Movie reviews: Hollywood and Indie, specializing in independent comedies, dramas, thrillers and romance.
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Our Little Secret: Movie Review
Awkwardness masquerading as comedy.
Netflix is releasing a new Christmas rom-com each Wednesday in November. Things started out pretty good with the enjoyable Meet Me Next Christmas, and then got a little worse with the whimsical Hot Frosty, and then it got a little worse with the lazy but shirtless The Merry Gentlemen, and now it has gotten even worse with whatever Our Little Secret is - a romantic comedy that is light on the comedy and the romance, filled with annoying contrivances.
2024
Directed by: Stephen Herek
Screenplay by: Hailey DeDominicis
Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Ian Harding, Kristin Chenoweth
Avery (Lindsay Lohan) and Logan (Ian Harding) are exes who grew up together as inseparable best friends, dated as teenagers, but then broke up when Avery moved to London for a dream job. Now it’s 10 years later, they haven’t talked to each other in a decade, but they happen to be dating siblings and meeting their partners’ family for the first time. When they arrive and meet each other, Logan is normal but Avery decides they should pretend they don’t know each other. This sets Lindsay Lohan up for many awkward situations, which is for the best since Ian Harding has a more limited skill set, but awkwardness is not inherently funny.
Avery is dating Cam (Jon Rudnitsky), who is equally high-strung and business-obsessed. They’re presumably only dating because they’re so similar. There is no indication that they actually like each other. Meanwhile, Logan is dating Cassie (Katie Baker) who is very non-descript. Maybe that’s why Logan’s dating her because she is just an empty, pretty vessel. There is no indication that they actually like each other.
Most of the comedy is supposed to come courtesy of Kristin Chenoweth as Erica the mother. She is an awful person who openly plays favorites with her three kids: Cam the oldest is her favorite, Cassie the middle child is her middle-favorite, and Callum the youngest is her least favorite. She also openly hates her husband, automatically hates Avery because she’s dating her favorite child, and loves Logan because he’s an improvement over Cassie. All of the comedy comes from that set-up. Dysfunction isn’t funny especially when it’s so mean-spirited.
The romance should be very predictable – Avery and Logan obviously reconnect after constantly being thrown together over Christmas. There is one problem with this though – they have no chemistry. They fit better together than with anyone from that awful family, but there is no pull to see them together. I just wanted to them to walk out that house and never see that family again.
Other than the pretending to not know each other, and the weird third child, there are very few common rom-com tropes at play. So while it’s not a lazy Christmas romance per se, it is a low-key one with comedy that isn’t particularly funny and romance that isn’t romantic.
Want a different Christmas movie or just more holiday-themed movies?Holiday Movies
