"The Never List" Is Always Charming And Never Boring
8/12 ForReel Score | 3/5 Stars
Steal a car. Pinch a stranger in the ass. Become a rockstar. These are the silly and rebellious things that Vicky and Veronica would do. But Vicky and Veronica are fictitious characters - invented by best friends Liz and Eva to embody the unruly characteristics that they would never adopt themselves. Thus the name, “The Never List”. It eventually becomes a focal point of how Eva’s perspective on life evolves, and because of it, the proceeding events teach her - and in turn, the film’s target audience - what’s really matters in life.
The Never List opens by establishing the strength of Liz (Brenna D'Amico) and Eva’s (Fivel Stewart) friendship and their bond over their invented counterparts. But when Liz is tragically killed in a car accident, Eva finds solace in reconnecting with childhood friends Taylor (Anna Grace Barlow) and Joey (Andrew Kai) while completing tasks on the Never List. It’s not long before Eva’s model behavior begins to deteriorate as the list influences her to make more precarious choices. In the wake of certain events caused by Eva’s actions, she has to come to terms with who she’s become, and ultimately, who she wants to be.
It’s an endearing tale that in many ways follows the familiar beats of a coming-of-age drama, but in other ways keeps the narrative fresh. Essentially, the framework of the story to be expected - model teen falls gradually into bad behavior and has to find her way to being good again - but the consequences of her behavior doesn’t alway play out in cliched ways, which periodically adds a surprising level of intricacy to the plot.
The cast helps keep this film engaging. Fivel Stewart, in particular, delivers a dynamic performance. Between grappling with parental expectations, being a normal teenager with her friends, or mourning the loss of her best friend, Stewart always projects authenticity in her leading role. It only helps that she’s surrounded by a stellar supporting cast.
And on the topic of supporting cast, it’s hard not to mention how bringing Johnathan Bennett back to high school as a teacher without writing in small or subtle references to Mean Girls seems like a glaring missed opportunity. But his presence in this capacity remains substantial as a supporting cast member and, at least in one scene, wildly comical.
Heavily laced with teen ambitions, teen struggles, and teen pop, The Never List knows its target audience and seems to speak directly to that crowd, offering plenty of themes that teens can find relevant and applicable to their own lives. The film strikes a respectable balance in tone and mood in relationship to the the tragic subject matter and draws the majority of its power from the relationships developed in the story. This is entertainment that I think the film’s target audience will appreciate experiencing.
Acting and Casting - 2 | Visual Effects and Editing - 1 | Story and Message - 1 | Entertainment Value - 2 | Music Score and Soundtrack - 2 | Reviewer's Preference - 0 | What does this mean?
Available for rent on Amazon.
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