s shocked to learn that Elizabeth doesn’t leave her control of the cosmetics company. Instead, Elizabeth encourages Alex to complete her “life list,” a sheet of paper filled with several different goals that her 13-year-old self had for her future. The list is meant to be a reflection of Alex’s true self, except that it’s made up of the most generic items, like getting a tattoo, doing a standup comedy routine, making a difference in people’s lives, and finding true love. But it’s supposedly better than the life she lives now, and she’ll earn her inheritance if she completes the list by New Year, as well as a new video her mother recorded for her for each item.
If the life list was filled with unique ideas or the film incorporated somewhat comedic scenarios, this would be a more engaging movie to watch. But watching Alex complete these basic tasks is as thrilling as watching someone read “Moby Dick” – oh wait, that’s exactly what this movie gives us because that’s the best that her 13-year-old self could come up with as a “life goal.” It also doesn’t help that these tasks don’t seem to change Alex’s life in any way. One would think doing a standup comedy routine would make her appreciate the funny side of life or make her proud she put herself out there, but it leaves little to no impression on her or us as the audience. Even her return to teaching doesn’t seem to spark much joy, which entirely goes against the whole point of this project.
The only significant changes we see come from relationships. A chance encounter on a train and at her new school leads to a romance with the impressive but controlling Garrett (Sebastian De Souza). But much like other parts of this film, his character is as generic as they come. Alex also spends a lot of time with Brad as she completes her list, and their dynamic is the most engaging one to watch. Though his character is also the standard “good guy who the main character will likely end up with” type, Allen brings a lot of charm to the role of a young lawyer hoping to make partner in his firm. Carson also looks the most lively when playing against him (their drunkenly belting “That’s Not My Name” by The Ting Tings is a cute moment).
As unimpressive as Alex’s list is, the same can be said about Brooks’ handling of “The Life List” overall. The dialogue between characters is so flat and unrealistic sounding. At one point, Alex comments that Brad’s girlfriend has a neck like Audrey Hepburn – quite possibly the one thing you’ll never hear in a normal conversation. Even when the story allows for emotional beats between Alex and her siblings or her strained relationship with her father, Brooks either goes too heavy on the cheese or doesn’t give us enough time to feel for these characters.
“The Life List” may have an inspiring message for its viewers, but the way it tells this story is anything but. With little flair, flat characters, and a script that pretty much writes itself, it’s another unmemorable Netflix film that joins the abyss of forgotten-about movies on the streaming platform. It’s a shame, given the lovely on-screen relationship between Carson and Allen and the life-affirming reminder in this story. Maybe it will encourage the cast and crew to put down “make a better movie” on their own life lists in the future.
