Movie Review: The Secret: Dare To Dream – stream it July 31

The Secret: Dare To Dream movie review

Directed by Andy Tennant
Written by Bekah Brunstetter and Andy Tennant & Rick Parks
Starring Katie Holmes, Josh Lucas, with Celia Weston and Jerry O’Connell

Release Date: Available On Demand on Apple TV and everywhere you rent movies on Friday, July 31

Length: 107 Minutes | Rated: PG for language and an injury image

Our Review:

During this crazy COVID-19 pandemic, movies are being released direct to streaming and this movie is no exception. So if you are wondering what to watch this weekend, with the kids…here is an option.

The story by Bekah Brunstetter (writer on NBC’s hit drama “This Is Us”) is based on the book The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. If you didn’t read the book The Secret which was a hit back in 2006 this quote from the author will give you a great idea of the theme of this movie:

“Joy attracts more joy. Happiness attracts more happiness. Peace attracts more peace. Gratitude attracts more gratitude. Kindness attracts more kindness. Love attracts more love. Your job is an inside one. To change
your world, all you have to do is change the way you feel inside. How easy is that?” Rhonda Byrne, The Secret

The movie The Secret: Dare to Dream is billed as an “uplifting, hope-filled and feel-good romantic drama” and you can be fairly confident that your kids can watch this film with you and enjoy it. I think there are only a couple of romantic kisses in the whole movie (so your tweens won’t squirm too much).

It stars a veteran cast including Katie Holmes (All We Had, Logan Lucky, The Gift) and Josh Lucas (Sweet Home Alabama, What They Had, “Yellowstone”) with Celia Weston (Knight and Day, The Intern) and Jerry O’Connell (“Billions,” Stand by Me). So you will immediately recognize the main players.

Now, what is the movie about? Well, it is really about the law of attraction; if you are negative, you invite negative in your life, but if you are positive, you invite positive into your life. It is also about perception. The way you view your life may not change the events that happen to you in life, but your attitude does change whether you have a good day or a bad day. Your attitude toward events, and your levels of hopefulness or hopelessness are what ultimately create the level of happiness in your life. It is a movie that works on several planes.

There is the surface level where Miranda (Katie Holmes), a young widow trying to make ends meet finds herself telling her kids they are “broke, not poor” while one problem after another pushes them further into debt. She is dating her successful boyfriend (Jerry O’Connell), who seems great and a good fit for her family when a devastating storm brings an enormous challenge and a mysterious man, Bray (Josh Lucas), into Miranda’s life. That is when you start to see why things maybe need to change for Miranda even though not everyone is on board. Changes happen in a series of fortunate events, that on the surface seem Disney-like. But on a deeper level, what you see is a change in Miranda’s outlook from justifiably pessimistic, to cautiously optimistic and finally to a woman more open to possibilities.

What my family and I found was that this movie is very timely. There are many events that are going on right now that are very stressful. And they are building on top of one another and reaching into all aspects of our lives. We may find that our social media feeds are filled with angry or fear-filled posts. The news seems to be bombarding us daily with negative stories and scenes of sadness or unrest.

But that isn’t the whole picture, it never is. I have always found that there is more good in people than bad. We sometimes have to remind ourselves of that. And since much of what we see and hear on the news we have no ability to control, we have to control what we can. We can control our outlook, our attitude and our actions.

The message of the movie is a good one. It shares its author’s belief that positive thoughts can transform our lives. And why wouldn’t we believe this, when we all believe the opposite is true?

You can find this movie starting July 31st in the comfort of your own home on Demand on Apple TV and anywhere you rent movies… so grab the family and some popcorn and have a movie night. This one is an uplifting movie…and who doesn’t need one of those right now?

Want to watch the movie trailer? Here you go (and keep scrolling for a special Taffy recipe that you will understand after watching the movie):

We were given 5 digital copies of The Secret to give away. That contest has closed and the winners have been emailed so if you entered – check your email! And now…the Taffy Recipe!

Article was written on July 30, 2020. Movie was reviewed by Olivia Bada, (SAG -AFTRA, EQUITY, ACTRA) and her entire motley crew of wildly opinionated and hilarious kids, tweens and adults.


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Author

  • bada

    Marketing, communications, sales, writing, and web management all come together when working on published pieces for Localourist, The Burg Weekender, The Burg Weekly and Williamsburg Families.

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