Netflix’s new viral movie, The Life List, is prompting Gen Zers to break up with their boyfriends
A new film on Netflix is inspiring fans to call it quits on their relationship. The Life List, a rom-com/drama starring Sofia Carson, Kyle Allen and Connie Britton, dropped on Netflix on 28 March 2025 and became an immediate hit. Globally, the film has been watched an insane 24.4 million times since its release, and while some viewers might be tuning in for the plot, others, it seems, are far more interested in how the movie might impact their love lives.
The Life List follows a young woman called Alex who revisits her childhood aspirations after her mother dies. After completing every goal on the list—which includes things such as performing a stand-up comedy gig and going wild in a mosh pit—Alex will gain access to her inheritance.
It follows the tried and tested Netflix formula: a lost girl struggling with personal problems and grief finds herself by unlocking her fears and following her dreams. Oh, she also typically will then fall deeply in love with the closest man in proximity—a man who also happens to be far from her usual type but who sees her for who she truly is…
According to Carson, this particular moment in the movie struck a chord with some viewers. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, the actor noted: “Adam [writer/director] would call me all the time after test screenings, and he would say that there were so many people that would [tell him], ‘I ended up breaking up with my boyfriend,’ or ‘I ended up changing or quitting my job.’”
“That’s the beauty of this film,” Carson added, “It’s so much more than a rom-com.”
There definitely has been a widespread reaction to the film online, with dozens of netizens taking to TikTok and X to share their thoughts on the movie’s message:
“Life is beautiful and messy and complicated,
and sometimes it doesn’t look the way you think it’s supposed to look, and that’s is okay.”-The Life List. pic.twitter.com/eRmx77kL2o
— gu (@gumsy_) March 31, 2025
I know it’s just a romcom but “The Life List” has me sobbing & rethinking my whole life — but I guess that’s what art does 🥹🫶 pic.twitter.com/7r5lfFJwKu
— Leigh (@LeighMayock) April 1, 2025
@lifewithji_ Best movie I’ve seen in a while hands down #thelifelist #lifelist #netflix #romcom #netflixmovies #romance #lifemovie #foryoupage #fyp /viral #sofiacarson #kyleallen @Netflix
♬ som original - shivababy
@emiliagraces things are starting to come together with my career and stuff but i feel like i’ve never truly known what i want to do i always just go with the flow of it and never have a plan. i can’t even think of things i would put on a “life list” if i was to make one #thelifelist #lifelist #future #futureself #futureme #lost #twenties #life #relatable
♬ som original - shivababy
So, would you question your relationship based on a movie’s interpretation of true love? Personally, I think it’s one of the most rational things I’ve heard in 2025.
