The Life List, mothering from the great beyond

The Life List is one of those movies that inspires descriptions like heartwarming, tender, charming, and uplifting. It’s partly a story about grief, partly a romance, and partly about discovering life’s purpose.

Alex (Sofia Carson) is living a rather aimless and unfulfilled life. She has two fairly successful older brothers, played by Federico Rodriguez and Dario Ladani Sanchez. Their mother (Connie Britton) dies.

Gone but not forgotten. That’s because mom had a plan.

Mom found a list of life goals Alex wrote at age 13. They include things like being a great teacher, camping out under a full moon, learning to play “Clair de Lune” on the piano, and finding true love. Mom makes a plan to force Alex to carry through with the goals in order to find out what her inheritance will be. Each time Alex can prove to the lawyer overseeing the will that she’s done one of the goals, she gets a DVD her mom recorded for her. When she’s done them all, the last DVD reveals her inheritance.

Watching the DVDs is almost like having a conversation with her mom. When she lets her brothers watch them with her they all end up in tears.

The lawyer, Brad (Kyle Allen), is a young guy who looks like he’s still wet behind the ears. Alex has a year to compete the things on the list. Brad turns out to be a big help to her in getting them done. For example, he recommends her for a teaching job at a women’s shelter.

While working at the shelter, Alex meets Garrett (Sebastian De Souza). Wouldn’t it be convenient if he was the true love she was looking for?

Alex’s parents are divorced. Reconciling with her dad (José Zúñiga) is one of the items on her list. When she makes an effort with him, she learns something about a guy named Johnny (Jordi Mollà) that throws the whole family for a loop.

For a movie (even though it clocks in at 2 hours), there are a lot of characters involved in the story. A few of the other women in the cast include Marianne Rendón, Chelsea Frei, and Maria Jung as Alex’s in-laws, friends, and rivals. The film was directed by Adam Brooks based on a novel by Lori Nelson Spielman.

I’ll watch Connie Britton in anything, even when she plays characters I don’t like. I loved her as the insightful and loving mom in this one. Sofia Carson was perfect as the brilliant but unfocused daughter who needed a shake or two to wake up.

The film is predictable in the sense that you know from the start that Alex will fulfill the items on the list. There are twists and surprises as she works her way through them that add interest and plenty of charm to the movie. The Life List is a feel good movie that will leave you smiling.

The film is streaming on Netflix.