The Secret Handshake

This is the only review I've ever written, I believe it is worthy of praise for everyone to watch. It may not be life changing or Oscar worthy. But if you are or want to be a better person, this movie is for you. It is without sex or violence and yet it is uplifting and enjoyable.

I'm surprised this movie doesn't have more reviews! A young teenage boy recently lost his father and starts acting out in school. The final straw is when he embarrasses one of the students, who is a girl. His mom feels lost raising a boy on her own. It's understandably difficult for a woman to teach a boy how to be a man. Well, I have a female cousin who raised 3 boys on her own, and they turned out to be respectful men, but that's hard for a lot of women to do. The boy's mom is stressed out from being a single parent, and he has no other male influences in his life, so she asks the girl's father if he could spend time with him. Along with two of his reluctant friends, they take the boy on a camping trip with the intention of scaring him into becoming a man. I won't give away anything else that happens, because you have to watch it for yourself. I'm a woman, so I obviously can't identify with the struggles that males have, but I enjoyed the movie nonetheless. It's a heartwarming and hilarious film that teaches important life lessons - not just for men, but for humans in general. Moreover, this movie exemplifies that children who cause trouble are not bad. They act rebellious because they're struggling with family issues. Oftentimes, one of or both of their parents didn't give them any nurturance. Children look to their parents for love and safety, so when they don't receive that, they experience challenges with their mental health. The same thing happens if a child loses one of their parents. It's no surprise they cause problems in school and/or within their surrounding community. All kids want is for an adult to take them places and do various activities. More films like this need to be created, because they make people realize the need to look deeper than the surface of an issue. All of the actors gave excellent performances. 10 out of 10 for sure!

The story of a teen male who lost his father nearly three years ago, and has no male at home to help set his moral compass. He falls in love with a girl at school and his wayward friends give him bad advice on how to gain her attention, (to include some off the wall stunts). The girls' father (played by Kevin Sorbo) steps in and with the boys' mom's approval takes the boy on a "scared straight" sort of camping trip, with a couple of Sorbo's adult friends. The intention is to show the boy what it takes to be responsible, and to think for himself as a man, but the trip evolves into an unexpected adventure in a beautiful forest.

Good movie for the entire family with lots of funny moments, and things many of us can relate to from both our youth and beyond.

All parts are played well by the actors and each was typecast very well for their roles.