Little Secrets
Encyclopedia
Little Secrets is a 2002 independent
comedy-drama film
starring Evan Rachel Wood
, Michael Angarano
, and David Gallagher
. It premiered in the Heartland Film Festival
in October 2001, and made its limited theatrical release on August 23, 2002.
), an aspiring 14-year-old violinist, spends her summer practicing for an audition to get into the InterMountain Youth Symphony Orchestra (Salt Lake City, Utah) while her friend, Jenny (Haley McCormick
), goes off to camp. She also runs a secret-keeping business, in which other children give her fifty cents to tell her a secret, which she promises to keep; this is a talent that she is normally very good at. Meanwhile, her parents are expecting another child and seem to care more about it than Emily.
New neighbors move in next door, including Philip (Michael Angarano
). During the move, he accidentally breaks a valued chess
piece and is caught by Emily as he attempts to bury it in the front garden. He pays her fifty cents to keep his deed a secret, and to hide the piece in her treasure trunk (along with other broken property from her other clients, in paper bags labeled with their names).
When Philip decides to join Emily in an afternoon tea session using her family's expensive china, they accidentally break one of the teacups. Emily is faced with the challenge of keeping her own secret and having someone else know about it. Meanwhile, as Philip begins falling for her, his brother David (David Gallagher
) enters the picture. He had been at tennis camp, but was sent back home because he allegedly got drunk and was involved in a car accident. Philip tells her this family secret in exchange that she tells him a secret about her greetings with her friends. She starts getting upset, and says that a person who drinks and drives will do it again, before storming off. She then starts to lose her secret-keeping talent as she falls for David. He also begins falling for her, which makes Philip jealous.
During her mother's baby shower, David tries to talk to Emily, and she reveals that she knows how he was expelled from tennis camp. After, she goes to get her violin from the roof and tumbles to the ground, necessitating a trip to the hospital. While she is there, her mother gives birth to her sister Grace. Everyone is by Emily's hospital bed except David, who is eavesdropping behind the curtain. Her friends ask if her sister looks like she did when she was a baby, and she reveals that she is adopted. Her birth parents were killed while driving in a car when she was 10 months old after being struck by a drunk driver, and she considers it a miracle that she lived. The driver spent one year in prison and barely a month after being released, crashed into someone else's car and killed himself. Upon hearing this, David feels very guilty and understands why she despises him so much. After she is released from the hospital, she and Philip return all of the paper bags to her clients. To thank him, she kisses him on the cheek. Then David appears, and she kisses him on the lips.
gave the film a 60% rating, with the consesus stating "Little Secrets is wholesome entertainment for the kids, but also rather bland." IMDb's rating is 6 stars. Both the VHS and DVD releases on Amazon.com
have a 5 and a half stars rating. It also has won a Film Advisory Board
award. Ebert & Roeper
reviewed the film simply with their infamous "Two thumbs up" quote, meaning their review was positive.
, the star of the film, who also played Jessie Sammler on ABC
's Once and Again
, told the story behind the movie in a 3-minute interview for WAM! entitled Evan Rachel Wood on Little Secrets.
Little Secrets was originally scheduled to play on April 4, 2005, on the Disney Channel
, but it actually made its free-TV premiere on the Hallmark Channel
on April 15, 2006. It also aired on Hallmark Movie Channel
. On July 11, 2008, it was announced that the Disney Channel would start to air the film as well. Since Disney Channel
is the only Disney-owned network in the U.S. that has never aired Evan Rachel Wood content since she was born September 7, 1987, in Raleigh
, North Carolina, the station may have the chance to air Little Secrets by the end of 2009 or as early as 2010. On November 20, 2009, it is said that The Walt Disney Company
has approved the première of Little Secrets on the U.S. Disney Channel. However, in January 2010, Starz and its family of channels have regained the rights to the film and Disney Channel in the U.S. has rejected the idea a second time. However, on March 11, 2010, it was announced that Disney Channel will team up with the Liberty Starz
family of channels (including Starz Kids & Family, and Encore WAM) to air Little Secrets. This will make it the first time in the United States
a non-Disney film written by Jessica Barondes has aired on Disney Channel and the networks of Liberty Starz since 2004.
It also aired on Encore Love since 2011.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
comedy-drama film
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
starring Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood is an American actress and singer. She began her acting career in the late 1990s, appearing in several television series, including American Gothic and Once and Again...
, Michael Angarano
Michael Angarano
- Early life :Angarano was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Doreen and Michael P. Angarano. He is of Italian descent. His family owns and operates three successful dance studios; two in New York and one in California called Reflections in Dance. His mother is the owner and director of all...
, and David Gallagher
David Gallagher
David Lee Gallagher is an American actor. Beginning a prolific career as a child actor and model at the age of two, Gallagher is a five-time Young Artist Award nominee and Teen Choice Award winner, best known for his role as Simon Camden on the long running television series 7th Heaven, as well as...
. It premiered in the Heartland Film Festival
Heartland Film Festival
The Heartland Film Festival is a film festival held each October in Indianapolis, Indiana. First held in 1992, its goal is to "recognize and honor filmmakers whose work explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life."In May 2007, Heartland...
in October 2001, and made its limited theatrical release on August 23, 2002.
Plot
Emily Lindstrom (Evan Rachel WoodEvan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood is an American actress and singer. She began her acting career in the late 1990s, appearing in several television series, including American Gothic and Once and Again...
), an aspiring 14-year-old violinist, spends her summer practicing for an audition to get into the InterMountain Youth Symphony Orchestra (Salt Lake City, Utah) while her friend, Jenny (Haley McCormick
Haley McCormick
Haley McCormick is an American film and television actress.- Filmography :*2005 - Urban Legends: Bloody Mary*2004 - Halloweentown High*2002 - Everwood*2001 - Little Secrets*2001 - The Poof Point...
), goes off to camp. She also runs a secret-keeping business, in which other children give her fifty cents to tell her a secret, which she promises to keep; this is a talent that she is normally very good at. Meanwhile, her parents are expecting another child and seem to care more about it than Emily.
New neighbors move in next door, including Philip (Michael Angarano
Michael Angarano
- Early life :Angarano was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Doreen and Michael P. Angarano. He is of Italian descent. His family owns and operates three successful dance studios; two in New York and one in California called Reflections in Dance. His mother is the owner and director of all...
). During the move, he accidentally breaks a valued chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
piece and is caught by Emily as he attempts to bury it in the front garden. He pays her fifty cents to keep his deed a secret, and to hide the piece in her treasure trunk (along with other broken property from her other clients, in paper bags labeled with their names).
When Philip decides to join Emily in an afternoon tea session using her family's expensive china, they accidentally break one of the teacups. Emily is faced with the challenge of keeping her own secret and having someone else know about it. Meanwhile, as Philip begins falling for her, his brother David (David Gallagher
David Gallagher
David Lee Gallagher is an American actor. Beginning a prolific career as a child actor and model at the age of two, Gallagher is a five-time Young Artist Award nominee and Teen Choice Award winner, best known for his role as Simon Camden on the long running television series 7th Heaven, as well as...
) enters the picture. He had been at tennis camp, but was sent back home because he allegedly got drunk and was involved in a car accident. Philip tells her this family secret in exchange that she tells him a secret about her greetings with her friends. She starts getting upset, and says that a person who drinks and drives will do it again, before storming off. She then starts to lose her secret-keeping talent as she falls for David. He also begins falling for her, which makes Philip jealous.
During her mother's baby shower, David tries to talk to Emily, and she reveals that she knows how he was expelled from tennis camp. After, she goes to get her violin from the roof and tumbles to the ground, necessitating a trip to the hospital. While she is there, her mother gives birth to her sister Grace. Everyone is by Emily's hospital bed except David, who is eavesdropping behind the curtain. Her friends ask if her sister looks like she did when she was a baby, and she reveals that she is adopted. Her birth parents were killed while driving in a car when she was 10 months old after being struck by a drunk driver, and she considers it a miracle that she lived. The driver spent one year in prison and barely a month after being released, crashed into someone else's car and killed himself. Upon hearing this, David feels very guilty and understands why she despises him so much. After she is released from the hospital, she and Philip return all of the paper bags to her clients. To thank him, she kisses him on the cheek. Then David appears, and she kisses him on the lips.
Cast
- Evan Rachel WoodEvan Rachel WoodEvan Rachel Wood is an American actress and singer. She began her acting career in the late 1990s, appearing in several television series, including American Gothic and Once and Again...
as Emily Lindstrom- the protagonist of the film. She is a professional secret keeper since she never spilled a secret. She falls for David and becomes best friends with Philip. She is a talented violinist who hopes to be in an orchestra. She is adopted due to her parents dying in a car accident with a drunk driver. She is best friends with Jenny and Laurel. Her adopted parents are Caroline and Eddie. - Michael AngaranoMichael Angarano- Early life :Angarano was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Doreen and Michael P. Angarano. He is of Italian descent. His family owns and operates three successful dance studios; two in New York and one in California called Reflections in Dance. His mother is the owner and director of all...
as Philip- David's younger brother and Don's and Elaine's youngest son and 2nd child. He gains a crush on Emily which inspires to play piano. In the end, he just decides be best friends with Emily and let his brother go for her. - David GallagherDavid GallagherDavid Lee Gallagher is an American actor. Beginning a prolific career as a child actor and model at the age of two, Gallagher is a five-time Young Artist Award nominee and Teen Choice Award winner, best known for his role as Simon Camden on the long running television series 7th Heaven, as well as...
as David-Philip's older brother and Don's and Elaine's 1st son and eldest child. He falls for Emily and tries to get her to like him but she keeps shunning him because of a car accident he was involved in. In the end, he and Emily share a kiss. - Vivica A. FoxVivica A. FoxVivica Anjanetta Fox is an American actress and television producer. She is best known for her roles in the films Independence Day, Set It Off, Soul Food, Why Do Fools Fall In Love,Kill Bill and Juwanna Mann....
as Pauline - Jan GardnerJan Broberg FeltJan Broberg Felt is an American actress, singer and dancer. She has appeared in over a dozen feature films. Some of her film credits include: Slaughter Of The Innocents , Poof Point , Message In A Cell Phone , The Secret Keeper , Bug Off, The ButterCream Gang, , Hope For Troubled Teens, Nadir,...
as Caroline Lindstrom - Rick MacyRick MacyRichard "Rick" Franklyn Macy is a Latter Day Saint actor who has played the role of Joseph Smith, Sr. in several films and has also played other roles in LDS Church produced films, in Mormon cinema and in films produced in Utah or by Latter-day Saints aimed at a wider audience.In 2006, Macy had a...
as Eddie - Paul KiernanPaul KiernanPaul Kiernan was a American Democratic Party politician who served as mayor of Long Branch, and as sheriff of Monmouth County, New Jersey.-Background:...
as Don - Tayva PatchTayva PatchTayva Patch is an actress who has played the role of Lucy Mack Smith in many films. She also played the role of the FBI agent Meredith in Brigham City....
as Elaine - Danielle ChuchranDanielle ChuchranDanielle Ryan Chuchran is an American teen actress, having appeared in films since 2001. Currently she is best known for playing the role of Mary Ingalls in the newest screening of Little House on the Prairie...
as Lea - Caitlin Meyer as Isabelle
- Micah Schow as Gregory
- Landon Kunzelman as Mikey
- RuDee Lipscomb as Laurel
- Haley McCormickHaley McCormickHaley McCormick is an American film and television actress.- Filmography :*2005 - Urban Legends: Bloody Mary*2004 - Halloweentown High*2002 - Everwood*2001 - Little Secrets*2001 - The Poof Point...
as Jenny - Joey MiyashimaJoey MiyashimaJoey Miyashima is a Japanese American television and film actor. Miyashima played Pee-wee Herman's Japanese pen pal, Oki Doki, in "Accidental Playhouse", an episode of Pee-Wee's Playhouse...
as Dr. Mezzie
Reception
Little Secrets received mixed to positive reviews upon release, some stating it was a good film for 2001. Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gave the film a 60% rating, with the consesus stating "Little Secrets is wholesome entertainment for the kids, but also rather bland." IMDb's rating is 6 stars. Both the VHS and DVD releases on Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
have a 5 and a half stars rating. It also has won a Film Advisory Board
Film Advisory Board
The Film Advisory Board, Inc. is a member-supported organization founded in 1975 by Elayne Blythe . The FAB's "Award of Excellence" was developed to award quality family-oriented and children's entertainment in both print and electronic media.The second division of FAB is the FAB Ratings System...
award. Ebert & Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
At the Movies was a movie review television program produced by Disney-ABC Domestic Television in which two film critics shared their opinions of newly released films. The program aired under various names...
reviewed the film simply with their infamous "Two thumbs up" quote, meaning their review was positive.
Free television airings for Little Secrets
The film made its TV premiere on the channel now known as Encore WAM on September 5, 2003. After the film premiered, Evan Rachel WoodEvan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood is an American actress and singer. She began her acting career in the late 1990s, appearing in several television series, including American Gothic and Once and Again...
, the star of the film, who also played Jessie Sammler on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Once and Again
Once and Again
Once and Again is an American television series that aired on ABC from September 21, 1999 to April 15, 2002. It depicts the family of a single mother and her romance with a single father...
, told the story behind the movie in a 3-minute interview for WAM! entitled Evan Rachel Wood on Little Secrets.
Little Secrets was originally scheduled to play on April 4, 2005, on the Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
, but it actually made its free-TV premiere on the Hallmark Channel
Hallmark Channel
The Hallmark Channel is a cable television network that broadcasts across the United States. Their programming includes a mix of television movies/miniseries, syndicated series, and lifestyle shows that are appropriate for the whole family...
on April 15, 2006. It also aired on Hallmark Movie Channel
Hallmark Movie Channel
Hallmark Movie Channel is a digital cable channel that is a spin-off of its sister network Hallmark Channel that airs family friendly movies and other television programming.-Hallmark Movie Channel HD:...
. On July 11, 2008, it was announced that the Disney Channel would start to air the film as well. Since Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
is the only Disney-owned network in the U.S. that has never aired Evan Rachel Wood content since she was born September 7, 1987, in Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, North Carolina, the station may have the chance to air Little Secrets by the end of 2009 or as early as 2010. On November 20, 2009, it is said that The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
has approved the première of Little Secrets on the U.S. Disney Channel. However, in January 2010, Starz and its family of channels have regained the rights to the film and Disney Channel in the U.S. has rejected the idea a second time. However, on March 11, 2010, it was announced that Disney Channel will team up with the Liberty Starz
Liberty Starz
Liberty Starz is a wholly owned television programming subsidiary of Liberty Media Corp.The company is headquartered at Meridian, Colorado, though the postal designation of nearby Englewood is commonly listed as the company's location in corporate filings and news accounts...
family of channels (including Starz Kids & Family, and Encore WAM) to air Little Secrets. This will make it the first time in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
a non-Disney film written by Jessica Barondes has aired on Disney Channel and the networks of Liberty Starz since 2004.
It also aired on Encore Love since 2011.