Dhruv Sharma
As much as we love to plan our lives out, life has its ways of surprising us with unforeseeable ups and downs. ‘The F**k-It List’ explores this idea through the perspective of a teenager. The film first shows how he ends up being rock bottom just because of a tiny, little blunder. But along with this, while many doors close on him, others open up, allowing him to seek a better life. So for anyone who’s grinding through the high stakes of college acceptances or pretty much anything challenging in that matter, this uplifting tale of finding oneself is quite relevant. With that said, if you’re looking for a summary of the movie’s plot or an explanation for its conclusion, read on further.
Plot Summary
Throughout school, Brett’s parents make sure that he’s on the right path to get into some of the best universities out there. They force him to give up on sports and pick up the clarinet, and Brett even avoids partying with his friends on weekends. He simply focuses on doing well in academics. Brett applies in eight Ivy League Colleges, and his hard work finally pays off when he gets accepted in seven of them. Although he does not get into Harvard, his parents celebrate his success. But while they are at it, Brett feels like something is missing from his life.
During his school’s senior prank, Brett lands himself in some serious trouble. As a result, all the colleges that had previously accepted him, reject his application. His already well-planned life gets ruined, and an uncertain future awaits him. But even after losing everything, Brett feels relieved and makes a video in which he shares his “Fuck It List”—A list in which he adds everything he wanted to do in school, but couldn’t. This video not only allows him to rethink all of his previous decisions but also inspires several other teenagers to find their own path.
The Ending: What it means for Brett?
In the final moments of the movie, Brett’s video reaches the board of Harvard, and they are impressed by his unique outlook towards modern education. Harvard then gives him a second chance and asks him to write an essay about his learnings from the recent life-changing incidents of his life. While everyone expects him to write an apology letter, Brett politely rejects Harvards and gains even more popularity on social media. To his surprise, Harvard, too, is blown away by his out-of-the-box thinking, and they grant him an acceptance letter. But after diving deep into the murky waters of the unknown, Brett goes through a significant catharsis. He realizes that going to Harvard never was his dream. Moreover, from his experience at the school’s senior prank, he learns that no matter how much he plans out his life, there will be incidents that’ll completely derail him from the path he looks forward to. Thus, he rejects the acceptance from Harvard.
Living in the moment now and finally doing what he wants to do with his life, Brett follows his true calling—he goes off to Spain to meet Kayla. While his fan following keeps growing by leaps and bounds, he decides to stay away from the world for a while to spend some quality time with Kayla. When Kayla asks him about his Harvard application, he tells her that Harvard was also willing to give him a scholarship, but he still declined their offer. He recalls that only when Harvard offered him the opportunity of becoming a visiting lecturer, he started considering their proposal.
Although Brett never confirms that he’ll pick up this opportunity, it seems very likely that he will. After all, his new goals of spreading a positive message amongst teens very well come in tandem with what the university is offering him. Other than that, the ending of the movie clearly shows how Brett’s future is now more uncertain than it ever was. The only difference is that he has now learned to embrace it. And by doing so, he not only frees himself from everyone’s expectations but also liberates everyone around him.
Read More: Is The F**k-It List Based on a True Story?
