Sometimes, moms really do know best. That’s true not only for Sofia Carson’s character in the upcoming film The Life List, but also in real life.

Shortly after Purple Hearts came out in 2022, Carson was in a meeting and received an email with the subject line “The Life List.” The actress and producer knew it was a script, but she didn’t have time to read it just then. A few minutes later, she got a text from her mom that said, “Stop whatever you’re doing and read this script.” She’s sure glad she did.

Carson soon poured herself into The Life List’s Alex Rose, a young woman who doesn’t know how to get out of the rut she’s stuck in. And the only person who can push her to become who she’s meant to be is the one she just lost — her mother,...