The Life List is a 2025 Hollywood Romantic drama, released on March 28th, 2025, and currently streaming on Netflix. The movie was written by Adam Brooks and Lori Nelson Spielman and directed by Adam Brooks.
The film is based on a 2013 romantic novel called The Life List, which was written by Lori Nelson Spielman. It has a maturity rating (18+) because it contains sexual scenes, and a running time of 2 hours and 5 minutes.
The Premise
Following the death of her mother after she had battled with cancer for the second time, Alexandra Caroline Rose was left out of her mother’s will, and the only thing she got was a list she had made at age 13. The young woman was utterly disappointed in her mother’s actions, which were unexpected because she was the closest to her mother, and she adored her.
Alex, who has always lived in her mother’s shadows, must now embark on a life journey trying to complete the list she made as a child in order to get her proposed inheritance, which is completely contingent on her carrying out all the tasks in the said bucket list.
She begins the journey by reconnecting with her old dreams, and she faces unresolved emotions towards her mother. As the story continues, she discovers that pursuing her lifelong dreams takes on an unexpected and surprising turn.
Cast and Performances
Sofia Carson as Alexandra Caroline Rose
She delivers a great performance, balancing her emotions and vulnerability with the determination to excel. Her character starts off as being reserved and career-driven driven but she gradually opens up and rediscovers joy.
Kyle Allen as Bradley (Brad) Ackerman
Brad is an associate (young lawyer) in the firm involved in the execution of Alex’s mother’s will. He was appointed the executor of her will by Elizabeth herself. He brings warmth and charm to the role, and his chemistry with Alex is natural.
Sebastian de Souza as Garrett
Garrett was the consultant guidance and counsellor at Esther House, a women’s shelter with a school where Alex also teaches. He embodies the character and delivers an excellent performance.
Garrett and Alex initially meet on a train and start up a conversation about her reading the book Moby Dick by Herman Melville. They entered into a relationship abruptly, but didn’t complement each other, and the relationship thus failed. They actually did look good together.
Connie Britton as Elizabeth
She appears more in scenes involving flashbacks; her presence in Alex’s life played a major role in helping Alex discover that she can be all she wants to be and more. She wore the role and played it flawlessly.
What I Liked About The Life List
Cinematography and Music
The movie is beautiful, especially when it comes to the picture quality. It makes great use of scenic locations, particularly when Alex travels to complete different tasks on her list. Again the soundtracks were enjoyable to listen to and were always in synch, with the scene being displayed.
Family Bond
The beautiful relationship between Alex and her mother, Elizabeth, that even at her advanced age, her mother is her best friend. Even beyond the grave, she is still able to deliver wistful, life-affirming maternal advice.
The beautiful and admirable relationships between Alex, her brothers, and their wives are noteworthy, helping each other through everything, especially consoling themselves over the loss of their mother Elizabeth.
Positive Messages and Lessons Learnt
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. The movie takes a story surrounding death, but instead, it chooses to celebrate life and its complexities.
Reclaiming one’s life and dreams is all about determination and hard work; with these two, you can achieve your dreams.
The four essential things to check in a partner before you can say yes:
- Is he/she kind?
- Can you tell him/her everything in your heart?
- Does he/she help you become the best version of yourself?
- Can you imagine him/her being the father or mother of your kids?
What Didn’t Work
Plot Holes and Long Runtime
The movie is overlong, causing some scenes to drag on, leading to some sort of boredom, and is filled with some subplots that might have been meaningful in the Novel but are just muddy waters in the movie.
Poor Character Development
The movie lacks any flair or personality to make it memorable. It contains the most generic characters and “life list” entries. The dialogue is flat and unrealistic.
The supporting cast’s roles were barely seen, with each character suddenly going into oblivion. For example, Nina, Brad’s girlfriend, just disappears from the movie after their fight. The same thing happened with Alex’s ex-boyfriend Finn.
Plot Predictability
The plot follows a well-known pathway taken by most movies in the romantic movie genre, making it easy to guess the ending.
Missed Opportunity
Some of the tasks in the bucket list should have led to better character development, but instead, they were carried out too quickly.
Final Thoughts
The Life List is a movie about grief, family, love, dreams, heartbreak, and the courage to strive for the life you truly want rather than the one you settled for.
It is a film about experiences many of us should be able to identify with—the fear that we are not living our best lives, the realization that we are in an ill-fitting relationship, the crushing loss of a parent. The movie tries to explain that we are humans and these are bound to happen as life goes on and how we can combat it when it occurs. Despite its long duration and pacing issues, the film is a worthy watch, especially by fans of romantic drama.
Rating
I would rate the movie 3.5 out of 5 stars. The movie is worth watching if you enjoy heartfelt dramas, but don’t expect a revolutionary movie.
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