[Movie] The Life List - All Heart In

The Life List is a movie I like alot , but here's what i think , it leans more on the all girlie girlie kinda vibe to me, like it's really hard on the mom and daughter relationship love, and kind of a hopeless romantic kind of thing from start to finish, I don't know, I don't want to say that , that is a bad thing, but you should know what you're getting into before you watch it.

This movie is about Alex Rose, who's life has suddenly come to a standstill, she was working at a job she loved, but for some reason found she herself in her mother's company doing something that doesn't really excite her like it used to, Then her mother's cancer, which she had been fighting, returns, and she eventually passes away, that alone is heavy enough, the thing that really got me through the movie is what her mom leaves behind, and that is this bucket list Alex wrote when she was only thirteen years old, with all these dreams and goals a younger, more hopeful version of herself had.

Her mother's instructions are simple but honestly kind of genius emotionally, Alex has to complete each item on that childhood list, and every single time she checks one off, she gets to watch a DVD message left behind by her mom, so basically, the only way for Alex to hear her mother's voice again, to feel connected to her one more time, is by chasing down these old, half forgotten dreams she wrote as a kid, that setup alone had me hooked because it is such a clever way to blend grief with growth, instead of just having a character mope through loss, she is forced to actively move through it.

As she makes her way through the list, we are given a glimpse of her reuniting with a part of herself that she's long forgotten because of her work stress and strife in adulthood, Obviously there's a romantic aspect to this too as well, because if there wasn't , there would be no love story thread to get you through the emotional family stuff and a slow burn of that kind, Then there's all that family history that's surfaced as she continues excavating her own and her mother's secrets, which of course, really gave the film a nice twist on the tail of what otherwise would have been a pretty straightforward cryer.

Now here is where I want to be honest about my whole "it's all girlie kind" comment, this is truly a soft movie, a healing film, a self discovery movie, a mother, daughter movie, a romantic film, a whole emotional ride that's taken from grieving through the lens of nostalgia. If you are a fast paced, action fan or anything slightly edgy, this is not going to be your kind of movie, It is sweet, it is romantic, and it wears its heart fully on its sleeve without any apology.

But, truly, that's what made it even so enjoyable for me. I cried more than once at some scenes, particularly the ones with the DVD message, because it's just… you know this thing when you hear a parent's voice after they passed away, it just sounds different, even in a fictional story, It reminded me of real conversations I imagine so many people wish they could still have with someone they lost.

Sofia Carson carried this movie really well, she played Alex with this mix of vulnerability and quiet determination that made her arc feel believable instead of forced, Connie Britton, even in flashback moments and recorded messages, brought so much warmth to the mother role, you could feel why Alex was so desperate to hold onto every piece of her that was left behind.

The romance subplot added a nice balance to all the heavier grief moments, giving the movie some lightness and butterflies in between the tears, which honestly helped the pacing feel less heavy overall.

If you are a fan of movies that make you tear up a little, fall in love a little more and that you enjoy a mommy and daughter story at its heart, then just dive in, it's soft, emotional and has a romantic, sentimental girlie vibe throughout, you would certainly love this one if it's your kind of movie.

_Imdb