Our Little Secret parents guide

Our Little Secret Parent Guide

An extended scene of marijuana use overshadows better-than-average writing and heartfelt performances.

Overall C+

Netflix: Avery is delighted to go home for Christmas with her boyfriend, only to discover that her ex-boyfriend is dating her current boyfriend's sister.

Release date November 26, 2024

Violence A
Sexual Content B
Profanity B
Substance Use C

Why is Our Little Secret rated TV-14? The MPAA rated Our Little Secret TV-14 for language, substances

Run Time: 101 minutes

Parent Movie Review

Avery (Lindsay Lohan) and Logan (Ian Harding) have been inseparable since childhood, first as friends and then as a couple. In her twenties, Avery is given an opportunity to move to London for a job, which leads to a messy split from Logan. Ten years later, the two have moved on with their lives and both have new partners who have invited them home for Christmas. There they have an unwelcome seasonal surprise: Avery’s boyfriend and Logan’s girlfriend are siblings.

To avoid the inevitable awkwardness, Avery and Logan decide to hide their past and pretend they’ve never met. But hiding their past proves to be more difficult than expected as new sparks are ignited and family secrets come to light.

It looks like Netflix has nailed the formula for Christmas rom-coms. Their new strategy of casting millennial nostalgia-inducing leads in films built on silly premises and heaps of genre tropes has worked on me and, based on the breakroom chatter at my office, a lot of other women in my age range. Lindsay Lohan was a huge part of my childhood, and it’s so fun to see her in these types of films again. She’s pleasantly perky and has fabulous chemistry with Ian Harding. The real star of this film, however, is Kristin Chenoweth as the snobby mother-in-law, who steals every scene she’s in.

The script for Our Little Secret isn’t doing anything new, but it does the expected exceptionally well. The characters have motivations and personality, and Avery and Logan actually make sense as a couple. I wish this wasn’t something I had to point out, but you’d be surprised at how often movie couples have nothing in common. The story is clichéd and you know exactly how it’s going to end from minute one, but it’s still a fun journey to go on, especially because these characters are more than just one-dimensional stereotypes. Avery and Logan are both flawed people who make mistakes, but they grow and learn both together and apart, which is refreshingly healthy.

The TV-14 rating and this film’s relatively poor grade on our website are primarily due to marijuana use. Social drinking is par for the course in most productions, but this story features brief drunkenness as well as an extended scene of a stoned main character, which is a bit more than we would expect to see in a light-hearted seasonal rom-com. The sexual content is shockingly low for this genre, which I appreciated. Though not appropriate for family viewing, I think many adult audiences will enjoy this flick for its better-than-average writing and fun performances. It sure got me in the holiday spirit, and that’s all I can ask.

Directed by Stephen Herek. Starring Lindsay Lohan, Ian Harding, Kristin Chenoweth. Running time: 101 minutes. Theatrical release November 26, 2024. Updated

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Our Little Secret
Rating & Content Info

Why is Our Little Secret rated TV-14? Our Little Secret is rated TV-14 by the MPAA for language, substances

Violence: None.
Sexual Content: Some mild innuendo. Adult couples kiss. It is revealed that two married people are having an affair.
Profanity: The script contains eight mild and moderate expletives and 18 terms of deity.
Alcohol / Drug Use: Adults drink socially in many scenes. A man is portrayed as drunk in one scene. A woman accidentally eats some THC gummies and gets high. The gummies are later revealed to belong to an 18-year-old, though we never see him eat them. That same 18-year-old tries to drink alcohol but is stopped by his parents.

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Our Little Secret Parents' Guide

Why do Avery and Logan break up? How have they changed over the years and how does that change their relationship?

Home Video

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Lindsey Lohan is building a career in romantic comedies. Falling for Christmas sees her playing a hotel heiress who develops amnesia after falling down a mountain, only to wind up falling for a widower. Ms. Lohan also appears in another Netflix rom-com, Irish Wish. In this film she wishes she were the bride instead of the bridesmaid and wakes up as the bride-to-be. Just My Luck stars Ms. Lohan as a young woman whose unprecedented good luck is stolen away; it can only be regained by tracking down and kissing the mystery man who initiated her troubles.