MovieChat Forums > The To Do List (2013) Discussion > Was this movie written by a 16-year-old ...

Was this movie written by a 16-year-old guy?

posted 10 years ago by ftremblay379
15 replies | jump to latest

Because it had all the elements of a porn movie, up to the crazy never-happening-in-a-lifetime situations that lead to sex, except the sex part.

I don't care about any of that though, it's just that this movie seemed to take itself so seriously, gave the impression that it was conveying some kind of message... But the message in this movie is horrible. You don't need to convey a message in your movie, so don't do it if your message is crap. If you're gonna sell junk, don't wrap it up in a nice sugary coating. All I'm saying.

Sexual promiscuity is alright I guess, but what makes you a whore I think is when you have sex with just anybody, even when you don't like the person. Have sex as much as you like if you want, but do it with someone who has something more going for him than being there.

Honestly, this movie made me feel a little bit dirty. Then I watched porn right after, because that's pretty much all this movie is and that's all I could think about while watching it.

[–] DeusExKatrina 10 years ago

Strange. It's all the other sex comedies that are written by horny guys. This movie was written by a woman. That's why instead of shaming her for being a whore and then fixing her up with the dork, you get to see a woman who takes her sexual agency into her own hands and doesn't apologize for it. American Pie, Porky's, those are the 16 year old boy movies.

Think of allllllllllll the movies and shows you've seen where the male protagonist boinks anything he sees because he likes to have sex. Did they all make you feel dirty, did you consider them porn? Did you chastise the protagonist for being a whore? That's where the double standard is and that's why this is a movie with a successful message.

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"Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the antidote to shame."

[–] ftremblay379 10 years ago

I'm just saying, it's still a guy's fantasy. The woman who starts screwing you for no reason? Women that are as open as open can get in bed? I felt this movie managed to fuel men's fantasies way more than movies written for guys like American Pie can.

[–] DeusExKatrina 10 years ago

Fair enough. I can respect your perspective. I can't definitively comment as I don't know exactly what does or doesn't fuel a guy's fantasy. If that's what To Do List does then at least it gives them a positive message at the end (i.e. the girl doesn't have to pick the sensitive nerd like in every other movie) and hopefully they learn more than they would watching American Pie or Porky's. I found the movie to be a lot more relatable than sexy, it was great to see it coming from a woman's perspective for once. 'Course everyone reacts to a film in their own way.

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"Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the antidote to shame."

[–] littlemchugh 9 years ago

Perfectly put. Such a shame we live in a world with such double standards!

[–] drmattdestruction 10 years ago

Slut shaming is a so no no, bobo.

[–] veil182 9 years ago

This movie did not take itself seriously at all.

Also, the message in this movie is perfect. Sex is a huge deal to everyone...until they have sex. Yeah, it's nice to have sex with someone you love, but more often than not people lose their virginity simply because the chance arises. This can have horrible emotional and physical (pregnant) consequences, but TTDL is a raunchy sex comedy that should not be expected to address these matters (and despite not taking itself too seriously they mention condoms a lot). At least Brandy has a plan about the whole thing, and as she said, Rusty will be a good story. Nothing more.

As for Cam? I'm sure many successful 30 year old men like to imagine the hot girl from high school crying over how they missed out on "such a great nice guy" but that just doesn't happen. Hot girls can get a nice guy whenever they want and, as Brandy says, teenagers really don't regret much, if anything.

Do you know how many girls go through LIFE without experiencing orgasm simply because society makes them feel like they shouldn't talk about sexual needs/desires, particularly with their boyfriend/partner? Brandy telling Rusty she wanted to be on top was so clutch. "Got to like those odds."

Brandy wasn't loose. I mean, she was that summer, but she hadn't even made out with someone until the events of the movie began. She was 17-19 (not sure if the movie said) and decided it was time to get busy. Her friends, apparently, were loose, but they didn't do all that much in the film.

Anyways sorry for the rant but I couldn't feel more differently than the OP

[–] FooserX 9 years ago

I think this movie just wasn't very funny. It had some funny moments, and was interesting, but it wasn't a non stop comedy like American Pie or Horrible Bosses, etc. It was a dramady almost.

I wonder if girls liked this more than guys? My fiancé loved it, and I thought it was just ho hum. It seemed very "by the books" I guess....

[–] veil182 9 years ago

I found the constant 90s reference hilarious, particularly Bill Hader's Wilson impression and Brandi's friend's obsession with watching Beaches. I also liked when Hader's character tried to call Brandi's parents but realized he didn't know the number, and Donald Glover's "I literally said nothing." I wouldn't call it a dramedy at all since, like I said, at no time was anything taken seriously at all. But I'd agree it wasn't a 3x jokes per minute type of movie.

However, not sure that I'd term this movie "by the books." Nerd decides to become slut. Movie doesn't wimp out and nerd actually becomes slut, is seen handling semen on multiple occasions. Nerd doesn't fall for fellow nerd, instead porks hot d-bag who plays with devil sticks. Despite making "wrong choice" nerd has no regrets and eventually beds fellow nerd via the butt.

If there are more movies like that I'd sure like to watch 'em.

[–] Doc_Roliday 9 years ago

As for Cam? I'm sure many successful 30 year old men like to imagine the hot girl from high school crying over how they missed out on "such a great nice guy" but that just doesn't happen. Hot girls can get a nice guy whenever they want and, as Brandy says, teenagers really don't regret much, if anything.

Actually, it's the 30 year old women who cry over missing some guy from the past. And no, 30 year old women can not get whoever they want by that age.

[–] Rpdsf 9 years ago

If it was written by a 16 year old guy and it seems like it was then he screwed up on the title. It should have been called "Giving in to peer pressure and become a slut in the process".

[–] lazarillo 9 years ago

A porn movie would have had female nudity, at least. . .

But, you know, one of the great fallacies of feminists is to conflate all men together. Men that admit they like porn or admit they watch movies like this are NOT necessarily the SAME men that "slut shame". And there are plenty of tight-ass women that "slut shame" too.

The problem with this movie is it's ridiculous. Yeah, it isn't supposed to be realistic, but when people complain that "Blue is the Warmest Color" isn't realistic because the lesbians in it are too attractive to straight males, and then they hold THIS movie up for its realism--give me a *beep* break.

I'm also a pretty old guy and the idea that females can enjoy SEX isn't all that shocking to ME, let alone some kind of bold feminist statement in the year 2014. Yeah, I totally agree girls need to lose their virginity sooner or later (and they pretty much all do) and I don't judge women for being a little promiscuous any more than I do men. But I hate movies that obsess so much about sex, and then pretend they're somehow sending the opposite message of a porn movie because they're told from an allegedly female and "feminist" perspective.

Besides, it's apparent "feminist" only means for some people that the lead actress can't show her nipples and the movie can't be the least bit arousing for males. . .

[–] elm55 9 years ago

I know it was a probably rhetorical question, but it was written and directed by Maggie Carey, who is Bill Hader's wife. Knowing that it was Bill Hader's wife just made this movie so much better for me. It just all made sense.

[–] twentymin 9 years ago

yep

[–] kenny-164 9 years ago

This movie flat out sucked. I couldn't watch it all the way through. ANd I like Aubrey Plaza, which is why I watched it. How disappointing.

[–] reaseltbim 8 years ago

This was a very strange movie, the writer says in a behind the scenes clip that she wrote this taking from experiences from high school and college,

But this feels like what a teenage girl would fantasize about, FANTASIZE, not really experience. felt like the fantasies of an immature young teenager. I expected the writer to be much younger, i was surprised by that.

Obviously there are girls and guys out there that are very experienced about sex from a younger age, but this movie was a fantasy in the sense that it was like Every single thing that a teenager would want to happen, happen,
What I mean is, No one ever turns down anyone (not really) in reality the girl would have been more picky, all the guys asking her to do sex stuff and her agreeing right away definitely felt like a young immature teen's fantasy.

Maybe the writer did experience all these things but the way it was written it felt like it was something a person Wished would happen, A kind if "perfect scenario" if you will.

I Know it is a comedy, I know it wasn't a documentary or to be taken 100% seriously, but it STILL felt like a fantasy, I almost expected the end to be that the girl was just imagining the entire movie and nothing really happen