Can You Keep A Secret? Synopsis: Thinking they’re about to crash, Emma spills her secrets to a stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger…Until she later meets Jack, her company’s young CEO, who now knows every humiliating detail about her.
After experiencing turbulence on her flight home, a slightly inebriated Emma spills all of her most embarrassing secrets to the man sitting beside her because she’s convinced the plane is going to crash. It doesn’t. The next day, Emma meets one of the founding members of the company she works for… his name is Jack, and he’s the same man who sat next to her on the plane the day before. Jack is, of course, intrigued by Emma and her word vomit, and they strike up a romance. Unfortunately, Emma begins to believe that while Jack seems to know everything about her, she knows nothing about him, and he seems to be hiding something.
Thanks to a free trial of Cinemax on Prime Video, I was able to watch Can You Keep A Secret? I hadn’t heard of it before, although I was intrigued when I saw it was based on a Sophie Kinsella novel. I’m also a fan of Alexandra Daddario and feel like she’s a somewhat underrated actress. As Emma, Daddario brought such an authentic feel to her performance, striking a nice balance between awkwardness and charm. She could have been someone you knew from work or were friends with in real life.
Tyler Hoechlin was an affable leading man. I can’t say he was as interesting as Emma, but Hoechlin made him an appealing enough character to root for his romance with Emma. The two of them had really great chemistry, which, you know if you read any of my other reviews, is the foundation for a good romantic comedy.
The supporting cast had its ups and downs. I adored Laverne Cox as Emma’s no-nonsense boss, Cybill, and Emma’s two roommates, played by Kimiko Glenn and Sunita Mani. Some of Emma’s co-workers felt a bit cookie-cutter to me, especially her ex-boyfriend Connor (David Ebert). He was probably the movie’s weakest link. Even the typical “mean girl” co-workers had some semblance of personality, but Connor’s purpose seemed just to be there to be obnoxious and have us question what on earth Emma saw in him in the first place. I still can’t figure it out.
Can You Keep A Secret? is not a terribly long movie, but it still does a pretty good job of developing Jack and Emma’s relationship. Obviously, at the crux of their romance are the secrets Emma had shared with him and one he shared with her, although the two aren’t really equal in terms of their importance or the possibility of potential humiliation.
However, trust is an essential theme in this movie, as well as in any relationship. It was interesting to see Emma start to see that despite her weird flaws, quirks, and insecurities, Jack genuinely likes her for who she is, all the while realizing that she doesn’t know him as well as he knows her. When the relationship is that unbalanced, is it one that can last?
Can You Keep A Secret? is a movie I would recommend for anyone wanting a light rom-com with some amusing moments and a relatable, endearing heroine. I enjoyed watching it a lot, but honestly, I would watch this again just for Alexandra Daddario’s performance. She deserves to be a bigger star. If you’ve got 94 minutes available sometime soon, give Can You Keep a Secret? a watch.
Watched: 06/18/2021
Notable Song: Demons by Imagine Dragons