My introduction to Lindsay Lohan's acting skills and charisma is through The Parent Trap, a film that I've filed among my classics. Sadly, this actress’ career and reputation took a nosedive in the years that followed but now, she's back winning hearts again. Her Netflix Christmas romcom, Falling for Christmas (2022), shows she's regaining her stride and slowly coming back into the spotlight.
In recent years, the entertainment industry has inundated us with uninteresting and low quality Christmas movies that make you cringe when you watch them. However, seeing Lindsay Lohan on the poster of Our Little Secret (2024) also featuring Ian Harding, Kristin Chenoweth and Judy Reyes, I knew it's a must watch!
This movie is about a friendship and love that transcends time and distance. It starts in 2014. Avery and Logan grow up as besties and start dating from their teens into early twenties. Avery wants to move to London following her mother's death to pursue her career but Logan wants her to stay. He proposes to her at her farewell party and she says no. They argue before family and friends where he accuses her of running away and this leads to their break up.
Fast forward to years later, Avery is now a business consultant visiting her boyfriend’s family for the holidays. Coincidentally, her boyfriend's sister comes home with her boyfriend, Logan. These ex-lovers are shocked to see each other and must decide whether to reveal to their host family that they had dated. They decide to keep it a secret…but will it stay a secret though?
Review
Unlike many recent Christmas movies that are clichéd and lean more toward unrealistic and fairytale narratives instead of original and convincing storylines, Our Little Secret stands out to an extent, presenting an intriguing take on holiday rom coms.
It isn't the typical lovey-dovey storyline where the man moons over a woman who wouldn't give him attention and when she finally does, it's a ‘Christmas miracle’ and they end it with a kiss. Instead it's a tale of a couple once separated by life's twists, reconnecting under unexpected circumstances. They keep their former relationship a secret and before the holiday is over more secrets are unraveled. It's like a romcom with mild mystery, but not in a bad way.
One of the strengths of this film is its spirited cast. It's good to see Tim Meadows, Kristin Chenoweth and Judy Reyes in supporting roles though they had little screen time and deserve more character development in my opinion. Kristin Chenoweth stands out as the feared mother (or monster) in-law to be.
I enjoyed Ian Harding's performance in Pretty Little Liars and it’s a nice shocker to see him paired with Lindsay. He doesn't play Logan as a romantic hunk desperate to win Avery (Lindsay Lohan) back. No. He takes a cool kind of approach, acting more like a friend and supporter which makes their friendship believable. But there's some ‘stiffness’ when it comes to their romance.
At the beginning of the film, we get an introduction of Avery and Logan's relationship through animation, so that doesn't count. But when they meet a decade later and decide to give their relationship another try, their chemistry feels forced and their climactic kissing scene seems awkward. Perhaps they should have stayed friends, I don't know. That's the only part I'll fault about this movie. Everything else is fascinating and the cinematography is good for a holiday movie.
Overall, Our Little Secret is intriguing, funny, visually appealing and the performance of the cast is great. I'd give it 3 stars out of 5. It's not the kind of film that will win awards but it's definitely a charming holiday film for the family to see.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Thumbnail Image, Fair Use
Other images are screenshots from the movie
Posted using CineTV
