Film
The To Do List
- Comedy
- Light-hearted
A sex-positive teen comedy with Aubrey Plaza as a sheltered over-achiever who decides to catch up on her missing teenage experiences before college. It's raunchy without being mean, optimistic about female sexuality, and genuinely funny—a movie that wants you to enjoy it and doesn't apologize for its ambitions. For people who like comedies that swing for the fences and aren't afraid to make you uncomfortable for a laugh.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you like a sex-comedy coming-of-age story told with a deadpan lead who is more prickly than sweet, and you enjoy a lot of blunt, cringe-making talk about the very thing she is trying to master.
Skip it if the crudeness rarely lets up, and the romance follows a path you will see coming, so the jokes have to carry the whole thing.
What it asks of you: A brisk hour and three-quarters that spends most of its energy on frank, squirmy conversation, so you need patience for embarrassment played for laughs more than for plot.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Superbad2007
Two lovably hapless friends trying to navigate teenage sex and social survival. It's crude, sweet, and endlessly quotable, with characters who feel like real people underneath the chaos. Perfect if you want that same combination of raunchy humour and genuine heart.
But The humour leans very male, and the women in the story don't get much dimension. It's also a decade old now, which means some of the jokes have aged in ways the best ones haven't.

10 Things I Hate About You1999
A teen romance that actually respects its characters' intelligence and agency. It's funny without punching down, sexy without being exploitative, and genuinely clever. If you appreciated Plaza's willingness to be both vulnerable and unapologetically confident, this nails that balance.
But It's a 90s artifact in ways that can feel dated—the soundtrack, the fashion, the pacing. Some viewers find it too cute and earnest.

Neighbors2014
A comedy that wants to be filthy and actually has the nerve to show its characters doing stupid, shocking things. It's got the same energy as The To Do List—committed to the bit, funny because it commits, not afraid to let characters be embarrassing.
But The second-hand embarrassment never stops, and the humour can feel cartoonishly broad. If you need jokes to land with subtlety, this will test your patience.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The To Do List
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Obvious Child2014
Both are comedies about women deciding what they want sexually and bodily, treating those choices as the centre of the story rather than the punchline. Both trust their audiences to laugh with the character, not at her.
An indie comedy where Gillian Jacobs plays a stand-up comedian figuring out what she wants after an unplanned pregnancy. It's funny, warm, and treats its subject matter—reproductive autonomy and choice—as an actual storyline, not a problem to solve. Uncommon register: sex comedy that's also genuinely political without preaching.
But The indie aesthetic and pacing will feel slow if you want big laughs. Some viewers find the comedy thin, and the subject matter isn't for everyone.

More like this (7)
Wet Hot American Summer2001
A comedy ensemble that loves its characters and trusts the audience to get weird with it. The tone is anarchic and affectionate, packed with memorable performances. It's the kind of comedy that wants you to have permission to be silly.
But It's deliberately unstructured and absurdist—if you need a clear plot or emotional throughline, it'll frustrate you. The humour is deliberately dumb in ways that aren't for everyone.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall2008
A romantic comedy that takes both the romance and the comedy seriously, with a breakup that actually hurts before things get funny. Jason Segel and Kristen Bell have genuine chemistry, and the film balances raunch with character development. Smart comedy for adults who remember being teenagers.
But The male lead's vulnerability might feel unusual if you're used to traditional romantic heroes. Some jokes rely heavily on physical comedy that doesn't land for everyone.

Booksmart2019
A spiritual successor that gets the two-best-friends dynamic exactly right, with real affection underneath the jokes. It's visually inventive and genuinely celebrates female friendship and sexuality without feeling preachy. Modern, confident, and properly funny.
But The visual style is very busy and sometimes distracting. If you found The To Do List too much, this cranks that energy even higher.

Bridesmaids2011
Apatow-adjacent comedy that proves women can carry gross-out humour without losing the emotional core. It's raunchy, yes, but also about real friendship and real stakes. Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, and the ensemble are all excellent.
But It's longer than it needs to be, and some of the set pieces overstay their welcome. The gross-out humour is genuinely relentless.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants2005
A surprisingly mature teen ensemble film about female friendship and self-discovery. It takes its characters seriously without becoming a lecture, and it understands that teenage girls are real people with real problems. Warm and genuinely moving.
But It's earnest and sincere in ways that can feel cornball. If you need snark, this will feel saccharine.

Mean Girls2004
A teen comedy that's actually witty and doesn't despise its characters. Tina Fey's script is genuinely smart, and the ensemble cast commits without winking at the audience. A masterclass in how to make a high school comedy.
But It's been quoted to death, and some of the cultural references feel ancient now. The film's morality can feel a bit reductive on rewatches.

Eighth Grade2018
Both capture the specific anxiety of trying to catch up on what you think you've missed about being a teenager. Same emotional DNA: the desperate improvisation of adolescence, the fear of being behind.
Bo Burnham's directorial debut about a thirteen-year-old trying to figure out who she is. It's cringe comedy and genuine pathos in perfect balance, capturing the actual texture of adolescence—the humiliation, the hope, the total confusion. Formal inventiveness (phone screens, social media) makes it feel immediate.
But The second-hand embarrassment is almost unbearable. It's also much quieter and more introspective than The To Do List—if you want non-stop comedy, this will feel slow and sad.

People
Cast
Aubrey PlazaBrandy Klark
Johnny SimmonsCameron
Bill HaderWilly
Alia ShawkatFiona
Sarah SteeleWendy
Scott PorterRusty Waters
Rachel BilsonAmber
Andy SambergVan
Donald GloverDerrick
Adam PallyChip
D.C. PiersonHillcrest Lifeguard #1
Directing
- Maggie CareyDirector
Writing
- Maggie CareyScreenplay
Production
- Allyson SeegerCo-Producer
- Chris PanizzonCo-Producer
- David Scott RubinExecutive In Charge Of Production
- Bill HaderExecutive Producer
- Greg WalterExecutive Producer
- Maggie CareyExecutive Producer
- Mark GordonExecutive Producer
- Tom LassallyExecutive Producer
- Tracy Lee McGrathExecutive Producer
- Brian RobbinsProducer
- Greg WalterProducer
- Jennifer ToddProducer
- Sharla SumpterProducer
- Tara L. CraigUnit Production Manager