Little Secrets

Little Secrets was a gem of a movie picked up only because the big hits were out, and boy was a glad for that. This is a warm hearted and utterly believable little film about teens and kids. The performances by the lead teen stars is so believable I forgot I was watching a Movie, the young kids are so real I swear it was like peering into a real life situation. Kudos to all of the and a tip of the hat to young Landon Kunzelamn as Mikey he cracked me up. Great little movie, don't pass it by on the shelves.

We rented the DVD of this movie the other night, and my daughters and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Those who were hard on the violin faking are being slightly ridiculous, in my humble opinion. I have been playing the violin for 30 years, and in those years I've seen some truly HORRIBLE fake violin "playing" on TV and in movies...for example, Michael Landon as "Pa" in Little House on the Prairie didn't even BOTHER to put the bow on the strings...now HIS faking was laughable. The other night as we watched "Pride and Prejudice" (the A&E version), it was quite noticable that the string quartet was faking, and badly. They could at least attempt to put their bows on their strings! At least Ms. Wood held the violin correctly and moved her fingers sort of close to the rhythms being played. I thought she was one of the better fakers I've seen. According to the commentary on the DVD, she learned all of this by simply watching professional violinists on a tape the director gave her. I have been teaching my own daughter to play, and after two months, she still struggles to hold the bow and the violin correctly. It takes a lot of practice! I applaud Ms. Wood's efforts. Vivica A. Fox, on the other hand, could have used a little of the same kind of practice. But truly, the fake fiddling didn't detract from the story for me at all. They played some very lovely music, and overall, the soundtrack was simply delightful.

The plot of the movie was sweet and quite touching. The child actors were all top notch (particularly Ms Wood, David Angarro, and David Gallagher. I get so tired of seeing movies in which we are subjected to much too "real" situations that some children find themselves in...drug problems, divorce, etc. I found it refreshing that these children lived in a normal neighborhood as MOST Americans do. Sure, bad things happen to kids occasionally, but to dwell on the dark side of life is depressing, and not at all entertaining. This is a kid's movie (actually it's a family movie) and I appreciated that it was sweet and charming. I highly recommend it.

A very relaxing movie with real understanding of early teenage. Evan Rachel Wood plays a very interesting character with real passion. All the other child actors also did their respective jobs quite satisfactorily. The script is wonderfully written which makes it a perfect early-teen movie without being perky.

The ending somehow becomes a little too predictable and the story should have included more of Emily's darker side of nature. But I understand this film to be watched mostly by much younger audience, so I guess it's better to keep her character such near-perfect. In the end, the movie is definitely pleasant and relaxing to watch.

... and everyone responded with a cheerful (maybe a little tearful) thumbs up.

Sure, we know that main character, Evan, isn't "really" playing the violin, but once you get past that, you can get into the story... and a great story it is. One that works on many levels. I wasn't prepared for some of the "surprises" -- especially the emotional ones.

The relationships that build are never forced, almost as though the three main stars (Evan Rachel Wood, Michael Anarano and David Gallagher) are good "off screen" friends. The three make great use of facial expressions and body language, even when they don't have a speaking part. And speaking of speaking, it's great to see (or, rather, *hear*) a movie that doesn't have to resort to trashy talk in order to develop its characters. (Why, I can't recall my TV Guardian blanking out a single bad word -- way to go Blair Treu!)

For a good Family Movie -- Little Secrets is highly recommended.

Movie- It's about a girl named Emily who has a secret about her past. She doesn't tell anyone one about it. She then encourages the neighborhood kids to come to her with their secrets. (Calling herself the secret keeper). Emily's friends go off to camp, but she stays behind with her dream of becoming a violinist. The movie starts to get going when she gets two next door neighbors. She becomes friends with one of the neighbors, Philip. During the rest of the movie secrets are told and kept. But two secrets get out in the open. And Emily realizes Secrets are bad.

Pro- I liked the acting of Evan Rachel Wood. And I also liked the overall idea of the movie.

Con-In the end, she ends up with someone. I don't want to spoil the ending, so I'll just say it was disappointing.

Overall Rating of the movie-I give it a B+. Some of the scenes were pretty stupid. ( Along with some acting)