The Life List, released on Netflix, is a romantic comedy-drama film set in 2025 and based on the novel of the same name by renowned author Laurie Nelson Spelman. The film is directed by Adam Brooks, who brought the story to the big screen. It stars Sofia Carson, Kyle Allen and Connie Britton in lead roles.
The film revolves around Alex (Sofia Carson), who tries to relive her childhood dreams after her mother’s death. As she revisits her old “Life List” she realizes that these childhood dreams take her on an unexpected and emotional journey. Along the way, she meets Brad (Kyle Allen), who makes her life even more complicated and exciting.
The film was shot primarily in Nyack, New York, and was released on Netflix on March 28, 2025. However, it has received mixed reviews from critics. Now the question is, will The Life List impress the audience or will it turn out to be just another average romantic film? Let’s find out in this review.
Attribute
Details
Movie Name
The Life List
Release Date
March 28, 2025
Directed by
Adam Brooks
Screenplay by
Adam Brooks
Based on
The Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman
Produced by
Liza Chasin
Production Company
3dot Productions
Distributed by
Netflix
Running Time
125 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Genre
Romantic Comedy, Drama
Main Cast
– Sofia Carson as Alex
– Kyle Allen as Brad
– Connie Britton as Elizabeth
– Sebastian de Souza as Garrett
– José Zúñiga as Samuel
– Jordi Mollà as Johnny
Cinematography
Florian Ballhaus
Edited by
Peter Teschner
Music by
Will Bates
Filming Locations
Nyack, New York, USA
Reception
Mixed to Average Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Score
36% (Based on 11 reviews)
Metacritic Score
48/100 (Based on 4 critics)
The life list story
The Life List revolves around Alex (Sofia Carson), who begins to re-evaluate her life after her mother’s death. As a child, she made a “life list” of some of her dreams and goals, but as she grew up, she forgot about it in her busy life. When she rediscovers the list, she decides to pursue her old dreams, sending her life on an unexpected and emotional journey.
Along the journey, Alex meets Brad (KYLE ALLEN), who brings a new twist to her life. Brad joins her and together they try to accomplish the goals on her list. However, in the process Alex realizes that her desires and dreams have changed over time. The things that brought her joy as a child now seem unfulfilling and incomplete to her.
The story takes many interesting turns as Alex tries to reconcile the innocence of her childhood with the reality of adult life. Along the way, she also learns many lessons from her family and friends.
The film is a good mix of emotional drama, romance and light comedy. Though the story might seem predictable, the emotional angle and the chemistry between the characters make it worth watching. The Life List teaches us that life is not just about achieving goals, but it is also about enjoying the journey.
Movie Review
This review focuses on a particular scene in the film The Life List, which raises serious questions about ethics and editorial discretion. While watching this film, which was recently released on Netflix, one scene deeply disturbed me, as what it depicts is not only inappropriate, but also morally and legally worrisome.
In one scene of the film, a college-going young man performs a highly suggestive dance completely nude wearing only a pink feather boa (fashionable scarf). This dance is performed during a social function at his future mother-in-law’s house. The theme of the whole scene appears to be “Barbie-themed striptease”, which seems completely inappropriate and contrary to the family atmosphere. But what is most disturbing is that the scene also features two young child actors who not only watch this inappropriate performance but also utter dialogues about the actor’s nudity.
The decision to include this scene raises deep ethical concerns. It not only seems inconsistent with the overall narrative of the film, but also indicates a major lapse in editorial oversight and judgment. According to U.S. federal law (18 U.S.C. § 2256), it is illegal to expose a minor to any type of sexually explicit material. Violations of this law can result in a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 to 30 years, depending on the severity of the offense.
It is extremely disappointing and shocking that the filmmakers and producers thought it fit to release this scene to the public. Not only is this decision morally questionable, but it also deserves legal scrutiny. The inclusion of such controversial scenes could have a negative impact not only on the film but also on its distributor, Netflix.
Before presenting such content to the audience, the production team and streaming platforms must consider what kind of ethical and legal hurdles it may cross. Especially when minors are involved in these types of scenes, their parents and guardians should also review their decisions. Making children a part of this type of content can be harmful to their mental and emotional development, and it is the responsibility of parents to be aware of this.
Major streaming services like Netflix should adopt more stringent policies for reviewing and moderating such content. Given the controversial scene contained in this film, it is imperative that Netflix reconsider hosting and promoting this type of morally objectionable content.
Overall, this scene in The Life List is not only inappropriate but raises serious ethical and legal questions. Streaming platforms should take their editorial responsibilities seriously and avoid promoting content that may be potentially illegal and ethically questionable.
Movie Trailer
Conclusion
The film The Life List is a light-hearted romantic drama based on life’s dreams and the journey to fulfill them. Although the film has some emotional and interesting moments, some scenes and the inconsistency in the tone of the story weaken it. One scene in particular that involves inappropriate portrayals of minors raises questions about the film’s morality. Overall, the film provides some level of entertainment, but several aspects of it need to be reconsidered. The film is purely suitable for light-hearted entertainment.
