The Full Monty meets Fight Club in this offbeat British comedy about a plus-sized woman (Charlotte Brittain) who becomes enthralled with a close-knit group of female sumo wrestlers. Admittedly, Imogen Kimmel's indie flick kicks off with a great, empowering "feel-good" premise, but this ill-conceived film ultimately gives equal weight to the woman's unlikable husband, an adoring, but deadbeat hustler whose unsavory get-rich-quick schemes include peddling postcards of his naked wife, and who becomes convinced that she is under the influence of aliens. While Secret Society has its definite particulars, this is still cut from the same quirky-British-working-class-comedy cloth as its forebears. An optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include cast and director interviews, behind-the-scenes footage (with topics including makeup, outtakes, and sumo info), a 12-picture photo gallery, a text director bio, and a small trailer gallery. Bottom line: a small-scale extras package for a rather small--impact-wise--film.] (K. Lee Benson)
Secret Society
First Run, 89 min., not rated, VHS: $59.95, DVD: $29.95 Volume 18, Issue 2
Secret Society
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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