Little Secrets (2001)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Blair Treu

Writer:

Jessica Barondes (written by)

Release Date:

30 May 2003 (Norway)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Music

Tagline:

Can you keep a SECRET?

Plot:

Emily Lindstrom, 14, is an aspiring concert violinist; she's spending the summer practicing for a big audition while her girlfriends are at camp...

Plot Keywords:

Secret | Neighbor | Baby | Chess Piece | Violinist

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Evan Rachel Wood	...	Emily Lindstrom
Michael Angarano	...	Philip
David Gallagher	...	David
Vivica A. Fox	...	Pauline
Jan Broberg Felt	...	Caroline Lindstrom (as Jan Gardner)
Rick Macy	...	Eddie
Paul Kiernan	...	Don
Tayva Patch	...	Elaine
Danielle Chuchran	...	Lea
Caitlin E.J. Meyer	...	Isabelle (as Caitlin Meyer)
Micah Schow	...	Gregory
Landon Kunzelman	...	Mikey
RuDee Lipscomb	...	Laurel
Haley McCormick	...	Jenny
Wayne Brennan	...	Gump's Salesman

Also Known As:

Secret Keeper (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements.

Runtime:

96 min | Japan:97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Finland:K-7 | South Korea:All | Australia:PG | Canada:G | Germany:6 | Spain:T | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia TriStar Home Video

Trivia:

Evan Rachel Wood was sent a violin before shooting. As well as having some lessons, she copied the correct movements from a video sent to her, in which her violin pieces were played by a professional violinist.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Philip and Emily are eating pizza, Emily is having some sort of vegetable pizza in her close-up shot but Hawaiian pizza in other shots.

Quotes:

Phillip: [to Laurel and Jenny] We will help and promise to help each other wherever in the world we are. She told me your stupid saying.

Movie Connections:

References Digging to China (1998)

Very cute movie; fun for the whole family

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.