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The Secret: Dare To Dream


 


 STORY: Based on Rhonda Byrne’s bestselling self-help book, ‘The Secret: Dare to Dream’ is the story that basically tells how positive thoughts lead to positive outcomes.



REVIEW: Miranda Wells (Katie Holmes) is a widow mothering three kids and struggling to make ends meet. By her own admission, they are not poor, they’re just broke. Their sleepy town of New Orleans, Louisiana is once again in the eye of the storm. While the locals are quite used to getting their lives uprooted every year, for Miranda it’s a matter of life and death. Buried under huge debts, she has no means to get her rickety home fixed. She works at a local seafood restaurant and her salary doesn’t even cover the cost of her dental treatment. The owner Tucker (Jerry O'Connell) harbours feelings for her, but Miranda doesn’t quite feel the same way. Something that her caring yet intrusive mother-in-law Bobby (Celia Weston) cannot understand why. But just when Miranda is hitting rock bottom, she happens to, quite literally, bump into the handsome and charming Bray Johnson when she rams her car into his. Instead of having a showdown with her, Bray fixes her car and also offers to repair her roof after a tree comes crashing down on it. While Bray’s entry brings positive changes in her life, he also carries a sealed envelope that he is meant to give Miranda. It holds the key to a secret that is deeply connected with Miranda’s past, present and future.

Director and co-writer Tennant smartly picks the positives of the book and adapts it to a feel-good screenplay that never lets you down. Right from the start, the film’s narrative builds enough intrigue while weaving in the various facets of Miranda’s life, including the stormy weather of New Orleans. The setting is symbolic yet simple. And despite telling a story that basically deals with exploring the power of positive thoughts, the writing never gets preachy or overbearing. Of course, there are a lot of inspiring lines like ‘coincidence is God’s way of staying anonymous,’ but coming from a seasoned actor like Josh Lucas, they do stick.

Lucas is instantly likeable as a sagely professor, who is also quite adept at fixing things around the house. You will find yourself rooting for him despite knowing that he is indeed hiding a secret. Katie Holmes is aptly cast too and she gives an honest and amiable performance. In fact, she makes it work despite quite a routinely written character. Among the supporting cast, Celia Weston is adorable as Bobby such that her transgressions into Miranda’s life never seem annoying or uncalled for.

While ‘The Secret’ doesn’t tell you what you don’t know already, it does so with simplicity and sensitivity. Overall, it’s a well-meaning film that gives you cosmic hope in a way that leaves you entertained and smiling.
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