The latest Lindsay Lohan Netflix rom-com, “Our Little Secret,” has managed to fall short of expectations often excused in a feel-good holiday film. The lack of a credible conflict to keep the two romantic leads, Avery (Lohan) and Logan (Ian Harding), apart questions the foundation of the narrative. The movie awkwardly insinuates a career opportunity as the sole reason behind Avery’s hesitation towards marriage, without adequate dialogue or build-up.
The movie jumps to the present day where Avery and Logan find themselves back in their hometown and in relationships with an unappealing brother-sister duo. After a decade-long separation, Avery and Logan are to spend the holiday at the same family Christmas party, committed to hiding their former relationship.
While both sides of the lead pair, Lohan and Harding, manage to hold their own amidst the chaos, the film falls victim to cringe-inducing moments. They include a speech sequence by a THC gummy-affected Avery in a church that spirals into an unsuitable, collective rendition of Kool and the Gang’s “Celebrate.”
In an attempt to sustain the narrative, scriptwriter Hailey DeDominicis adds a heap of side-secrets that are exposed during the film’s climax that seems overly convoluted rather than engagingly complex.
Despite all its quirks and questionable execution, “Our Little Secret” represents the latest influence of Netflix on wholesome movie cheesiness. While the contrivances are apparent and the narrative seems campy, the overall experience somehow achieves its aim in providing a dose of holiday-themed amusement.
