“The world works in such mysterious ways”

Directed by Elise Duran and based on Sophie Kinsella’s book of the same name, Can You Keep a Secret? tells the story of Emma Corrigan (Alexandra Daddario) who is a Junior Marketing Assistant for Panda, an organic food company based in New York City. On a return flight from Chicago, where Emma does not impress a client during a sales meeting that could’ve led to the dream promotion, she wallows in her failure. Spotting this, a flight attendant feels sorry for her and bumps her up to first class (yeah right, slightly unrealistic maybe?)

Sitting cosily in first class, she now decides to have a drink or three when a handsome stranger (who looks like Superman) takes the empty seat next to her. Not too long into the journey the plane starts to take on some unwanted turbulence and Emma feels like this could be it. This is how she is going to die. With this panic set in mind, she has nothing left to do now than to get it all off her chest… Every. Little. Secret. And who does she tell? The VERY handsome stranger sat next to her of course.

There is of course no plane crash (so it’s not a disaster movie) and back at work Emma deals with the repercussions of the failed Chicago meeting as well as being told the new CEO, Jack Harper is coming in to the office to meet everyone for the first time. As if that isn’t enough to deal with, she also regrets agreeing to move in with her boyfriend Connor (David Charles Ebert) the night before. As soon as she sees Jack Harper (played by Tyler Hoechlin), she realises (surprise surprise!) that he is the handsome stranger who sat next to her on the plane… and told all of her deepest darkest secrets to.

There are two words I have in mind for this film quirky but predictable. It generally doesn’t quite reach the level I was hoping for. It won’t be winning any Oscars anytime soon, but if you’re in the mood for some laughter and some familiar faces, then I’d say it’s worth watching at least once. Daddario’s performance as Emma is impressively realistic. She successfully portrays the initial awkwardness of Emma’s character and her subsequent growth in confidence. I found myself gradually developing a fondness for Emma and her weird and wonderful nature.

Can You Keep a Secret? has a talented set of actors who help to keep the film ticking along, Laverne Cox being one of them. She is side-splittingly funny as office boss Cybil. She’s witty, takes no shit from anyone and has an outer shell as hard as any diamond. But deep down she has a heart of gold. She is caring and can unexpectedly come up with a few jokes. She is often seen cracking the whip but at times she can show respect and kindness, especially towards Emma when she starts to finally stand up for herself at work.

Emma’s relationship with work BFF Casey (played by Robert King) is a beautiful thing to watch unfold. It’s natural and effortless. Every moment they have together is comedy gold and it’s as if Daddario and King are naturally good friends off screen as well as on. Special mention to go to these two and David Charles Ebert for the elevator scene. That’s definitely a highlight of the film. It’s short but sweet and I’ll remember it for a long time.

The film as a whole isn’t fantastic. It’s held together by some great acting, as well as a few comedy moments. It’s silly but funny and it definitely is a feel-good kind of film, and it has the potential to make you laugh out loud, (since we’re all watching from the comfort of our homes, don’t worry about disturbing the person next to you if so).

It’s warm and fuzzy, lovey-dovey, which is what we all need right now. Even though let’s be honest, the film is very clichéd with a side of #Awkward, the story is (somewhat) clever and intrigues you from around the ten-minute mark. However, as much as you don’t wish this was the ‘boy meets girl’ type of fairy tale, it is. And you simply (and annoyingly) want nothing more for the boy to win the girl.

Even though it’s just a film and it’s nowhere near based on any real-life events, it does make you think about your own life and what if that was you? Could it be real? Could you be the ordinary girl that gets bumped to first class on a flight to New York? To then have a really beautiful Superman-like guy sit next to you on said flight? To then somehow be connected to him forever, possibly? What are the chances? But then again, it’s just a film… right?

Can You Keep A Secret? will be available on Digital Download from 4th May and can be be pre-ordered here