Contrary to what some people think, violence and sex in films have done very little to screw me up. The same, however, can't be said for love and romance in films. If there is one area in my life that I'm completely messed up in, it would have to be in the love and romance department. And without turning this whole thing into some sort of therapy session, after many years of failed relationships, it finally began to dawn on me that the romance films I had seen in the past helped warp my idea of what dating and all that crap should be like.

The reason I'm bringing all of this up is because I just finished watching a romantic comedy called The List. As I've explained in the past, romantic comedies hold a sort of masochistic allure for me, which is what prompted me to watch this film.

Wayne Brady stars as Lewis, an anal-retentive advertising executive who asks his girlfriend Cynthia (Tatyana Ali) to marry him on national television. Much to his surprise and humiliation, Cynthia rejects his marriage proposal and dumps him with everyone watching, sending Lewis into a despondent tailspin. Vowing to never date the wrong woman again, Lewis compiles a detailed list of his perfect match, and adamantly refuses to date anyone who does not live up to his criteria. Enter Cecile (Sydney Tamiia Poitier), who catches Lewis' eye, and quickly wins him over with the sort of speed that is only found in predicable romantic comedies such as this. But there's more going on here than meets the eye, and even though Cecile hops into the sack with Lewis well before the second act is even half over, she is hesitant to take the relationship too far (because, you know, having sex right away isn't really taking things too far). In what is clumsily passed off as a "clever" gimmick, it turns out Cecile is an actress, hired by Lewis' best friend Chet (Flex Alexander), to pretend to be the perfect match. This of course is a problem, since one of the main items on Lewis' list is honesty, and Cecile is pretty much a liar. But as is apt to happen in films of this nature, Lewis has deeply in love with Cecile--primarily because she likes Marvin Gaye's music and Thai food--which is really all anyone needs to be perfect. All of this leads to Lewis and Cecile trying to find some sort of resolution to their ill-fated love affair that will not seem trite or predictable to an audience that has known where this film was going from the moment it started.

In a world where there are films completely devoid of intelligence or creativity, The List is not exactly a cinematic crime. Instead, it is merely an innocuous bit of entertainment guilty of little more than a complete deficit of originality. Simply put, this is as by-the-numbers as a romantic comedy can get. It never takes a chance, and it never challenges the audience (although some may be challenged to sit through the entire film). Writer Marcus Folmar seems to have watched enough romantic comedies to get the formula down pat, but at the same time he forgot to infuse anything that could even be remotely mistaken as heart or soul into The List. The characters lack any real dimension, and unfortunately the script never develops either Lewis or Cecile enough for the audience to understand why they have fallen for each other. The most essential ingredient in films of this nature is getting the audience to care about the couple in question. It doesn't matter how cliché-ridden or predictable the film itself may be, as long as we want to see these two people together. Well...actually...it does matter how predictable and cliché-ridden the film is, but convincing an audience that there is a reason why this couple is in love goes a long way to overlooking other problems.

Given the material they are working with, the cast all do a commendable job, especially Wayne Brady, who has enough charisma to actually carry this film. But again, the script doesn't give Brady enough to do, and he and Poitier (the easy-on-the-eyes daughter of screen legend Sidney "They call me Mister Tibbs" Poitier) pretty much fail to generate any sort of chemistry. At the same time, if there was any reason to watch The List, it would have to be the cast, who do their best despite the shallow goods they've been given to work with.

Director Brandon Sonnier, like the cast, does his best to spin the script of straw into a film of gold. For the most part Sonnier displays solid skills as a director, but there are moments where the film simply does not work. Lewis and Cecile's first date, at a karaoke bar, quickly degenerates into a clunky mess that is not in the least bit romantic. This is one of the key scenes the betrays all the film's flaws, from a low budget that seems to have forced the production crew to make do as best they can, to a script that does nothing more than recycle well-worn concepts.

Like so many other romantic comedies that over-simplify relationships, and paint a portrait of love and romance that is completely distorted from reality, the biggest crime of The List is not the poorly realized script so much as it is the maudlin fantasy it helps to further perpetrate. Yeah, I know it's just a movie, and it's supposed to be nothing more than a silly bit of entertainment, but there's enough of that out there already. And it's films like this, that strip emotional depth from the emotion being conveyed, and fall back upon well established clichés and archetypes, giving people a false sense of love and romance.

With what seems to be a never-ending supply romantic comedies to choose from--each building false and unrealistic hopes and expectations--there's no real reason to recommend The List (at least not for purchase or rental). If you were to stumble across it on television, you might want to give it a look. And what is good about the film is that you can get up, leave the room while it is still going, and not miss anything of great importance.

Video:
The List is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen.

Audio:
The List is presented in 5.1 Dolby Surround. The audio levels seemed a bit low, and I was forced the turn the volume up louder than usual to hear the dialog.

Extras:
There are no extras.

Final Thoughts:
Perhaps if you are a fan of Wayne Brady or Sydney Poitier you will want to check out The List. It is more harmless than it is entertaining, and not unwatchable. If you can find a way to watch this film without spending any of your own money, that would be best.