This runaway Netflix no.1 hit shows reviews aren't everything

If there's one thing the Netflix charts have consistently taught us over the last couple of years, it's that there isn't much of a correlation between huge streaming success and widespread good reviews. Netflix might be one of the best streaming services in the world, but it's also a commercial enterprise, and it's figured out that people don't always want slow-paced arthouse movies, after all.

An excellent case in point on this front is being provided by the runaway success of The Life List, which has now been out for over a week and has been absolutely storming the Netflix charts in multiple countries. It held top spot around the world for a good number of days, underlining how popular the original movie has been for Netflix.

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The movie tells a really heartwarming story, with Sofia Carson playing Alex, a young woman who's just lost her mother and isn't sure what she wants to do with her life after that bereavement. As part of her will, though, her mother bequeaths her a list that Alex wrote when she was much younger, full of all her dreams for what she'd get up to as an adult.

Now, it's left to Alex to tick items off that list in whatever order she chooses, as a way to spur her on to greater things and to remind her that life is what you make of it. The tasks include things like trying standup comedy and many more, but the real heart and soul is the connection she starts to build with her mum's lawyer Brad (Kyle Allen).

The Life List | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube

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The point here is that if you head to Rotten Tomatoes, you'll see a fairly dismal outlook for The Life List, which is loitering with just 47% as its score from critics. Crucially, it has a much higher score from audiences, at 72%, although even that is really just solid rather than exemplary.

Still, if that sort of critical readout translates to top spot in its international charts (and it does), then Netflix won't care muhc at all. It operates in a world where those streaming numbers really are king, and that makes The Life List look like a major hit. If you're on the lookout for something fun and heartwarming, consider adding it to your watchlist to see what all the fuss is about.