Secrets to Love

Director Tracie Donahue, who admits she hasn't had the best luck with romance, narrates this examination of relationships, aiming to find out why some work while others don't. In her case, meeting the man of her dreams initially led to a good life with three kids, but eventually ended in divorce. Boxer Mike Tyson's ex-wife, actress Robin Givens, and author John Gray (Why Mars and Venus Collide), talk about their own mixed experiences with love, and Donahue chats with several other individuals and couples who recall the first time they met their partners, how they knew that person was “the one,” and ways they make love last. Interspersing clips from television shows and advertisements, the PBS-aired program also visits with assorted experts, who discuss the roles that dopamine, oxytocin (“the bonding hormone”), testosterone, and other chemical substances play in attraction and attachment. None of this is particularly insightful, and if interviewees Sue and Ken McPherson look familiar, it's because they've appeared in similar programs such as Discovery Channel's Science of Sex Appeal (VL-7/10). Secrets to Love isn't without merit, but it often feels like an infomercial for some of the authors featured here. DVD extras include bonus clips with the interviewees. Optional. Aud: P. (K. Fennessy)