Spoilers Alert:
Based on the esoteric self-help book THE SECRET – THE SECRET In the film adaptation of the same name, director Andy Tennant wants us to believe that all you need is the right attitude to life so that luck will be on your side. However, we will reveal in our criticism why this cannot automatically be understood as positive and life-affirming.
Bray (Josh Lucas) helps rebuild the house.
Far be it from us to randomly interpret things into a film just to support our arguments. But in “The Secret” you don’t have to assume any of this; You get it shown one-to-one on the screen. Terms from (especially Christian) faith are repeatedly used. As charming as Bray may be, he subliminally makes it clear to Miranda in his courtship of her how she once maneuvered herself into her precarious situation and, last but not least, the dialogues, which consist primarily of motivational sayings and empty phrases, can never actually convey the esoteric mumbo jumbo substantiate. In a nice way, this meant: “The Secret” is simply a cinematic fortune cookie that can motivate you if you are a little bit receptive to it, but which gives you anything but wisdom. Viewed negatively, the makers are pursuing an agenda with their film – just like all the Christian-motivated dramas from the USA that have appeared in recent years, whose fan base is so large that even we are responsible for our reviews of films like “The Hut – A Weekend With God” is regularly insulted by angry readers.
“Because where things can be changed for the better through sheer willpower – always remember: think positively! – Conversely, this ultimately means that you are equally responsible for all evil.”
“The Secret” would actually be a charming, but above all good-looking, love film. In the kitschy Nicholas Sparks style, which is characterized by beautiful people pining over each other in front of even more beautiful backdrops until they share happiness in love. But even if Katie Holmes (“Brahms: The Boy II”) and Josh Lucas (“Le Mans 66 – Against Every Chance”) Trying to maintain genuine interest in each other between all the outrageous dialogue, Andy Tennant never manages to focus solely on the two of them. Towards the end, he devotes a lot of time to solving the secret of the title. But even that could be smelled for miles against the wind.
Conclusion: One has to give “The Secret” credit for the fact that it is already based on a questionable original, from which it was difficult to get anything close to a sincere story about love and fate. Ultimately, that doesn’t change the fact that the film’s difficult message overshadows the essentially sweet love story to such an extent that it’s difficult to stick with it until the end without constantly slapping your hand in your face.
“The Secret” can be seen in USA cinemas from August 6th.
