Look, I've watched a lot of dreck, holiday dreck to be precise, especially around Christmas thanks to the likes of Hallmark and Lifetime, but Netflix's latest Lindsay Lohan romantic Christmas comedy "Our Little Secret" is leagues ahead of anything you'd find on either of those two cable channels. Hell, it's better than the streamer's own previous collaborations with the star ("Falling for Christmas" and "Irish Wish"), and infinitely more watchable and charming than the company's competitor Paramount+ and their recent "Dear Santa."
Really, "Our Little Secret" is just one or two script polishes away from being something that could do moderate business theatrically. If only, if only.
Lohan stars as Avery, a business person who hasn't quite gotten over the loss of her mother, her father's (Henry Czerny) retirement and attempts at selling her childhood home and, more importantly to a romantic comedy, her ex-boyfriend Logan's botched proposal from years prior. He's played nicely by Ian Harding, able to straddle the line somewhere between being aloof and intelligent.
Avery is worried to meet her new boyfriend Cam's (Jon Rudnitsky) family for Christmas, especially his mom Erica. She's portrayed by the always-wonderful Kristin Chenoweth, who plays her as a something of a villain. She won't accept her dating her son, for whatever reason, criticizing everything from the wine she brings to the jeans she wears. Erica isn't supposed to be a nice person, and Kristin slips into the role of snarky matriarch like hands in a warm glove on a snowy December day.
Logan's moved on too, dating Cassie (Katie Baker), who spends most of the film making "swooshing" noises on her phone. She's taking him to meet her folks as well and, wouldn't you know it, Cassie and Cam are siblings! Oh the shenanigans that follow.
Should Avery and Logan just tell the family that they used to date like ten years ago? Or, just hear me out, maybe, they should lie and pretend they never met. Lying never causes any problems in the movies!
So yeah, the plot is ripped straight from every other TV rom-com and honestly, a lot of the situations that happen, like a botched secret Santa gift-exchange to blaming the dog on eating all the cookies, play out like sitcom storylines, but that's not what's important. There's a comedic sense of energy here, thanks in no small part to a good cast of principal actors, and even bit parts from the likes of Tim Meadows to Chris Parnell; everyone here seems to be having, I dunno, fun
Veteran director Stephen Herek handles the obvious chaos with a sure touch, and the script by Hailey DeDominicis, who IMBD shows is her first and only writing job, keeps the story moving along at a good pace, giving us an actual plot! And jokes! With setups beforehand! It might not be all that funny, but it's charming and a huge step in the right direction for Lindsay Lohan and her very welcome comeback.
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