RBR: The To Do List

After last year's quirky Safety Not Guaranteed, it became apparent that Parks and Recreations's Aubrey Plaza has the potential to be a leading lady in films. In The To Do List she tries her hand at the R-rated comedy genre. She plays Brandy Klark, an over-achieving high school grad who realizes that for all she knows, she's uninformed when it comes to sex. She sets out to learn everything that there is to know before she heads off to college and treats it in the same organized fashion that she would studying for chemistry or history. Surrounding her is a cast of funny regulars in films like these including Alia Shawkat, Donald Glover, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Andy Samberg. Working as a lifeguard for the summer Brandy encounters several guys who are more than willing to help her check off her list items. The movie plays out in a similar fashion as other "high schooler wants to get laid before college" movies, but this one just doesn't work like it should. Part of the problem is the disconnect between what the central character should be and what she really is. For as talented as Plaza is, she makes Brandy too poised and mature for a character that has supposedly had her nose in a book her entire life. She achieves her tasks too easily and hardly shows any awkwardness. Even though it's a natural setting for this type of film, I also question why he character would want to be a lifeguard. The bigger problem with the film is that too many of the jokes simply don't land. Some of the fault here lies with writer/director Maggie Carey. She's working with a solid idea but does not seem to know exactly how to mine it for the most value. The one exception of this is with Bill Hader, who runs the swimming pool that Brandy works at. He manages to produce laughs in every scene that he's in. This may be due to the fact that Hader is married to Carey. Given their relationship, she probably just let him loose and have his natural comedic talent shine. The rest of the cast though needed a bit more direction in order to make the material work. This is not a bad film, just one that did not live up to its potential. Hopefully 'make a better film' will be on Carey's to do list. Rating: *** 1/2

How do you Do?

It wouldn't be summer it seems without at least one teen sex comedy. Some can be downright awful, but The To-Do List starring Parks and Recreation's Aubrey Plaza seems like it might have some wit to go along with the raunchiness. At the very least, it can boast a stellar cast of very funny people. Check out the trailer below, but warning, the clip is NSFW!

2013 Movie Preview (#24 - 19)

#24. 42 (April 12)

Plot: 42 will star Academy Award nominee Harrison Ford (What Lies Beneath, Air Force One, Witness) as the innovative Dodger's general manager Branch Rickey, the MLB executive who first signed baseball great Jackie Robinson to the minors and then helped to bring him up to the show, and Chadwick Boseman (The Express) as Robinson, the heroic African American who was the first man to break the color line in the big leagues. The film also stars Nicole Beharie (Shame) as Rachel Isum, who would become Robinson's wife, as well as Christopher Meloni (upcoming Man of Steel) and T.R. Knight (TV's Grey's Anatomy).

Personal Opinion: As you no doubt know, I'm a baseball fan so anytime a new film about America's pasttime hits the screen I'm instantly interested. The fact that this one is about one of the most prolific players in baseball's history makes it all the more appealing. Based on the trailer that came out this past fall, it seems like this one could feature some very good performances including Ford as Branch Rickey. Oscar films don't usually come out in the spring, but this one may end up being an exception.


#23. Runner Runner (September 27)

Plot: A dramatic thriller based in the world of offshore online gaming and dealing with the tense relationship between the business' owner and his younger protege.

Personal Opinion: After Argo, nobody is hotter right now than Ben Affleck. Though he is not directing this film, I'm still excited to see what he does as a follow-up. Pairing him with Justin Timberlake who's acting career is on the rise gives this film quite the duo. Though there's nothing new about films dealing with competitive rivalries in business, the online gaming aspect of the plot makes this feel like something fresh and original.


#22. Delivery Man (October 4)

Plot: From DreamWorks Pictures comes "Delivery Man," the story of affable underachiever David Wozniak (Vince Vaughn), whose mundane life is turned upside down when he finds out that he fathered 533 children through sperm donations he made twenty years earlier. In debt to the mob, rejected by his pregnant girlfriend, things couldn't look worse for David when he is hit with a lawsuit from 142 of the 533 twenty-somethings who want to know the identity of the donor. As David struggles to decide whether or not he should reveal his true identity, he embarks on a journey that leads him to discover not only his true self but the father he could become as well.

Personal Opinion: The story here has a lot of potential. The key will be the direction they take this story. If the comedy is too broad, then this could be a disaster. There's also a risk of the film being too serious. But if it strikes the right tone this could be a real comedic gem. Known for his fast-talking charm, Vince Vaughn seems like a good choice to play this 'delivery man'.


#21. RED 2 (August 2)

Plot: "RED 2" brings back the team of retired CIA operatives as they use their old-school style to take on a new set of enemies all across Europe.

Personal Opinion: The first film was a surprising treat. It found the proper balance of humor and action while also giving us the joy of seeing these older people having the fun typically engaged in by actors half their age. The key question here though is whether or not there will be Bruce Willis fatigue after the new Die Hard and the G.I. Joe sequel comes out earlier in the year.


#20. The To Do List (August 16)

Plot: Starring Aubrey Plaza ("Safety Not Guaranteed"), "The To Do List" follows the story of Brandy Klark (Plaza), a Type-A, overachiever who comes up with a "to-do list" featuring all the risque extra-curricular activities she missed out on in high school and wants to complete before college. Rachel Bilson ("Hart of Dixie"), Bill Hader ("Men In Black 3"), Andy Samberg ("Saturday Night Live"), Scott Porter ("The Good Wife"), Connie Britton ("American Horror Story"), Clark Gregg ("The Avengers"), Christopher Mintz-Plasse ("Superbad"), Donald Glover ("Community"), Johnny Simmons ("The Perks of Being a Wallflower"), Sarah Steele ("Please Give") and Alia Shawkat ("The Oranges") co-star in the film.

Personal Opinion: I make no pretenses that this will be a small indie comedy that most people won't see, but that doesn't my interest in it in the least. What's not to like about a film that features a cast like the one listed above. Aubrey Plaza proved in Safety Not Guaranteed that she has leading woman capabilities. If this film earns any sort of recognition, she could easily cement that status. If not, then at the very least, this will be harmless comedy that will serve as a nice way to enjoy the final days of summer.


#19. White House Down (June 28)

Plot: The storyline concerns a para-military takeover of the White House.

Personal Opinion: Though it's not indicated above, this film is being directed by Roland Emmerich, which will likely mean that this will be one big, noisy mess of a film and yet somehow I'm still intrigued by it. A White House takeover is a plot that hasn't been overdone and when done right, like it was on 24, it can make for a very compelling story. While he doesn't do much for me, the fact that Channing Tatum, after the big year he just had, is in the cast can only help its cause.

Hip to be Square

GQ made the wise choice of honoring the cast of Parks and Recreation in their Man of the Year issue and to commemorate the honor, the gang from Pawnee made this awesome video playing a game of Hollywood Squares. Enjoy it below!

RBR: Safety Not Guaranteed

Quirky is an understatement when it comes to Safety Not Guaranteed a small indie film about a trio of magazine workers going to investigate an odd ad in the personals from a man looking for a companion to time travel with him. The film's title comes from a line included in the ad. Aubrey Plaza from Parks and Recreation stars as one of the curious trio and quickly becomes fascinated with Kenneth (Mark Duplass), a man who is both odd and ernest in his belief of being able to go back in time. With a runtime of barely 80 minutes, the film is brief and yet still offers some fully developed characters. I was engaged by both the central story, as well as the subplots involving the other two magazine workers and was really curious as to how they would resolve this story. Unfortunately the ending is rather disappointing. They wanted a magical ending to this offbeat love story, but I feel they would have been better to opt for something more down to Earth. If a strong ending is important to you, you're best to skip this insignificant film. But if you enjoy being charmed and appreciate good performances, then you may find yourself seeing this as a small treasure. Rating: *** 1/2