Little Secrets

A movie about a teenager that wouldn't have credibility with anyone over the age of 12, Little Secrets' family-friendly fare is harmless and wholesome, but just barely winning enough to overcome its fantasy-suburban, Norman Rockwell nature. Fifteen-year-old Evan Rachel Wood stars as a pretty, intelligent, outgoing girl who is growing into her gift for the violin and outgrowing her lemonade-stand-style "business" as a professional confessor who lets neighborhood kids get secrets off their chests for 50 cents each. The pat-on-the-head plot revolves around Emily's friendship with an 11-year-old new kid on the block who has a crush on her (Michael Angarano, Almost Famous), as well as around her upcoming audition for a youth orchestra. Soon her secret-keeping is becoming a burden as well, as she starts hearing mea culpas she wishes she hadn't. Grasping for a conclusion, the last act transparently creates a minor catastrophe to force characters at odds to come together, but the artifice does the trick anyway and even this cynical movie critic was affected by the film's climax. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include a second disc soundtrack CD, audio commentary by director Blair Treu and writer Jessica Barondes, an 11-minute making-of featurette, a five-minute blooper reel and trailers. Bottom line: a winning extras package for a better-than-expected young adults film.] (R. Blackwelder)