THINGS TO DO

Things to Do is a cute little slacker movie that's more about doing nothing than anything.

Things to Do is a cute little slacker movie that's more about doing nothing than anything. It plays like an afternoon spent laying in a lawn chair, but there are worse ways to spend 85 minutes. The movie proves that sometimes you just have to take yourself out of the loop to figure out where you're going.

Adam Stevenson (Michael Stasko) is a twenty-five year old young man who abandons his city job and returns to his childhood home for the summer. His big plan is to reevaluate the direction of his life, so he retreats to the backyard for some heavy introspection. He is promptly interrupted by his clueless mother who wants him to run to the grocery store while she goes bowling. He points out that he has no way to get the groceries home if she takes the car, but she's perfectly content to let him make several trips back and forth on his bike.

At the store, Adam runs into Mac (Daniel Wilson—Owen and Luke's cousin). He's an acquaintance from school who doesn't appear to have gotten much farther in life than Adam. In fact, he's pitching a fit because the candy machine ate his quarter when Adam first sees him, but Mac is essentially a friendly, easy-going fellow, and he happily offers Adam a ride in his stylin' El Camino. He's not even opposed to making multiple trips, though Adam gently explains that with a car he can get all the groceries home in just one run.

Back at the house, things get a little awkward. Adam is ready for Mac to be on his way, but Mac is desperate for company. He's one of those people you just can't shake, and by default, he becomes your friend. He's sloppy and he has no inner monologue, but he's undeniably endearing—kind of like Hugh Grant's mayonnaise-eating roommate in Notting Hill.

Together Adam and Mac create a list of all the things they wanted to do when they were kids: skydive, make a soapbox racer... go to the prom. They attack each project with the earnestness of teenagers, but their delayed adolescence isn't a total turn-off to their peers. In fact, it seems like Adam and Mac are doing exactly what they want to do while everybody else does what is expected. Even Adam's dream girl thinks it's pretty brave of him to take the summer to do whatever he pleases—at least it shows he has a sense of self.

Though the movie lags a bit as we watch Adam and Mac work through their "Things to Do", the boys find themselves in the end. Adam realizes that he wants to be a pilot, and Mac, who has always wanted to be someone's best friend, realizes that his wish has finally come true. By reliving their childhood for the summer, they are now better equipped to function as adults. That's a lesson we could all take to heart, and I have a feeling it's a heck of a lot more fun being like Adam and Mac than watching them.