![]() ![]() Romantic comedies don’t exactly inspire a lot of tension, but too much of “Can You Keep a Secret?” involves Emma doing something she’s embarrassed about and Jack just grinning blankly. But not like this, not hinging on Emma revealing all of her secrets when she meets Jack on a plane (including going on and on long after the massive turbulence subsides, suggesting a psychological break that the movie quickly turns away from) and then discovers, whaddayaknow, that he’s the founder of the company she works for! And, of course, he finds all of her foibles in and out of the office delightful, instantly siding with her among a group of fourth-rate sitcom corporate buffoons. The supposed goal is a story about people having to embrace their quirks and love themselves first before they can be honest and vulnerable with another person, a notion that’s hardly novel but certainly worth repeating. Unfortunately, “Secret,” based on a novel by Sophie Kinsella, saddles Daddario with a character that leans into some of the genre’s worst clichés and turns Emma into a rambling, desperate doofus almost too self-involved to realize that her growing relationship with Jack (Tyler Hoechlin of “Supergirl”) typically involves her talking and him listening and offering nothing about himself in return. That has nothing to do with the star, Alexandra Daddario, who was remarkable in “The White Lotus” after proving her star power and versatility over the years in a variety of solid shows (“Parenthood,” “New Girl”) and mediocre movies (“Baywatch,” “Hall Pass”), with the endearing “When We First Met” the exception to the rule. Now, with everything ready to watch at all times and little distinction between Steve James and Kevin James while scrolling, the playing field is leveled, and the random linings of a $2.99 DVD bin suddenly become the #3 movie of the week on Netflix.Īll that is to say that “Can You Keep a Secret?,” a romantic comedy that treats sensible human behavior as a foreign language it doesn’t speak, should exist on the very outskirts of what you come across to watch, not as the centerpiece. Once upon a time, back when milk cost a nickel and streaming meant wading in a stream, you weren’t going to stumble onto an off-off-off-brand, non-theatrical-release movie unless you were watching a weird channel at a weird time. ![]()
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