Pequeno Grande Segredo

Shy high school student Lucy (Lizzie Boys) tries to keep to herself. She has one friend and never invites her home. There's a reason. Her highly-skilled nurse and functioning mother Joanna (Melissa Joan Hart) is actually a hoarder. She's always afraid of getting her mother in trouble.

It's Lifetime. It's Melissa Joan Hart. The story lacks drama. I've never considered a child's fear of children services although that would work better for a younger daughter. I don't know where the premise could go. For the drama, Lucy needs to be isolated. She shouldn't have a friend or even siblings. The story could unfold that she starts to open up and that's where the drama comes in. Lizzie looks like a prom queen and it doesn't fit. The last part could be dramatic but some of it seems laughable.

Melissa Joan Hart as Joanna and Lizzie Boys as her daughter, Lucy, both shine in this Lifetime movie about a woman who is essentially, a pack rat and will not part with anything. It gets so bad that she loses her husband and her 2 older children move out. Lucy and her mom keep her secret well guarded. Their house looks like a wall-to-wall garage sale. I never knew that this was actually a sickness, The movie has an unhappy ending, though. More like this!!!

This movie was almost disturbing to watch, which means the lead character, Melissa Joan Hart killed it in this role! You could really feel that she has a disorder and the moments she freaks out in the movie are that of a real life hoarder. I do wish the movie had a more uplifting ending, but not all stories have a happy ending.

No spoilers here so please read on. Dirty Little Secret is about a mother and daughter living with a mother's illness that many people suffer from which is hoarding and compulsive purchasing of on line goods. Outside of their home Joanna (Melissa Joan Hart) lives a somewhat normal life at work and wishes to start dating as a single mom supporting one of her three daughters Lucy (Lizzie Boys) who remained at home after her husband and two (2) other daughters moved out of their home not wanting to tolerate her mothers hoarding any longer.

Joanna even meets a wonderful man but before the relationship can even get to first base Joanna quickly realizes that she cannot have anyone see what a mess her home has become so she breaks off this potentially loving relationship. Joanna's daughter Joy (Lizzie Boys) certainly realizes that her mother has a difficult yet incurable illness with her hoarding and non stop purchasing of on line orders. Joy is the most affected by her mothers illness which leaves her no choice but to continue to create white lies about her homelife to her friends and her school's guidance counsellor.

There is a natural magnetism that occurs between a parent and their children and flaws in a persons character whether they are physical or mental are regularly overlooked with the hope that their problem(s) will simply go away on their own. Such is not the case, certainly not in this made for TV film although who of us can really understand the family dynamics unless we lived it ourselves. I am eternally grateful that my own parents were stable hard working and loving parents and their biggest problem was their own children (including myself) leaving our bedrooms a bit messy.

So for those who did not like the film due to the strange ending (no spoiler here) please try and consider that there are real problems out there and when a film producer and director have approximately 90 minutes to share their story with us accept that there is a lot more to a families story that we are thankfully shared the misery of exploring.

I give the film a respectable 6 out of 10 IMDb rating.

This was really decent up until the last 20 min when it went completely off the rails. Missed opportunity for redemption and a better ending. Two stars for great acting by Melissa Joan Hart and Lizzie Boys but this was truly awful. No idea what the writers or producers were thinking here but it doesn't add up.