Netflix is probably the leading streaming service in original content. In the last few years they have cranked out countless original movies and limited series in an attempt to keep subscribers interested. Though the quality of their shows is no comparison to Prime Video there is still the occasional gem.
The Life List tells the story of a young woman trying to figure out her next step in life after mother dies. Her life is a little turned around when her mother’s last will and testament fires her from her company and leaves her with virtually no inheritance. The goal was to force her daughter to find something she was passionate about but leaving her with no part of you is a little rough.
Y'all know that dead mom stories get to me so hard. And so far this one has already made me emotional twice. It doesn’t help that the mom died of cancer and the daughter’s name is Alex. Mom forces her daughter to revisit her bucket list from when she was 13 years old and gives her a time limit to complete it.
Obviously the “true love” thing on her list is going to be with lawyer boy here. He is the only one who really understood what her mother wanted and they will be spending a decent amount of time together as she finishes this list. That seems like a pretty easy connection.
I am loving this deep emotional journey that Alex is taking. I think that it is extremely well written and it can go on the list of beautiful, quiet films to watch when you need a little introspection.
This is definitely a romantic movie but not in a finding a relationship kind of way, more in a self love and self discovery kind of way and I love it so much. In its 2 hour run time it explores what it means to push yourself and rediscover what makes life exciting. I think the pacing is done really well. The story takes place over the course of a year and we definitely don’t see every single second. They spend a good amount of time on the more emotionally heavy life list items.
Alex’s life blows up again when she finds out that her mother cheated on who she thought was her father and she decides to track down her real father. Lawyer boy takes her to go meet her father for the first time and they end up sleeping together! Called it. Then they of course have their act 2 fight, as is legally mandated.
The beautiful part about this story is not just that Alex is rediscovering who she is and what she loves, but she is getting closer to her dad, her brothers and even her mom. She even shares the DVDs her mom left her with her brothers. As a member of the dead mom’s club I think this is probably where I cried the hardest. Every second of my mom on tape is gold. Because you forget, the sound of their voice that’s something that fades over time. So to have it recorded is really special.
Her misdirect boyfriend turns out to be an asshole, as expected because she has to end up with lawyer boy. Now he just has to break up with his boyfriend.
So I am in love with this movie. It's beautiful. It's deeply emotional and the writing and pacing is incredible. I identified with it on a profound level and I cried no less than three times. The casting was great, Connie Britton is a presence that is felt whether she is on screen or not. I really recommend this one, this might be Netflix’s best original movie so far. I am giving it a 9/10.
About the Creator
Alexandrea Callaghan
Certified nerd, super geek and very proud fangirl.
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Comments (1)
Thanks for the review. This has been on my watch list, you've convinced me, I might give this a go tomorrow.