I'm a bit torn on this film and I really hope this review doesn't skew too negative. At the end of the day it's a comedy, and a comedy should make you laugh. And it did! I laughed plenty throughout the film. Most of the jokes were pretty good, and if that's all you're looking for, then THE LIST delivers.
My main problem is the story itself and the structure of the film. I really feel like the story meanders and doesn't have any real focus. For example; when Alex first gets the list he reacts rather poorly (as any reasonable person does) and by the end of the film, he decided not to go through with the marriage. Did he change? Did his character evolve? Not from what I can tell, and it made me feel pretty jipped. It's like I followed a character for 90 minutes and he ended nearly exactly where he began.
Also, it desperately needs an editor to take another look at it. After Alex gets the list the next 5 or so scenes are all just him asking people what he should do. It's repetitive and no new information is revealed. Even the subplot of the Russian girl doesn't work: if she was cut entirely from the film literally nothing would have changed. They introduce her as some sort of relationship obstacle, but she never proves to be anything more than a minor annoyance.
Overall it's a fun film and Karen Gillian has a really great sincere moment that shows she can bring a lot of emotion, even to a goofy rom-com. I really wanted to like this movie more, but there are so many gaping plot holes and jumps in logic that prevent it from shining.
My main problem is the story itself and the structure of the film. I really feel like the story meanders and doesn't have any real focus. For example; when Alex first gets the list he reacts rather poorly (as any reasonable person does) and by the end of the film, he decided not to go through with the marriage. Did he change? Did his character evolve? Not from what I can tell, and it made me feel pretty jipped. It's like I followed a character for 90 minutes and he ended nearly exactly where he began.
Also, it desperately needs an editor to take another look at it. After Alex gets the list the next 5 or so scenes are all just him asking people what he should do. It's repetitive and no new information is revealed. Even the subplot of the Russian girl doesn't work: if she was cut entirely from the film literally nothing would have changed. They introduce her as some sort of relationship obstacle, but she never proves to be anything more than a minor annoyance.
Overall it's a fun film and Karen Gillian has a really great sincere moment that shows she can bring a lot of emotion, even to a goofy rom-com. I really wanted to like this movie more, but there are so many gaping plot holes and jumps in logic that prevent it from shining.