- Do stand up comedy
- Be a great teacher
- Play one-on-one with a New York Knick
- Find true love
These are some of the aspirations on young Alex Rose’s “life list.” Since writing the list at the naïve age of 13, Alex’s life has changed drastically. For starters, her mother and biggest supporter died, and she has lost all love for teaching, once her dream career.
“The Life List,” released on March 28 on Netflix and based on the novel by Lori Nelson Spielman, is a charming romantic comedy that combines a meaningful journey of self-discovery and growth with a well-developed and wholesome romance.
At the reading of her mother’s will, Alex (Sofia Carson) gets some shocking news: She will be receiving neither her inheritance or a stake in her mother’s company. Instead, she is fired from her job at the company, and she can’t receive her inheritance until she completes her childhood life list. Alex’s mother, Elizabeth, believed that if Alex completed the list of her long-lost ambitions, she would regain her dreams and aspirations. Enter Brad (Kyle Allen), the associate partner who is the executor of Elizabeth’s will and Alex’s unlikely companion and confidant in the journey to complete the tasks and rebuild her life after Elizabeth died.
Following the friends-to-lovers trope, Alex and Brad begin as friends. Their slow-burn romance allows for their connection to develop more naturally over the course of the movie, and it makes the moments between them feel even more meaningful. In a scene where Alex is unsure how her current boyfriend, Garrett, fits into her life, she confides in Brad. While just friends, he is concerned about how Garrett is treating her and expresses this in a heartfelt moment between them. Similar small moments between them, like shopping for his tie or going to the farmers market, allow their friendship to form, laying the foundation of trust and emotional connection to eventually become something deeper. Similarly, as they develop their friendship through completing the tasks, they push each other to pursue their individual dreams: him being a partner and her being a teacher.
“The Life List” does a wonderful job balancing the lighthearted, romantic scenes of Alex and Brad with deeper, more emotional themes. Following her mother’s death, Alex is forced to make amends with her father and her two brothers and reflect on their relationship. Growing up, Alex and her mother were very much a duo, often excluding the rest of their family from their close relationship and causing familial tension. At times, this makes her come across as self-absorbed as she struggles to see that her mother’s death deeply impacted her brothers as well — not just herself.
While Netflix and other streaming services seem to be producing formulaic and repetitive rom-coms, “The Life List” is a welcome departure with its heartfelt approach on the classic genre. While still a rom-com, it also follows Alex’s journey of becoming a teacher again and the reasons behind her strained relationship with her father, which adds more depth and meaning to the plot. Alex and Brad’s chemistry and connection is believable, making it swoon-worthy and something to root for. The internal and external struggles that both characters face feel relatable and add emotional depth to the story, grounding the romance in real-life challenges like the complexity of loss and regaining one’s spark for life.
