*** [3 out of 5 stars]
A charming family film about love, camaraderie and belonging, "Little Secrets" is the kind of cute flick one would have expected Anna Chlumsky to get involved in back in her hey day.
The Disney-esque tale tells the story of Emily (Evan Rachel Wood), a sweet 14-year-old who is at an age when her priorities are moving toward pursuing her gift for the violin and away from her lemonade-stand style "business" as an expert confessor. For 50 cents per secret, gifted, gregarious Emily has provided privacy and guidance to neighbourhood kids who have broken parents' favourite trinkets, smuggled kittens into their bedrooms or posed as their big sisters in online chat rooms.
Of course, Emily realises she's dishing out helpful hints to others and maybe should be concentrating on herself for a while. At the same time she realises her insecurities in being an adopted child and takes time out to develop a friendship with her curious new neighbour, Philip.
"Little Secrets" is simplistic, under-ambitious and undistinguished, but at the same time it's an indisputably pleasurable, diss-harming couple of hours for the total clique.
The Movie:
"Little Secrets" is an award-winning family film that seems like the exact definition of the kind of good-hearted family fare that most parents complain just isn't made anymore. On the other hand, is a film too pure and good (this film has a case of the cutes at times) less memorable? While I liked the characters, dialogue and performances of the film, I felt (and some may also) that there's just not much conflict, at least until the second half.
Evan Rachel Wood (who gave one of last year's finer supporting performances in a small role as Al Pacino's daughter in the little-seen "Simone") stars in the film as Emily Lindstrom, an aspiring violinist who actually runs a "Little Secrets" shop in her backyard. She actually maintains a solid business, as neighborhood children line up to pay 50 cents to tell her their secret and for her to lock it away or give advice.
Emily makes friends with 12-year-old Philip (Michael Angarano) and his 15-year-old brother David (David Gallagher of TV's "7th Heaven", which this film is a similar to), who move in next door, while also preparing for her concert and resenting the new baby on the way, as her parents aren't paying as much attention. There's also a few more dramatic issues (adoption) later in the film, as well as some light romance thrown in.
"Little Secrets" is carried by Wood's performance. As she displayed in "Simone", the actress portrays intelligence, kindness and heart superbly, while also showing the ability to understand how to play a quiet moment. She's a subtle, talented actress who I expect will go on to find herself in larger roles in larger films. Angarano and Gallagher lend fine support, but this is clearly Wood's showcase.
"Little Secrets", aside from a few issues, is clearly crafted to be family fare, but it will likely appeal more to younger teen girls who can be entertained by the Emily character. The film is rated PG, but only keeps from a G by some discussion about drinking and driving and a couple of other serious topics. While I found it a tad slow at times, it's still a fairly enjoyable family picture, with messages that aren't too forced and little in the way of objectionable material.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Little Secrets" is presented by Columbia/Tristar Home Video in both 1.33:1 full-frame and 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The anamorphic widescreen presentation is generally acceptable, but nothing too outstanding. Sharpness and detail are good, but inconsistent - the picture has a tendency to appear rather soft, with fine detail not always apparent.
The picture suffers further from some slight edge enhancement, which occasionally pops up, but never becomes too terribly noticable. Some mild compression artifacts occasionally appear in some dimly lit scenes, but most will also be able to look past this. The print used is fine, with no specks or marks on the print used.
The film's color palette is largely natural, with respectable color presentation; colors appeared fairly well-rendered - although a little soft and slightly smearing, most tones appeared crisp and warm. Flesh tones looked natural throughout the whole show, but black level seemed slightly lacking. A fairly good transfer, although it could have been better in some areas.
SOUND: "Little Secrets" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 by the studio. However, as one might expect, this is clearly a dialogue-driven soundtrack, with the occasional music being the only element that the surrounds, which are rarely used, offer. Audio quality was perfectly fine, as dialogue remained clear, as did the music. French/Spanish & Portuguese 2.0 tracks are also offered.
EXTRAS: The DVD includes a commentary from Director/Producer Blair Treu and Writer Jessica Barondes, along with a short featurette, blooper reel (which is actually pretty funny) and trailers for "Kermit's Swamp Years", "Little Secrets" and "Stuart Little 2". A pleasant surprise is that the CD soundtrack is also included. The commentary is an enjoyable affair, as the director and writer actually offer a very fine discussion of casting, screenplay development, production stories and challenges, as well as technical issues.
Final Thoughts: "Little Secrets" offers fine performances and a nice, pleasant story with a few dramatic issues woven in. The "secret shop" subplot never really went anywhere and the film seemed a little slow in the mid-section, but this is fine fare for younger teens. Columbia/Tristar's DVD is nice, offering fairly good audio/video, along with a solid set of supplements. Recommended.
Film Grade The Film *** [3 out of 4 stars]
DVD Grades
Video: 86/B
Audio: 86/B
Extras: 83/B
* [1 out of 4 stars]
Emily (Evan Rachel Wood), 14, is the neighborhood secret keeper. She even profits from being able to keep other people's secrets, which includes having a trunk full of broken items that kids from around the neighborhood contributed because they did not want to tell their parents. She makes 50 cents for each time she hears a secret and gives advice to the person, but she has a few of her own secrets that she never wants anyone else to know, one of which is that she is adopted. She is a very good violinist who wants to become part of a symphony, but she is worried about her mother having a new child. Her life begins to become even more complicated when a new family moves into the neighborhood and she becomes friends with Philip (Michael Angarano). As her friendship with him grows and as the summer progresses, she has more and more difficulty keeping all of everyone's little secrets.
The plot of Little Secrets is pretty much non-existent because the movie basically just focuses on Emily's desire to join the symphony, her fear of a new baby, and a few various grade school romances. The plot contains few significant events of any interest to the viewer, so the characters alone must be compelling enough to occupy more than an hour and 45 minutes of film, which they are not. Evan Rachel Wood, who also starred in another movie that opened during the same weekend, Simone, is actually quite a promising young actress who has a great deal of confidence and poise, which shows in her performances. Even Angarano is a quality young actor whose interaction with Wood is of key importance to the movie. Nonetheless, a movie that rests entirely on child actors and a pretty sketchy plot is not destined for greatness, or even mediocrity.
Most children probably will not understand the movie or enjoy it because a lot of the issues make more sense to older audiences, though teenagers and adults will simply feel bored by the length of the movie and its meandering plot. The movie delivers a good message, which is that lying and keeping secrets from people is not effective for living an honest life, but how many kids are going to heed the message? Anyone old enough to appreciate what the film is telling them already knows that lying is generally not the best idea. Most kids will definitely become impatient during the movie because it simply does not have enough "action," or significant events, to justify its running time. The humor in the film barely works either, so having failed to be a solid pre-teen drama or comedy, Little Secrets is one secret that Hollywood should have kept.
Reel Ranking: B-
Emily always knew she was good at keeping a secret, but what happens when the burden of knowing other people's LITTLE SECRETS becomes too much to bear?
The Secret Keeper is in every Wednesday afternoon, and for just 50 cents a secret, Emily (Evan Rachel Wood) has been getting earfuls from the neighborhood kids who, more often than not, are hiding something from someone. Emily's stayed home this summer, missing the summer camp experience with her girlfriends to practice her violin for a big audition. It's her dream to be in an orchestra, and she's going to make that dream come true no matter what. When a new family moves in next door, Emily becomes friends with Philip (Michael Angarano) while his older brother, David ("7th Heaven" star David Gallagher), is off at tennis camp. The two share secrets, or rather Philip shares secrets with Emily while Emily remains closed off from revealing much of anything about herself. As Emily becomes a bigger mystery for Philip and her parents (who are expecting a new baby), she begins to falter in her music even as the audition draws near. Having responsibility for everyone's secrets--including her own--soon begins to take its toll. Will revealing the truth have the disastrous consequences she fears, or will it set her free?
LITTLE SECRETS is a wholesome family film from beginning to end. Though at times manipulative, the story is solidly constructed complete with a moral lesson: Be truthful to yourself and to others, sooner rather than later, or prepare to meet some karmic retribution. In a summer of car chases, alien invasions, and kids' movies more appropriate for adults, LITTLE SECRETS is a film that parents can watch with their kids, as well as a film where kids may learn something more than what action figure they want this Christmas.
For the preteen crowd
Emily (Evan Rachel Wood), a pretty 14-year-old violin prodigy, is missing out on summer camp with her friends in order to practice for youth symphony auditions.
New neighbors move in next door -- boys, to no one's surprise. David (David Gallagher), the 15-year-old, is at camp; meanwhile 12-year-old Philip (Michael Angarano) becomes Emily's buddy.
Emily has a sideline as a "secret keeper" -- a spinoff of Lucy Brown's advice booth, I suppose, charging 50 cents to keep your secret. It's not clear to me why anyone would pay for that, but these kids line up for the privilege. If it's something they've broken, Emily takes the pieces, puts them in a paper bag and keeps everything in a trunk against the time when the teller wants it back.
These are the titular little secrets, but there are larger ones to be kept (or not) as well.
Writer Jessica Barondes has written recognizable kids and situations and Blair Treu directs with a sure hand. If it's not exciting, it's also not disgusting, and there's something to be said for that.
"Little Secrets" is a Disneyesque soaper, positive of message, unsurprising of plot. It's neither good nor terrible; it's just there.
Fank's film tip: Blair Treu's "Little Secrets" are marginally worth telling in this lukewarm coming-of age teen drama
Director Blair Treu's teen drama Little Secrets wants to be earnest in its observations about being truthful and holding confidences. Although this saccharine-coated tale set against middle-class American values is a noble and wholesome concept, Little Secrets cannot help from being mildly paltry and predictable in its premise about the intricate resilience of youth and the interpretation of virtue as a learning lesson in life. Treu concocts an idealistic adolescent fable about being tactful and keeping aware of one's inner feelings but somehow the delivery feels shamelessly hammy at times. Despite the obvious inclination of this film's afterschool special-prone moralistic tendencies, Little Secrets is flimsy but occasionally uplifting in its heartwarming disposition.
The bubbly protagonist in the center of Treu's film is 14-year old Emily (Evan Rachel Wood from ABC-TV's recently cancelled but critically acclaimed family drama Once and Again), a talented violinist wrapped up in a mini-body version of Dr. Laura Schleisinger. Apparently Emily has a thriving side business (called the "Secret Keeper") as the neighborhood go-to adviser for her conflicted peers. The arrangement is such that Emily gets paid to hear the kids spill their guts on whatever they feel like confessing to her. In many ways this counseling booth method is very therapeutic for all concerned. After all, it allows the pesky tykes to confide in "one of their own" while avoiding the fear factor of their parents and other older authority types. Plus, this practice indirectly empowers Emily and gives her a sense of direction and reassurance in the ability to cope with her own personal issues. However, is this just another example of the doctor willing to dish out the medicine that she also should be taking?
Suffice to say that anyone and their pet goat could see why the seemingly self-assured Emily feels so compelled in dispensing out remedies to the local youngsters. Could it be a front for her own masking of whatever secretive problem that nags her? Hmmm?it seems that our golden long-haired teenybopper version of Dear Abby has a painful secret of her own, mainly having to do with her feeling so inadequate in her own family. It appears that Emily's parents are too preoccupied with their family-related agenda to realize that their daughter has issues of her own that need tending to. True, Emily is a skilled and gifted musician with incredible promise and she has a sense of ambition that no one can deny. But she still needs more emotional reinforcement that her familial group is simply not supplying her.
Little Secrets would have resonated more effectively if it didn't tuck itself so much in the squeaky-clean piffle of its convictions. Treu does try as a responsible filmmaker to walk a fine line in delivering messages of hope regarding his youthful leading lady's hidden angst. But Treu is too busy tip-toeing around this fluff piece that annoyingly sends out all these teen-oriented signals about "don't do this" or "don't do that" therefore neglecting the real drama about a young girl who is searching for herself through transparent over-achieving means. Everything feels so trite from the inner pain of Emily's manicured but tortured soul to the self-absorbed and indifferent actions of her clueless folks.
As an amazing young actress, Wood is able to express the trials and tribulations of a three-dimensional teenager juggling a plate full of self-doubt, gracefulness, turmoil, sadness, charm and courageousness. Wood certainly exhibited this range on a weekly basis when she was starring in her aforementioned and now-defunct television show Once and Again. And she certainly was one of the better elements as Al Pacino's supportive daughter in the stale showbiz satire Simone. And Wood is effectively moving in Little Secrets as well but the material doesn't cater to her overall depth as a cunning and complex cutie in need of some much-needed redemption. The supporting players are decent and help along this sugary exposition for the most part, including the pest Philip (Michael Angarano) as the admirer of Emily who has long harbored a crush on the violin-playing vixen.
Little Secrets, for the most part, is a cozy slice-of-life and coming-of-age kiddie flick that has its clunky inspirational moments although they tend to wallow in callow mode. At least it's a viable alternative to the usually predominate brainless super-charged kids fare that's thrown on the big screen as a promotional piece for the latest fast food placement product being endorsed. And for that, Treu's cinematic "little secret" is worth telling out loud.
Frank rates this film: ** and a half stars (out of 4 stars)
Less a coming-of-age movie than an afterschool special-esque allegory warning of the pitfalls of lying, Little Secrets is a simple -- it will appeal mostly to pre-teen and early teen girls -- and occasionally predictable story that expectedly ends on a perfectly good note; but surprisingly, its not without a decent story arc or well-paced points that see the characters grow naturally in the course of its 100-some minutes.
Evan Rachel Wood stars as Emily, a 14-year-old violinist who has forgone attending summer camp with her two best friends to practice her Mendelson, so that she may eventually attain her goal of playing with her city's symphony. In between her music studies (her teacher is played by Vivica A. Fox), she maintains her job as the neighborhood secret keeper. That is, much like The Peanuts' Lucy, who had that well-known psychiatry booth, Emily maintains her own booth (that looks a little too professionally made to be owned by a kid -- a minor gripe) where the local children can visit and, for 50 cents, unload their darkest secrets on her. Kids come from houses around to whisper in Emily's ear; and to hand her all kinds of damaged household heirlooms which they are unwilling to admit to their parents they have broken; or they tell her about the kitten they've been hiding in their bedroom; or the candy they stole at the store.
When a new neighbor, Philip (Michael Angarano), shows up one day near Emily's mother's rose bushes, the broken pieces of an antique chess set piece in his hand, he eventually admits to her his sin (for which she takes his piece to hide away); and soon, the two become fast friends. Though, not long after this, it becomes quite clear that Emily, who claims she has never let a secret out, is unwilling to divulge a few of her own. This intrigues the younger Philip, who becomes lovestruck with the budding musician.
Meanwhile, Emily's mother is nearing the term of her pregnancy, something that seems to irk Emily for no apparent reason. And Philip's older brother, who had a brief flirtatious run-in with Emily on his first day in the new neighborhood, is off at tennis camp, where he has just got busted for drinking and, along with another boy, taking the camp van for a spin -- something that, when Philip tells Emily about it, also makes her exceedingly mad. Things come to a head after Emily's friends and Philip's brother return from their own prospective camps and some of the stored secrets come out at undue times.
Saccharine sweet and occasionally cliched (one child takes it upon himself to begin the dig to China), yet directed by Blair Treu with a child's eye (a roaming camera cranes around the neighborhood, making it feel like a miniature set), Little Secrets is not by any means perfect but for its target audience it provides an entertaining, informative and occasionally unanticipated story. And it teaches a good lesson too.
A gifted 14-year-old violinist (Evan Rachel Wood) has given up summer camp with her friends in order to get ready for her audition with a prestigious youth orchestra. She also keeps busy as the neighborhood "secret keeper": for a nominal 50 cent fee she'll keep any child's secret, including incriminating evidence such as broken china, bric-a-brac, etc. Eventually, however, she discovers that keeping secrets can be much costlier. Also with Michael Angarano, Vivica A. Fox, David Gallagher and Danielle Chuchran. (1:47)
SEX/NUDITY 3 [out of 10] - A 15-year-old young man and a 14-year-old young woman kiss. A young woman kisses a young man on the cheek. A young man touches a young woman's hair, and a young man moves closer to a young woman while they talk and she pulls away. A young man and a young woman look at each other admiringly and flirt. Two young men talk about a young woman being pretty. A young woman looks longingly at a poster of a man several times (the poster appears to have a lipstick outline of a kiss on it). A 9-year-old girl writes romantic e-mails to an older boy pretending that she is 14, and she's dressed in jewelry and grown-up make-up. A young man talks to a young woman via videotape, and makes a reference to her "developing" and throws her kisses. Young women wear mini-skirts and some tight-fitting outfits.
VIOLENCE/GORE 2 [out of 10] - A young woman falls from a rooftop and lands on the ground below; we see her neck in a brace as she is wheeled away on a stretcher and we see a bandaged cut on her forehead later. We hear that a man and a woman were hit head-on by a drunk driver and were killed; their baby in the back seat of the car was spared. There are a few conversations about young men stealing a car, driving after having beer (while impairment is implied, one character argues that they were not intoxicated) and hitting another car head-on and injuring the driver of the other car. A young man grabs another young man by the shoulder, drags him away from a party and yells at him. A young woman becomes overwhelmed (she looks unnerved) by the sound of crying babies while in a store. A young woman and her parents argue a few times. A woman goes into labor and we see her pushing during delivery and hear her moaning; we see the baby at the time of delivery covered with some goo. A young man makes the gesture for gagging (finger in his mouth). We see a sonogram image of a baby in the womb and see the mother's bare abdomen during the test. We see lots of broken crockery and other fragile items.
PROFANITY 1 [out of 10] - 1 mild obscenity, 2 mild anatomical terms, 2 biological references and some name-calling.
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Secrets, trust, truth, family, adoption, aspirations, having babies later in life, quitting, shoplifting, credentials, competition.
MESSAGE - Keeping secrets about yourself and others will lead to trouble.
(Note: A man and woman open a bottle of champagne, but we don't see them drinking it. There is a strong "don't drink and drive" message.)
Little Secrets-- Tender comedy about a 14-year-old girl (Evan Rachel Wood) who is the neighborhood's secret-keeper and consequently learns a valuable lesson about honesty and trust. Director Blair Treu's principled but somewhat tedious story is skewed toward impressionable adolescents and younger children who might be tempted to keep secrets instead of telling the truth. The secrets in the film range from serious to trite, but remain appropriate for the intended audience. A few instances of crass language and a harrowing accident. A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG) 2002
Full Review Director Blair Treu's film "Little Secrets" (TriStar), about a 14-year-old girl who runs a business keeping safe the secrets of her young neighbors, is a tender -- yet somewhat tedious -- lesson in morality for adolescents and children. It delivers the straightforward message that keeping secrets is wrong.
This film is wholesome fare that manages to avoid being sappy or unrealistic, but it remains on the dull side until things pick up near the end, at which point secrets are revealed and feelings are hurt. Evan Rachel Wood, who plays Emily the secret-keeper, has the presence of an actress twice her age. She brings a surprising amount of realism and depth to her clean-cut character.
Emily is a talented teen-ager with big dreams of one day becoming lead chair in a symphony orchestra. She's an expert at keeping secrets, especially her own secret about being adopted. Emily's mother (Jan Broberg Felt) is pregnant with her first biological child, which makes it even harder for Emily to keep the adoption a secret.
Regularly, Emily practices violin with her mentor (Vivica A. Fox) except for the one day a week when she opens her secret-keeper booth in her driveway. Neighborhood children ask her for help when they do something wrong, and she in turn gives advice and will keep evidence of their misdeeds in a locked box. Usually, this amounts to keeping complicated secrets. For example, a 9-year-old girl has been posing as her older sister on the Internet and talking to her boyfriend, but that backfires when the boyfriend, who has actually never met his online love, says he's coming to town and wants to see her.
When a new family moves in next door, their two sons, Phillip (Michael Angarano) and David (David Gallagher) are smitten with the beautiful Emily. She quickly bonds with adorable 12-year-old David, and the two trade secrets. The strain of keeping her own secrets and the secrets of her friends combined with the stress of rehearsing for junior symphony tryouts proves too great for Emily, and for the first time she reveals someone else's secret. This, coupled with an unexpected accident that keeps Emily from auditioning for the symphony, sets off a chain reaction of secret-sharing that hurts some people's feelings and angers others, but ultimately teaches the kids that keeping secrets from friends is wrong.
The film covers many moral issues, teaching kids right from wrong regarding such issues as stealing, lying and drunk-driving. While it takes the film a long time to get to its final message about keeping secrets, parents and adolescents will appreciate it for its sweet nature and positive message.
Because of a few instances of crass language and a harrowing accident, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested.
**** [4 out of 5 stars]
As a child, little secrets can seem like all consuming mountains. Pre-teen Emily (Evan Rachel Wood) is the neighborhood "secret keeper". Kids line up daily to share with her their latest secrets: the stray cat taken in against house rules; top secret plans to dig to China; broken items that need to be repaired and/or replaced before Mom and Dad find out... and the list never seems to end! Emily hears it all. For only a few cents, the kids love having a trusted friend they can share their deepest problems with.
But when a new family moves in next door (brothers David, played by David Gallagher, and Philip, played by Michael Angarano), her post of trust comes crashing in, causing her to do the unthinkable: share someone's secret. What quickly ensues strains her closest friendships and even threatens her dreams of joining the local symphony (Emily is an amazing violinist).
Little Secrets is a cute movie with nothing objectionable. At first, some of the advice that Emily gives the younger neighborhood kids sounds wrong, and indeed it is. But as the film progresses she learns from her mistakes. In fact, the overall theme is that having secrets that your loved ones don't know about can be dangerous and detrimental. How often does that get taught to our youth?
The quality of Little Secrets reminds me of a "Hallmark Hall of Fame" film. It's that good. In fact, its showing at the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis proved its quality as it won the award of excellence. Director Blair Treu (who helped in production and management for "ABC Disney Sunday Movie") says about this film: "I'm a parent like any other. I'm concerned about what my kids watch. It's no secret there's a lot of toxic stuff out there. I guess I feel that if I'm in a position to do something positive, something that's uplifting for families, then I should portray stories and people in a positive, redemptive light."
The quality of acting isn't really that surprising. The cast brings a lot of experience to this family feature. Evan Rachel Wood (Emily) is remembered from her role of Jessie on ABC's "Once and Again". Her upcoming film project, entitled Simone, has her working with heavyweights Al Pacino and Catherine Keener. Michael Angarano (Philip) has had roles in TV sitcom and films like Almost Famous and Music of the Heart (among others). And perhaps most recognizable is David Gallagher (David) of "Seventh Heaven" and films Richie Rich, Angels in the Endzone, and more. Vivica A. Fox (who plays Pauline, Emily's music mentor) played opposite Will Smith in Independence Day and numerous other blockbusters.
Catch Little Secrets where you can. Opens August 23rd, 2002 in over 2 dozen cities nationwide. It's a perfect pick for your family fun night (most appropriate for ages 8 and older). Or, if your preteen wants to see this with some girlfriends, this is one you can wholeheartedly agree on.
CAP Score: 85
Note that this is an unusually long Summary/Commentary. Please be patient.
Little Secrets earned a CAP Final Score of 85 at the top of the scoring range for PG movies (86 to 68 out of 100) in the CAP comparative baseline database of movie scores. But there are some "issues." More as you read on.
Fourteen year old Emily (Evan Rachel Wood - Simone PG-13) has a secret. And Emily keeps secrets. Everybody's secrets. For 50 cents. The Story opens with a view of Emily's "Secrets Keeper" stand which, on the surface, looks much the same as Lucy's "The Doctor is In" stand of Charlie Brown(tm) fame. But behind the stand is a beaded curtain and lots of color much like the stereotype of the Gypsy seance chamber. Here, Emily provides a service to the kids in this middle class neighborhood who bring her their secrets for safe keeping.
Promising to never never tell anyone Emily takes their secrets, which are typically broken objects of value which the kids wish to hide from somebody, most often their parents, and stores them in lunch bags in a footlocker. She gets 50 cents for every secret she keeps. Emily also offers advice on how to handle personal, family and social friction. Her advice is often wise but clearly above the level of experiential maturity possessed by the typical 14 year old.
Emily stayed home from going to summer camp with her friends who miss her dearly. Emily wanted to fine tune her violin skills in hopes of becoming the First Chair Violin of the local symphony Orchestra. By the way, Miss Woods is apparently an accomplished violinist in real life. But in staying home Emily finds friction, or maybe creates friction of her own. Emily's mom is pregnant and Emily is about to become the second child of one. The movie, if after the level of "issues" revealed you decide it is acceptable, will explain "the second of one." I do not want to spoil too much of the movie for you if you decide to watch it.
The coming of a baby means Emily will no longer be the only child. Emily expresses a great deal of animosity about the new baby and how her parents think of nothing else. Not even her. At least, that's the way it appears to the 14 year old Emily. Maybe that is the way a lot of older brothers and sisters feel about the coming of a baby. Maybe we parents could take from Emily's reaction a signal to be sensitive to how the older kids feel about a new baby in the family.
After a number of other episodes of daily life in the suburbs comes Emily's new next door neighbors, 15 year old "hunk" David (David Gallagher) and 12 year old brother"Fill-it-up" Philip (Michael Angarano). While moving in, Philip breaks a valuable chess piece belonging to his father. In a mad scramble to hide his careless but age-appropriate fumble David tries to bury the broken chess piece in Emily's mother's flower garden then lies to his family about it, blaming the missing chess piece on the movers. As if lying and no regard for private property were not bad enough, Philip acts as though "Who are you to tell me I can bury this in your property." But rather than shame her new neighbor Emily tries to help Philip mask his culpability by bringing him into her parent's home (while her parents are gone, of course) to store his secret. Oh, by the way. A hopeful budding romance is building, at least by Philip for Emily. Emily already has a few buds for David - until she finds out about his secret.
In the process of cohorting the "crime", Emily becomes a fine hostess and serves tea with her mother's finest china tea set. In another careless but age-appropriate fumble, David demolishes one of the china tea set cups. Not to worry. The freshly pubescent planning pair will just go to the big city alone to buy a new tea cup rather than tell the truth, hoping the replacement of the family heirloom with a substitute will not be discovered.
And there is painted a thread that jumped out of the screen to the CAP analysis model. I read a couple secular reviews of Little Secrets and a couple from Christian websites before starting this Summary/Commentary and noticed something glaring in each of them. They each quite nicely lauded the movie as a model for morality, friendship, loyalty and other fine character qualities (which it is in many ways) but none of them said anything of substance about the most prevalent presence in the movie -- lying and deceit. How many of us know the seven behaviors God specifically says He hates in Proverbs 6:16 - 19. The first one is arrogance/impudence (haughty eyes, proud look). Another is a lying tongue. Yet another is feet that be swift in running into mischief. And in Revelation 21:8 God warns sternly of disastrous consequences for "all [unforgiven] liars." Granted, children before the age of accountability are blessed but is it okay to show them in and as entertainment that such lying as in Little Secrets has no consequences or is morally invisible within the subject age stratum [Luke 17:2]? I have yet to find any Scripture which says under which situation or condition a lie is not a lie. God has some quite disturbing things to say about liars [Rev. 21:8 and many others]. Please be certain your tykes understand that a lie is a lie no matter the conditions. There is no justification to make slight of God's Word in the name of entertainment. Even if a lie would save someone, the sin is on to whom the lie would be spoken.
The lying and deceit in Little Secrets can indeed be a contender for your child's behavior choices and inherently his/her coping skills, integrity and self respect. While the lying and deceit were a "necessary" part of the plot, the plot does not excuse sin. Nothing does. Jesus will forgive all our sin but He will not excuse any. Not even that of the prostitute. He forgave her of her sin [John 8:2 - 11] but He did NOT excuse it. He even reminded her of the sin of prostitution as she left - "Go and sin no more."
Little Secrets is a fine piece of work about morality and ethics, friendship and loyalty, and several other quite noble personality characteristics IF the "redeeming" programming is fully incorporated with the needs for it. I [subjectively] found Little Secrets delightful and close to home for this family. I say close to home" because it deals also with adoption (how I will not explain to prevent completely spoiling the movie for you) and my wife and I have adopted seven of the 23 foster kids we've cared over eleven years who had no place to go. But fortunately the delight I found in Little Secrets is insulated from the CAP analysis model.
But the purpose of this ministry is not to tell you all about the story or to tell you about all the "redeeming" properties a movie presents. Whether a movie has "redeeming" qualities is up to you. The purpose of this ministry is to tell you the truth about the content of movies - the truth the MPAA and advertisers won't or can't tell you - so you can make an informed decision whether a movie is or is not fit for your kids.
All too often the "redeeming" properties in a movie are lost or obscured by the unwholesome presentations. Especially for the young and impressionable. There may be an armada of social, emotional and other filters in the path of an observed/witnessed influence on its way to the brain of the impressionable child that by the time it gets to the brain all that is left of the total picture is the surface of it. The American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association and others have proven that negative influences in and as entertainment such as violence in movies can and do influence aggression in youth even if there are consequences presented. Harvard educated child developmental expert, Dr. Karen Nelson and professional counselor, Dr. Larry Gillaim agree with me that any behavioral expression, good or bad, can be shaped by observation of behavior in entertainment. Doctor Nelson and Dr. Gilliam also agree with me that it would be unusual for even a 16 year old to be able to fully comprehend the consequences of his/her actions or to be able to fully separate fantasy from reality. Those capabilities do not typically plateau until the early twenties. Even God Himself warns of "bad company" influencing good manners [1Cor. 15:33].
I do not want to paint a bleak picture of this - er - picture, but I most assuredly want you to know the truth about its content. Discovering the good content is up to you if you decide the ignominy we reveal is acceptable for you and/or your family. Informing you of the negative content in accordance with His Word is what I do so you can make an informed decision on your own whether a movie is fit. And after analyzing more than 600 secular movies, most of them rated R (most movies made are rated R), my delivery is sometimes overly emphatic. So, I am going to "break with tradition" and give you an example of some of the powerfully touching programming in Little Secrets. Remember I told you above about "Fill-it-up" Philip breaking a valued chess piece then sneaking to hide the truth from his father and lying to blame the breakage on someone else? Well, after the redeeming programming began, Philip gathered the broken pieces and returned them to his father in a scene that would have melted the Grinch's heart. Michael Angarano may very well have been the best expressionist of the cast.
While this film is quite filled with arrogance against parental authority, lying and deceit and advising deceit against parents (thus the low score in Impudence/Hate), there was NO foul language but two uses of God's name in vain without the four letter expletive. No murder or suicide. No drinking, drunkenness, smoking or use of illegal drugs. And the only sexual matter was an innuendo when a same-aged boy spoke of Emily "developing." The only issues of violence/crime were a boy stealing $20 from his father's billfold, shoplifting and a great fall with injury. The joyfully short listing in the Findings/Scoring section reveals all that was found.
As my final point in this quite l-o-n-g Summary/Commentary, I remind our readers that while the Summary/Commentary is precisely that - a summary in commentary format - and can be and sometimes is subjective, the Findings/Scoring section is completely objective to His Word and does not compensate the scoring for "redeeming" properties filmmakers sometimes insert to excuse aberrant behavior and imagery. To allow "redeeming" programming to excuse aberrant behavior in and as entertainment is too close to the dangerous "Go ahead and do the wrong as long as you are sorry for it" syndrome. While I say above in this Summary/Commentary "IF the 'redeeming' programming is fully incorporated with the needs for it", the Findings/Scoring section is sterile and impersonal and is totally objective. Only in that way can you be assured our analysis reports are credible and reliable, capable of giving you the information you need to make your own decision whether a movie is or is not fit for your kids (or yourselves) without having to watch it first to know.
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SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION(S)
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* Prov. 6:16 - 19 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
* Rev. 21:8 But the [unforgiven] fearful [deilos {di-los'}; timid, cowardly], and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
* John 8:2 - 11 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
*******Food for Daily Thought*******
* 1 Cor. 15:33 (KJV) Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. (NIV) Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.
* Jude 4 For certain men* whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. [*men: anthropos {anth'-ro-pos}, generic, a human being, whether male or female]
* Matt. 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto [or for] one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto [or for] me.
* Luke 17:2 It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. [cause by teaching or example]
* Ps. 119:133 Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.
* John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
* 1 Thess. 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
FINDINGS/SCORING:
Wanton Violence/Crime (W): 87
* theft of $20 by a son from his father's billfold
* child on roof with parent's approval resulting in fall with injury
* shoplifting
Impudence/Hate (I)(1): 31
* young girl lying about her age
* teen sneaking mail, hiding it from mom
* child sneaking kittens into her house and lying about the suffering it caused her sister (allergies)
* general presentation of keeping knowledge from parents
* disregard for private property and privacy, repeatedly
* conniving to deceive parents, repeatedly
* teen arrogance against parents, repeatedly
* My mom is very anal."
* advising deceit against parents, repeatedly
* lying and encouraging to lie, repeatedly
Sex/Homosexuality (S): 97
* one sexual innuendo as a boy spoke of a teen girl "developing"
Drugs/Alcohol (D): 100
* none noted
Offense to God (O)(2): 93
* two uses of God's name in vain without the four letter expletive
Murder/Suicide (M)(3): 100
* none noted
Little Secrets is full of human failings and misbehavior -- deceit, dishonesty, pride, fear -- but strangely void of that short list of behaviors some Christians single out as inappropriate. In spite of its sanitized context, the film has enough humor and spirit to keep young viewers, and perhaps some grownups, entertained. (My full review is at Looking Closer.)
Director Blair Treu has cast some familiar television faces: Once and Again's Evan Rachel Wood has the lead role of a young violinist, Emily, and Seventh Heaven's David Gallagher plays David, the only eligible boyfriend in sight. The cheery script by Jessica Barondes focuses on Emily's dream of being a violinist in a youth symphony. As she practices for a big audition, her artistic ambition is disrupted by her unique hobby: a help stand reminiscent of the psychiatric booth hosted by Lucy in the Peanuts comic. For 50 cents a session, Emily plays Dr. Laura to her neighborhood's many adorable children, and promises not to reveal their misdeeds. All the while, though, she is hiding a deep, personal secret of her own that would shock her community. Will Emily be able to keep the secrets and earn a spot in the symphony?
Many religious press critics are beside themselves with enthusiasm for this sprightly film. Holly McClure (Crosswalk) says, "This is a well-written, wonderful story and certainly one of the more entertaining children's movies of the summer. The real secret to this gem of a movie is its meaningful message, which will make it a family favorite."
Ted Baehr (Movieguide) calls it "a beautifully crafted story. This is the type of movie that Sunday school classes could spend a long time discussing... the type of movie which families will enjoy." But he adds, "As successful as it is in presenting biblical principles within the framework of the story, it fails to grab the audience at the beginning and it takes a certain amount of willpower to wait until the story hooks the audience."
Ken James (Christian Spotlight) calls it "a cute movie with nothing objectionable. The overall theme is that having secrets that your loved ones don't know about can be dangerous and detrimental. How often does that get taught to our youth?"
Bob Smithouser (Focus on the Family) writes, "The film... makes solid statements about loyalty, family relationships, forgiveness, and the consequences of driving drunk. Except for a mild crudity or two, there are no unpleasant surprises. Little Secrets is a little movie with a big heart."
Mainstream critics are not offended and seem confident that children will enjoy the project. But they question whether its lack of realism is a detriment. Roger Ebert says, "The biggest surprise in Little Secrets is that Ozzie and Harriet don't live next door. The movie takes place in an improbably perfect suburban neighborhood where all the kids wear cute sportswear and have the kinds of harmless problems that seem to exist only so that they can be harmless problems. Then of course there are some Big Problems which are rendered harmless, too. This is a very reassuring film. I am rating this movie at three stars because it contains absolutely nothing to object to. That in itself may be objectionable, but you will have to decide for yourself."
"Treu scores his finest points off the little kids' unfailing cuteness," writes Leslie Carnhi (Village Voice), "but the film's broad performances and heavy-handed moralizing strike a note of condescension sure to be heard by the alienated teenager within us all."
** [2 out of 5 fish]
I went to Little Secrets because the reviews were uniformly vague about just what kind of movie it was. It sounded like a kid's movie, but the reviews took it seriously like a teen (sex?) comedy or maybe even a heartwarming tear-jerker. What I got was a 2 hour after school special from the Twilight Zone.
There is nothing special, or even particularly awful, about this movie on a technical level. The most damming thing I can say is that the cinematography was about as subtle as a sledgehammer. What kept me blinking, and what obvious threw the other reviewers, was how amazingly straight this movie was. It went so out of its way to be straight that I was expecting something awful to happen to the characters. Bad things happen, but nothing evil. Nothing Lynchian. It was hard to accept that someone would portray such good, boring people for reasons other than to make the revelations of incest or devil worship or whatever all the more awful. It would have been slightly less confusing if the movie had obviously been targeted at children, but even after seeing I'm not sure how to categorize it. The trailer selection that went with it showed that the studios thought of it as a kid's movie, but what do they know?
Other reviews inform me that it is set in Salt Lake City, though I don't remember anything in the movie making that clear. If so, the only thing it taught me about SLC is that it has a lot of bland suburbia with a good light rail system. Even without the SLC link, I probably would have been reminded of a comment Orson Scott Card made in his collection Maps in a Mirror. In the back he included several stories he wrote for Mormon audiences. They share the unreal perfection of Little Secrets and as Mr. Card said 'For some of you, at least, reading Mormon fiction will be the most alien experience you've ever had.' That quotation was going through my head frequently as I sat in the theatre, and it nicely sums up the experience. No, you aren't hallucinating.