The F**k-It List is another coming-of-age Movie from Netflix, only that it feels like a movie about a mid-life crisis happening in high school. The movie is directed by Michael Duggan and stars Eli Brown, Madison Iseman, Jerry O’Connell and Natalie Zea.

Ah, the privilege

The F**k-It List follows Brett, a high school student at the cusp of graduation. He’s always done what his parents have asked him to do, i.e, get good grades so that he can get into a good college. However, one fine day, a prank goes out of hands and Brett takes the fall for it. This results in him getting rejected from all the Ivy League schools that had previously accepted him (7 out of 8). He doesn’t care, and makes a “fuck it” list to live his life on his own terms. And then he becomes an instant sensation on the internet.

Listen, I get it. The education system is in shambles, and everything is against us. But the movie will make you feel like education is something that only the parents want, and beyond that it has no value. It’s something for the parents to brag about but other than that, it’s okay to just not study. And none of the kids want to study either, so that’s that.

Movies are supposed to be based on real life, right? Supposed to be everything that real life can’t be, but still have its feet planted firmly on reality. This movie is anything but real. And it’s so tone-deaf. Like, Brett mulls over his sadness and thinks about how “unfair his life is” while he’s blissfully floating in his private pool. The only person who kind of seems to have a slight backstory and a hard life, Kayla, also doesn’t care about her future. She just breaks her mother’s boyfriend’s car without thinking of the consequences.

That’s another thing, there are absolutely no consequences. Brett blows up his school, and he gets thrown out. But that’s it. You’d go to jail if you do this in reality, you know? This is just not how life works!

The F**k-It List also goes nowhere and has no discernible storyline. It’s just Brett doing one stupid thing after another, and then another, but he still becomes famous and gets a call from Harvard to become a part-time teacher. Oh, and travel the world with the girlfriend.  Do you think the world needs a message like this? Do you realise what people around the world have to do to get an education? And to just throw the chances that you get without a second thought, is not just reckless, but is also insulting and a very dangerous message to give to the youth.

Not the end of the world

– Oh, but it is.

There’s a scene in The F**k-It List where Brett calls for this virtual party and burns thousands of dollars’ worth of books. Yes, books. They just burn it, because they want to make a statement. At no point did they think that maybe they can donate the books because some people might not have the money to buy them. But then again, that wouldn’t rake in millions of followers. Oh, so edgy!

The characters in this movie are so dull. They don’t have a backstory, and they are so spoilt and privileged that you don’t even care either. You don’t relate to any of this because honestly, you wouldn’t behave like this, and neither would you want to. Being born into privilege is a big deal, not many people have the luck to be given everything on a platter. So, when you’re getting it, use it better – maybe help people, rather than burning books. Because that’s just disgusting behaviour.

Okay so now talking about the parents. The parents are terrible role-models in the beginning. They try to sleep their way out of the problem for their son, and bribe the school. At what point did the makers think that this would stop being funny and start being cringey? Because their behaviour made me cringe. They also push Brett to do what they think is right for him. They’re overbearing, but they love him. Then again parenting can be difficult, but trying to sleep with someone so that your son gets a chance in an Ivy League school is disgusting and gets no points from me.

Summing up: The F**k-It List

There are bad movies, and then there are bad movies. This one’s one of the worse ones. It just tells its viewers, do whatever you want and f**k the consequences because that’s how rational adults should behave like. However, no. That’s not how rational adults behave. As Brett’s dad says (and I’m paraphrasing), sometimes you gotta do things you don’t want to. Because yes, that’s what adulting is like. It sucks, but it is what it is. Because if the world has no consequences for your terrible behaviour, then we’re all doomed.

And kids, please finish your education and then do what you want to do. And don’t burn books.

The F**k-It List is streaming on Netflix right now.

Further Reading: Hamilton Review.
Unsolved Mysteries Review.
JU-ON: Origins Review.