The Never List is a 2020 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Michelle Mower, starring Fivel Stewart, Keiko Agena, Andrew Kai, Anna Grace Barlow, Ryan Cargill, Brenna D'Amico and Jonathan Bennett.
| The Never List | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Michelle Mower |
| Written by | Ariadne Shaffer |
| Produced by | Anna Margarita Albelo |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Janine Sides |
| Music by | Jordan Coffing |
Production company | Never List Productions |
| Distributed by | 1091 Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Cast
edit- Fivel Stewart as Eva Jeffries
- Keiko Agena as Jennifer Jeffries
- Andrew Kai as Joey
- Anna Grace Barlow as Taylor
- Ryan Cargill as Ben Hallster
- Brenna D'Amico as Liz
- Jonathan Bennett as Mr. Snyder
- Matt Corboy as Paul Jeffries
- Tori Keeth as Izzi
- Susan Ziegler as Mrs. Carlton
- Kevin Menkhorst as Chuck
- Drew Droege as Principal Greer
- Sam M. Hall as Dev
- Kimberly Stanphill as Carol Mears
- Booboo Stewart as Lead Singer
- Rob Nagle as Liz's Dad
- Gloria Bigelow as Olivia
- MariNaomi as themselves
Release
editThe film was released in select theatres on 11 December 2020.[1]
Plot
edit16-year old Eva (Fivel Stewart), a young overachiever running for student class president, planning a school dance, and dreaming of becoming a comic book artist and her best friend Liz (Brenna D'Amico) have cosplayed their alter egos "Vicky" and "Veronica" since elementary school as a way to release the pressure. Performing highly questionable acts that the real Eva and Liz would never do, documented in their "The Never List". After the sudden death of Liz, Eva decides to honor heir friends memories by completing their secret list of acts they said they would never do. Initially this leads Eva down a road of romance, but at she progresses, her actions begin to threaten her carefully planned life and future.[2]
Reception
editDan Lybarger of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette wrote that the film's acknowledgement that the "chemical recreation" the characters engage in "sometimes has catastrophic consequences in the real world" keeps the film from becoming a "shallow diversion".[3]
Cary Darling of the Houston Chronicle rated the film 3 stars out of 5 and wrote that "where the film ultimately goes may not be totally unexpected but getting there is an engaging trip."[4]
Barbara Shulgasser-Parker of Common Sense Media rated the film 2 stars out of 5 and wrote that while Stewart is "compelling", she "cannot inject sense into the insensible."[5]
Liam Trump of Film Threat gave the film a score of 2/10 and wrote that the film suffers from a "poor" screenplay and "tepid" direction, and that "any of the potential drawn up by the premise is drowned out by how weak the execution winds up being."[6]
References
edit- ^ Dodge, Victoria (11 December 2020). "Lafayette band LVVRS featured in independent rom-com 'The Never List'". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ "The Never List". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ Lybarger, Dan (11 December 2020). "'The Never List'". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ Darling, Cary (9 December 2020). "Houston filmmaker's engaging 'Never List' is sweetly serious". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ Shulgasser-Parker, Barbara. "The Never List". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ Trump, Liam (27 March 2021). "The Never List". Film Threat. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
External links
edit
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