Title: Hidden Secrets
Run Time: 90 min.
Produced by: Pure Flix Entertainment
Rating: N/A (I would suggest PG)
Staring: John Schnieder, David A. R. White, Tracy Melchior, Reginals Vel Johnson
Theatrical Release: April 30, 2007.
Score: 3.5 coffee cups out of 5 coffee cups.
Review By: Hal
First let me explain my "coffee cups" reference in the scoring. I love coffee. Need I say more? Some people score with stars, some lemons, some not at all. I do coffee cups. A five coffee cup movie would be "The Passion" or "Amazing Grace." Such ratings are few. Whenever I see a movie in a theater I send out a text message via my phone with a short review to a number of friends. That's where the coffee cup scale was born.
This movie is slated for a theatrical release this coming Monday and it was an honor to receive a preview DVD copy to review for Active Christian Media. Both my brother and I viewed this film and this is my review. You can read Phil's review here. I asked Phil to review it because he is far more the movie dude than I am. He absolutely loves going to the theater, has a number of movie posters, and quite the library compared to my short stack. I tend to be more of a classic film kind of guy.
That said, I think you should buy a ticket for this movie. There is a number of people in the movie making industry who are Christians and are trying to make movies that honor the Lord. This is one of them. We should support such endeavors.
This is a refreshingly family friendly drama mixed with light humor. Though I don't think I would recommend it for young children because of some of the mature themes, it certainly would be good for parents and teens.
The characters were delightful and surprisingly accessible to me as a viewer. What I mean by that is that I would like to know each one of the characters and count them as a friend. This says a lot for the talent of the actors, director, and the writers.
Without giving away too much, there are a number difficult issues in our culture today being dealt with from a Christ centered perspective along with the main plot of the "hidden secret" between the two main characters. I think that in the limited amount of time a movie has this sort of muddles things a bit.
The story is a good story and it kept me engaged in watching, there are a couple of scenes that were awkward to me and left me wondering if it wasn't a bit forced. I will say that in watching it a second time, the plots were easier for me to follow.
Overall the message is one of forgiveness and redemption and the impact a man of God can have on the lives he meets in his walk with Christ. And that should be a testatment to all of us. If you are a one to cry at movies there is a good chance you will be crying at the end. I liked very much the inclusion of the music group Building 429
