Even though his performance was decent for the most part, it was still horrible casting. Duchovny can do comedy and wit, but show emotion? Too forced Dave, too forced.
The Secret was a good surprise though. After a horrible car crash involving Benjamin Morris's (Duchovny) wife and daughter, the man becomes involved in a horrible occurrence. Turns out, that after dying, the spirit of the mother becomes trapped in the body of the reawakened daughter. Freaky Friday much?
The body swap idea that has been seen from time to time has been given a more mature approach here. The mother has to get an education that she didn't get, via her daughter's body; she also has to experience teenage angst, constant attacks by horny males, and the self realization that she is she, but she is not she. Ben believes her, but things get far more psychologically complex as the movie progresses. Thankfully, nobody asks advice from a priest (about damn time).
The script was well done, but what made it above average were the characters and situations that arose. Plot holes further hurt the movie, not to mention Duchovny's unconvincing portrayal as a father who EASILY gets aroused by her daughter's possessed body. Maybe it was because of the director (Vincent "Crow 2" Perez), or maybe it was because of both.
Now, Olivia. What a magnificent, tour-de-force performance you gave here. You did everything Dave didn't do- convince. People, better watch this one, she has a bright future ahead of her. Lilly Taylor gives a subtle performance here, almost too subtle. You forget about her the minute she stops showing up in the movie. Wait, what she in the movie?
Statement: The Secret is a huge surprise. Almost too huge. I expected a clichéd Dragonfly, but I got an intelligent viewing. Not to mention that this movie features one of the best performances of 2007 by the beautifully talented Olivia Thirlby. You can't expect much more than this I'm afraid, but you won't expect much by looking at the DVD cover.
6.7/10
