Honestly, if you missed The To Do List 2013 when it first hit theaters, you probably caught it later on a streaming binge and wondered how a cast that stacked ended up in a raunchy indie flick about a high school graduate's summer goals. It was a weird time for comedy. The Judd Apatow era was cooling off slightly, and we were starting to see these hyper-specific, female-led raunchy comedies take center stage. This movie, written and directed by Maggie Carey, wasn't just another teen sex romp. It was a period piece—set in 1993—that felt both nostalgic and surprisingly progressive for its time.
Aubrey Plaza stars as Brandy Klark. She's the valedictorian. She's high-achieving, rigid, and completely clueless about anything involving physical intimacy. After a humiliating encounter at a party, she decides she needs to "complete" a list of sexual milestones before heading off to college. It sounds like a standard premise, right? But the execution is what makes it stick.
The Weirdly Accurate 90s Vibe of The To Do List 2013
Most movies trying to do "The 90s" go overboard. They put everyone in neon windbreakers and play "U Can't Touch This" every five minutes. Carey didn't do that. Since she based a lot of the script on her own experiences growing up in Boise, Idaho, the movie feels lived-in. The fashion is just slightly off. The technology—or lack thereof—actually drives the plot.
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Remember pagers? Brandy uses one. There’s a specific kind of frustration that comes with 1993 communication that younger viewers might not get, but for those who lived it, the film captures that pre-internet isolation perfectly. The soundtrack doesn't just lean on the massive hits; it uses tracks like "20-Mile Bend" by The Sadies and Mazzy Star to set a mood that feels more like a memory than a caricature.
Why the Cast is Actually Insane
Looking back at The To Do List 2013 now is like looking at a "Who’s Who" of modern comedy. You’ve got Bill Hader playing a burnt-out pool manager. This was right around the time he was wrapping up his legendary run on Saturday Night Live. Then there’s Andy Samberg playing a "shredder" musician named Van.
The supporting cast is basically a fever dream of talent:
- Rachel Bilson plays the more experienced older sister.
- Connie Britton and Clark Gregg are the parents (Gregg’s performance as a judge trying to be "cool" is underrated gold).
- Donald Glover has a small but hilarious role.
- Alia Shawkat and Sarah Steele play the best friends.
- Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Scott Porter round out the love interests.
It’s rare to see this many people who are now massive stars or prestigious Emmy winners in one low-budget comedy. It works because they all seem to be having the time of their lives. Hader, in particular, steals every scene he’s in. His character, Willy, is the kind of guy who has clearly given up on life but still has a weirdly strict moral code about how the local pool should be run.
Breaking the Double Standard
One thing people often get wrong about The To Do List 2013 is thinking it’s just a gender-swapped American Pie. It’s actually more clinical than that. Brandy approaches her "to do list" like a homework assignment. She researches. She takes notes. She asks questions that are painfully awkward.
The film flipped the script on the "loss of innocence" trope. Usually, in these movies, the guy is the pursuer and the girl is the "prize" or the gatekeeper of morality. Here, Brandy is the one with the checklist. She treats her sexual encounters like items on a grocery list. It’s transactional for her, which creates a really interesting—and often uncomfortable—dynamic with the men in her life.
There’s a scene involving Scott Porter’s character, the "cool" older guy Rusty Lathrop, where the power balance is totally skewed. Brandy is so focused on her goal that she ignores the emotional reality of the people around her. It’s a selfish, flawed, and very human portrayal of a teenage girl. You don't see that often. Usually, female leads in teen movies have to be "likable" in a very specific, soft way. Brandy Klark is a jerk sometimes. And that’s why she’s a great character.
The Critical Reception and Box Office Reality
When the film came out in July 2013, it didn't exactly shatter records. It was a modest release. Distributed by CBS Films, it made about $3.5 million against a $1.5 million budget. By Hollywood standards, that’s a win, but it wasn’t a blockbuster.
Critics were somewhat divided, though it mostly leaned positive. It holds a respectable 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, which honestly feels low given the talent involved. Some critics felt the humor was too crude, while others praised its honesty. Mark Olsen from the Los Angeles Times noted that the film "has a refreshing frankness about its heroine's desires." That’s the key. It wasn't trying to be "cute." It was trying to be funny, and it was trying to be gross.
Production Secrets from Boise
Maggie Carey actually shot the film in Los Angeles, but she worked hard to make it look like her hometown of Boise. The pool scenes, which make up a huge chunk of the movie, were filmed at a public pool in Woodland Hills. If you look closely, you can see the effort to scrub out any modern 2013 details.
Interestingly, Bill Hader and Maggie Carey were married at the time. You can feel that comfort in the scenes they share. Hader has mentioned in interviews that he loved playing a character who was basically a "dirtbag mentor." He wasn't the lead; he was the texture.
The script was originally titled The Hand Job, but (unsurprisingly) the studio pushed for something a bit more "marketable." While The To Do List 2013 is a fine title, the original name definitely captures the blunt, unapologetic spirit of the movie better.
A Lesson in Sexual Agency
We talk a lot about "the female gaze" in cinema now. In 2013, that conversation was just starting to hit the mainstream. This movie is a prime example of it. The camera doesn't objectify the men or the women in the traditional "Bikini Car Wash" sense. Instead, it focuses on the awkwardness of bodies. It focuses on the sweat, the bad hair, and the fumbling.
Brandy’s journey isn't really about finding love, even though there’s a romantic subplot with Johnny (played by Johnny Simmons). It’s about her realizing that she can't plan out her life like a syllabus. Real life—and real sex—is messy. It’s not something you can just "check off" and be done with. By the end of the film, she hasn't necessarily become a "sex expert," but she’s learned that her own agency matters more than the opinion of her peers.
Common Misconceptions
People often lump this movie in with the "flop" category of the early 2010s because it didn't spawn a sequel or become a cultural phenomenon like Superbad. That’s a mistake. It was never meant to be that. It was an R-rated, indie-spirited comedy that served as a launchpad for several careers.
Another misconception is that it’s "mean-spirited." While the humor is biting, there’s a real heart to the relationship between Brandy and her father. Clark Gregg plays a man who is clearly out of his depth but trying his best to support a daughter he doesn't quite understand. Those quiet moments give the raunchy jokes more weight.
Actionable Takeaways for Movie Buffs
If you're going to revisit The To Do List 2013, or watch it for the first time, keep these things in mind to get the most out of it:
- Watch for the Cameos: There are several members of the UCB (Upright Citizens Brigade) and the comedy world hiding in the background. It’s a "spot the comedian" goldmine.
- Pay Attention to the Wardrobe: Notice how Brandy’s clothes subtly change as she gets more "experienced," yet she never loses that core 1993 nerdiness.
- Contextualize the Era: Remember that this came out before the massive shift in how we talk about consent and female pleasure in media. It was a bit ahead of its time.
- Check Out the Soundtrack: Seriously, the 90s alt-rock and grunge picks are top-tier. It's a great playlist for a summer road trip.
The movie serves as a reminder that comedy doesn't always have to be "important" to be meaningful. Sometimes, a movie about a girl making a list of things she wants to do over the summer is exactly what we need to see the absurdity in our own lives. It’s crude, it’s loud, and it’s unapologetically honest about how weird it is to grow up.
For anyone looking to dive deeper into 2010s comedy, comparing this to Booksmart (2019) makes for a fascinating double feature. You can see how the "quest" narrative for young women evolved over six years—from the rigid, 90s-tinged checklist of Brandy Klark to the more emotional, friendship-focused journey of Amy and Molly. Both are great, but The To Do List 2013 has a specific, jagged edge that makes it stand out even a decade later.