Little Secrets (2001) User Reviews (40)

Pleasant...

[shanfloyd · 6/10 · 2 April 2007]

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.

"Blue Velvet" for the Middle School Set

[aimless-46 · 7/10 · 7 September 2005]

David Lynch's "Blue Velvet" starts with some great images: ideal suburbia - kids crossing the street, firemen waving as they go down the road on their truck, and a man watering his garden. Then the guy has a stroke and collapses. We are then treated to the best shot of the film: his dog playfully jumping around the squirting hose he continues to hold as a toddler ambles toward him. Then the camera moves down for a macro shot of the insect world in his lawn, introducing the film's theme that there is a secret and much nastier world just below the surface of "Norman Rockwell" suburbia.

In "Little Secrets", Emily runs a business which keeps all the neighborhood secrets in a safe place for a fee. It takes Lynch's dark theme and turns it into a lesson about friendship and trust. Apparently this thematic content is the reason the film was given a PG rating, although it is hard to imagine that anyone would think this film required "parental guidance".

The film features a decent performance from Evan Rachel Wood (Emily), although there is nothing here that would lead anyone to think she was capable of her breakout performance in "Thirteen". Michael Angarano (Phillip) is fantastic opposite Wood and they have a nice chemistry. David Gallagher does a good job in a small role that is unnecessarily tacked onto the story, presumably to capitalize on his "7th Heaven" popularly. Blair Treu, the film's director, should have recognized in mid-production that a better resolution would have been the pairing of Emily and Phillip rather than Emily and David. It was an easy fix, minor rewrites and re-shooting a couple scenes to make Phillip the same age as Emily, they certainly look the same age. Gallagher's drawing power did not save the production commercially (it tanked big time at the box office) so they ruined the ending for nothing.

The director of photography used a lot of great crane shots and creative camera angles but overall the the shots should have been tighter (i.e. closer shots of the faces and eyes). One exception was Caitlin E. J. Meyer (Isabelle) who the camera loves and who steals her scenes as the nine-year old younger sister of Emily's best friend. Isabelle has the movie's best line "Life is complicated when you look like Claudia Schiffer".

This is a very original premise, a well-conceived and rather profound story. It has one especially great scene when the web of secrets starts to crumble. First Emily is angry at David because he was caught drinking which was his secret, making David angry at Phillip for telling Emily his secret, which makes Phillip angry at Emily for telling David that he had told her David's secret.

Very cute movie; fun for the whole family

[ArizWldcat · 7/10 · 16 April 2003]

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.

Enjoyable Family Fare

[frostedpinkcupcake · 7 April 2004]

OK, I admit it - I liked Little Secrets. Didn't LOVE it, but I liked it. Which will place me squarely in the critical minority, I'm sure. But, here's the thing. I'm first, and foremost, a family woman. And, from a parental perspective, I can tell you that films I can feel comfortable sitting down and watching with my younger cousins are few and far between. Little Secrets is one of those films, a non-threatening, light-hearted piece of fluff that leaves you feeling….pretty good. A girl puts her ability to keep a confidence to work, though she soon learns it's a tougher job than she imagined in this comedy drama for young people.

A girl puts her ability to keep a confidence to work, though she soon learns it's a tougher job than she imagined in this comedy drama for young people. Emily (Evan Rachel Wood) is a 14-year-old girl who loves music and is studying the violin. She has a real gift as a violinist, and has passed up the opportunity to go to summer camp with her friends to study with her tutor, Pauline (Vivica A. Fox), who believes Emily has a chance of landing a spot in the community symphony orchestra. Emily also has an unusual business on the side -- for 50 cents, she'll hear and keep other kids' secrets, and offer advice on how to keep incriminating facts away from parents, teachers, or other authority figures. However, she also has a secret of her own -- a new family has moved into the neighborhood, and while Philip (Michael Angarano), a year or two younger than Emily, quickly takes a liking to her, she immediately develops a crush on his older brother, David (David Gallagher). However, David has a habit of getting into trouble, and soon Emily is keeping some secrets she's prefer to get off her chest.

If all of this sounds very formulaic it is. There is little in the way of surprises here - much of the plot is recycled from any one of a dozen other family films. But it is loaded with nice little comedic moments. Under the comedic surface lie themes of family unity, cooperation, priorities, and unconditional love.

As for the performances, they're okay. Our star Wood (Thirteen, Simone) doesn't have to stretch too far playing the teenage violinist and Gallagher (TV's Seventh Heaven) gets plenty of face time as Emily's friend. Vivica A. Fox plays Emily's violin teacher. With an ensemble cast this large, it is difficult for anyone in the cast to stand out performance wise, but each gets a moment during the film to reveal a bit of his or her personality.

Overall, Little Secrets is innocent and inoffensive family fare that the kids will probably love and parents will find rather enjoyable.7/10.

A very cute movie, surprisingly good

[lethalweapon · 7/10 · 25 February 2006]

Sunday morning, all my friends went visiting their homes, no college, and a perpetual feeling of 'I'm-about-to-yawn-any-minute-now' creeping out at me. Needless to say, I was bored out of my skull when this movie came up on TV. It seemed like a cheesy movie, and I would have seen just about anything at that moment. (of course with the exception of Freddy Prince Junior movies, but then again, that just shows good sense) It did indeed seem like nothing more than idle time pass when I started off; a cute story about a teenager who protects her neighboring kids' secrets for a fee... simple little secrets like a broken vase... but somewhere along the line, the movie took shape to a surprisingly deeper story.

It is a lovely tribute to friendship. It covers the bond between friends in a very neat way. It is a movie about trust, inspiration, and growing up. Most of the people played their part well. Evan Rachel Wood gave an particularly compelling performance.

I loved the violin sequences. And the general musical undertone was well delivered. The kids' general problems were also cute. The central theme of a 'professional secret keeper' was an interesting combination of fairy tale and reality. Perhaps that was why I was surprised how great it finally turned out.

It has its bad points, of course. *spoiler* Somewhere in the process of making this cute little story, they decided to put in romance as well. It was as if they felt COMPELLED to add in that piece. An obligatory addition. And they had to end the romance part on a positive note. It somehow doesn't fit in. Not by a long shot. I loved all other parts of the ending, but that bit felt too out of place *spoiler* All in all, I'd say you should give this a watch. You'll find out age doesn't matter. You're never too old to enjoy this movie. Like me, though, you may regard this as a children's movie at first, you may also be pleasantly moved. And if you're one of those people who feel just a tad bit reluctant to really yell out how much they actually loved it, don't worry.

We can keep that little secret.

A review by Micah Schow (Gregory)

[penguin-man222 · 7/10 · 27 June 2006]

Hi, I'm Micah Schow and I played Gregory on Little Secrets, I figured it was only fair if I were to write a review for it... -_-' This movie is a good movie for an audience of 10 and up, of course that is only of my recommendation. I found this movie good for a teenager who is looking for a love movie with a group their age, even though the Hollywood ages for characters changes a good extent. It is funny and it has good characters. This movie has a good original soundtrack to go with it.

Since this movie is full of first-time child actors you cant expect everyone to have the greatest acting skills in America. Even though it has a very original, peaceful, relaxing soundtrack, it gets stuck in your head... a lot.

Be looking for Little Secrets on Disney channel around July - August '06, thank you for reading my review, Micah Schow

Secrets hurt everyone

[luvppanther · 7/10 · 8 October 2005]

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)

Remake of Samantha (1992)

[larson-elliot · 4/10 · 7 April 2007]

I caught this movie on TV and at first I thought it was a movie I had seen before but I soon realized it was a remake. I did not think it was as good as the original. The script has been rewritten for younger audiences and the characters were younger. In the original I think it starts off on her 18th birthday. Due to the younger characters they toned down the romantic plot to more of a teenage puppy love. Also they took out a lot of the quirkiness of the original character who was more of an adventurous tom boy that liked to pretend she was Huidini.

If you like this movie I recommend watching the original.

The original is "Samantha" (1992) IMDb# tt0102832

When the credits rolled, I looked over at the family and...

[Sandcastling Guy · 10/10 · 24 March 2003]

... 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.

Surprisingly good

[shadow-fox87 · 7/10 · 7 April 2007]

I've just watched this movie as it was shown this afternoon on TV, and boy I was very surprised.

There are so many movies in this kind of young-teen-family genre, but this is definitely one of the best. The underlying message of the movie was a basic 'don't keep secrets from your friends' in a very interesting way.

Everything was very true to life (except for the dinosaur bones maybe!) -- for example, when Phillip's older brother had been drinking, and been in the car with a friend who was too drunk to drive. Although he was only fourteen, the fact is that fourteen year olds do do that sort of thing -- whether it's nice or not, or whether it's right or not.

It was also good the way they had that massive twist towards the end, yet everything worked out very well in the end without being corny.

This is the sort of movie that isn't ground-breaking cinema (and doesn't try to be) but still is quite an entertaining way to spend an hour and a half.

Meh......

[groovichick232 · 4/10 · 25 March 2005]

To be very honest, I wasn't impressed with this. The only thing that I thought was good was the acting and most of the kids in that are very talented.The story was quite good, but I have seen better.

The only thing I really disliked about this film was David Gallagher, who I don't think was right for the role, and isn't the best actor.Oh yeah, and I was hoping for Phillip and Emily to get together.

Some is this film was quite funny at parts, but overall the script writing was not great. I would only watch this once in a while if nothing else was on. I think 9-12 year olds would enjoy watching this the most, but it is a good movie for all the family.

Little Surprise

[dmills9 · 8/10 · 15 September 2008]

I hadn't personally heard of this one, until I stumbled across it on IMDb. Decent rating, with that '7th Heaven' kid. (I used to love that show.) I thought I'd give it a try.

What a great find! I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The acting from all involved was excellent. The story was believable. The characters were ones you could understand emotionally (even if you've never been in their shoes).

A story driven piece. It's not about effects or anything superficial. It actually means something.

While I think it was perfectly executed by all involved, I do not give it a ten. It was enjoyable. I really like it, but I don't love it. I think it's basically because I'm not a teen or a young child and that's who it's aimed at.

But, that being said, I would watch it again, and maybe even add it to our families movie library. Give it a try. You, too, may be pleasantly surprised.

Great movie!

[phillsbeagle · 7/10 · 16 April 2003]

I highly recommend this movie, primarily to teens and youth. It has a very good plot and storyline, and unlike most movies these days, it has a great ending. It feature David Gallager from the award winning TV Show, Seventh Heaven. I suggest you see it. If you don't you'll be sorry.

A Waste of Time - and Money

[ensignkayla · 1/10 · 1 June 2003]

I have really no complaints about this movie except for how badly it sucked! I rented this movie and was sorely disappointed. That one dude from Seventh Heaven was horrible, and the girl (Emily) has no depth to her voice. The children in the movie were not convincing at all, and times when the movie tried to be dramatic it was not. Infact, dramatic scenes I found were the most humorous! My sister is a violist, and had several complaints on how unconvincing her violin playing was. She stops before the music does, and at one part it's not even playing violin, but a viola. Seriously, fix the movie and maybe I'll be satisfied. Horrible casting - that's all I have to say.

Decent Pre-Adolescent Flick

[Chrysanthepop · 26 September 2008]

'Little Secrets' is one of those 'sweet' movies that appeals mostly to early teens. The story idea of a young secret keeper is quite amusing and the secret keeper's quest to adulthood is portrayed in an okay way (though very clichéd). Evan Rachel Wood is very pretty and her acting is also what contributes to the film's positive side. She's the reason why I watched it till the end instead of switching to something else (as mushy teen flicks of this decade do not hold much appeal to me). Vivica A. Fox delivers a restrained performance and Michael Angarano is alright. The rest of the cast are adequate. On the flip side, 'Little Secrets' is no classic and it will vanish into oblivion among other teen flicks releasing every year. The direction is okay as Treu stays focused on Emily's story but at the same time he introduces too many themes that are tackled in a very sugarcoated and half-baked manner. Overall, it's a decent flick with a good performance by a confident young actress.

Could've been better

[sourapple · 7/10 · 15 August 2003]

This charming movie made quite a first impression. I wasn't really expecting to watch the entire movie, but the simplicity of the story and the little by little complexity was intriguing!

The acting was decent enough. Although if I see David Gallagher again, I'm going to throw up. What I didn't like about the movie was how the wrong person ended up with girl. Life is unfair, but atleast make lives in the movie pleasant to see!!!

I was expecting Philip and Emily to hit it off, since their chemistry really clicked, but instead I got David Gallagher's irritating face. There was no connection whatsoever with David and Emily's character. They met on the elevator. Big deal. Philip and Emily's character developed and instead of them being together, the older brother gets the girl. Bad values. But enough about that.

All in all, it was a fairly good and inspiring little movie. People who think that young people don't really have "real" problems to complain about should watch this film. This film reminds you who simple life could be while you're still young, and how complex everything could be with just little secrets.

Not just for kids

[btm1 · 7/10 · 6 December 2010]

A number of other IMDb reviewers hinted that "Little Secrets" was very good only for ages 10 to 18. Well, I enjoyed watching it on cable TV even though I'm more than 50 years past that age range. I consider it to be a "coming of age" genre film. It has a good story to tell with neat twists, and good music. The fact that it is also sneaks in a couple of morality messages is the only part that seemed to me to may be oriented to teens and pre-teens, which did not distract from the emotional feeling I got from the story. Perhaps some adults also could realize how stupid and possibly harmful some of their behaviors are. As often happens with me with good stories, I was teary by the end of the film.

As Micah Schow, who played Gregory on "Little Secrets," wrote in his own IMDb review, "Since this movie is full of first-time child actors you cant expect everyone to have the greatest acting skills in America." But the performances were most of the time pretty good, particularly the principals.

One minor quibble I have, the film director or editor should have shortened the break dance that Philip went into when he became deliriously happy. Perhaps the scene was kept long as a favor to the talented young performer (Michael Angarano) playing that part.

Immediately one of my favorite movies!

[angedore93 · 10/10 · 23 April 2007]

"Little Secrets" tells the story of a 14 year old aspiring violinist... She's also the neighborhood 'secret keeper', and children from around the neighborhood come and pay 50cents to tell her their secrets. She'll even put away any broken stuff they've got. Eventually the secrets she knows begin to be too much for her, and things start to get out of hand.

A lot of people have criticized the fact that in the end she goes with David, but honestly, I would've too. Yep, I'm sooo not for a girl going with a younger guy *especially* when she's 14 and he's 12... and when he's shorter, how do you work kissing out that way? Haha... So I Like the fact she ended out with David, it adds that small spark of romance that helps make it a favorite of mine. True, I feel sorry for Fill-it-Up, but in her position I would've made the same decision... heh So yes, a really good movie that I truly recommend...

~AngeDoré

cute kids movie and more

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 4 July 2021]

Emily Lindstrom (Evan Rachel Wood) is a 14-year-old violinist. Her friends are away at summer camp. She's not happy with her very pregnant mother and the expected arrival. She's preparing with her teacher Pauline (Vivica A. Fox) for an audition to a youth symphony orchestra. She has a side job. In her backyard booth, she listens and promises to keep the neighborhood's youngest kids their secrets for fifty cents each. The Lenox family with two sons, Philip (Michael Angarano) and David (David Gallagher), moves in next door. One day, she finds Philip burying a chess piece under her mother's roses and she takes him on as her new client.

Somebody obviously love Peanuts. At first, that's the level that I approached this movie. It seems to be light weight cute Disney movie. It certainly has that sense and that's a big part of this movie. It's cute. The little kids and their secrets are funny and sweet and compelling and cute. The movie also has two nice performances from its young lead stars, Wood and Angarano. The movie reaches another level when Emily reveals her secret. It's partly ERW as a young actress and partly the emotional power of that secret. I was suspecting something somewhat akin to the reveal. It's done very well and that's why the theme of secrets is so compelling. I would do something better with the chess piece secret. It's a bit light-weight by comparison. Overall, this is a cute fun little kids movie that is more than a cute fun little kids movie.

Clever hidden gem of a movie

[quincy-white · 7 June 2003]

I had never heard of this movie when I saw it in the video store, but I rented it on a fluke just because I'm a fan of Evan Rachel Wood. It turned out to be a fun and dramatic gem, cute without being too cute. It takes on a difficult challenge, making a kids movie adults can also enjoy, all without Shrek-style irony. The revelations in the end can be seen coming before they happen, but it is still enjoyable watching the arcs of all the characters, as well as the subtle lesson in truth. Recommended rental.

A very good film

[vasutali · 10/10 · 12 October 2005]

It may be the first time we are seeing a film without any fights and sex. Really it is film about love and full of love. We envy that world. Actually it is world of our dreams, a world of love.

We congratulate the story maker and directer for this wonderful film.

We think the script, direction and acting was really good.

We think that this kind of love films are a necessary divertion in this world of religious hatred and violence.

We never expected such a film from Hollywood. We usually see such good films on French TV. Here our Bollywood is an evil place producing 100s of filthy movies every month. We love to see such films.

Highly recommend for family fare. Well directed, original storyline

[rexdog9 · 8/10 · 26 February 2005]

I have 2 kids, 5 & 7. My 7-year old picked this one out at the video store while I was digging for blood-and gut stuff after they fall asleep. I am used to yawning and catnapping thru horrible Japanese cartoons, Disney offal (how can David Spade offend in equal measure without even using his gen-ZZZ, I'm-so-smart I'm-Bored ((Wow David! You MUST be smart!)) persona, by using only his voice? Perhaps he DOES have some talent) or cartoon network SCREAMFESTS, all supposedly aimed at kids while cramming greed and excess down their eager throats. I would rather do this some nights, in spite of the side effects, than willingly enter into a fight over a kid movie. Single parents, you know the drill. And Friday night is Movie Night at our place.

And I'll confess I drifted off during the movie, since it was the second of two (Neverending Story 2, which is BAAAAD), but not before dully noticing that it was well-acted. On second and third watching I am entering comment-land. I didn't find a weak performance. I loved the story line. All the characters have some depth, do not readily lapse into clichéd kidspeak (gnarly, like, so, overit, etc) but actually verbalize cogent thoughts, and the movie is filled with weird kids being treated normally instead of being ostracized or teased for not fitting in with the DisneyKind. Bad fiddling? Who cared or knew. My impression of those who actually can play the violin well is that you've lassoed some life more fulfilling than sitting around watching kid movies. Myself, I chose guitar, and still wouldn't fault the most amateur airplayer for missing a lick or two. This movie is good stuff. Rent it and enjoy.

Classy film aimed at middle schoolers

[wadeboi · 26 November 2004]

Refreshingly different from the usual young teen fare. A 14-year-old girl has goals and focus on a classical music career and, while living a fairly normal teen life.

There are many little secrets to be revealed throughout the course of the film. An interesting gimmick that adds to the charm and interest.

**SPOILER ALERT**

The ending is a bit of a disconnect. The real hero, 12-year-old Phillip, should have gotten the girl at the end. The director dismisses this outcome in the DVD commentary as "implausible." Why? A 12-year-old seventh grader being attracted to a 14-year-old 8th or 9th grader? What's so implausible about that? We see little of the (15-year-old) older brother character to motivate any sense of connection,

The film manages to overcome the 'Afterschool Special' formula with some good photography and a good dramatic score. We are mostly spared monotonous rap music or the teen pop score that would be the norm in this kind of film. The morality lessons are nicely underplayed. The film could have been improved by focusing more on the love triangle and not getting so distracted with most of sub-plots.

LOVED THIS MOVIE Two thumbs UP!!

[movieking2003 · 10/10 · 11 August 2003]

That is so weird to me that the last two reviews are such negative ones. Evidently these are people who just don't know a good movie when they see one! To say it 'sucked' (can't you think of at least a better descriptive word?) shows me that these are just kids who are into the violent/fastpaced/rated R shows that kids watch these days.

Anyway, all that aside. I rented Little Secrets and it was a wonderful family film, the acting was really great. Michael Angarano shines in this movie, he is such a great actor. Evan was wonderful and very believable, and David played a great subtle part. The kids in the movie were all very good in their own right, each one bringing a dimension to the movie. They were real kids, and they did an awesome job. I liked the story line, it had a great message, and I would recommend this movie to anyone young or old.

The best gem I've ever had

[griz44 · 10/10 · 28 April 2005]

Little Secrets, 2001, PG, **+ out of **** Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Michael Angarano, David Gallagher and Vivica A. Fox The plot: A 14-year old violinist charges her friends 50 cents for keeping her secrets.

It is real that this film gave me 100% delight! Sure, it ran in 366 screens. That's 123 more than "Thirteen". The good thing is: Evan Rachel Wood (Once and Again) plays Emily Lindstrom. She plays the violin in the movie. She also tells secrets to kids and teens. I'm sure the best thing about "Little Secrets" is the reason Evan was the lead star at that. At an estimated $5 million, this film comments to kids about broken merchandise. If you are pleased about Evan Rachel Wood, this is one great indie that hits the spot. It is true that back in September 2003, Evan promoted the movie on WAM! at the tender age of 15! How nice! And one best thing about keeping secrets is: Express yourself with the kindness of strangers! I know one of the best things that keep me in the mood for is this: Evan doesn't play the violin in real life! And one more thing that really is a gem is: Disney Channel will be airing this movie!