The star-studded new Christmas movie on Netflix has been branded ‘cringe’, ‘stiff’ and ‘poorly written’ in scathing reviews.
In the last few weeks, fans have been blessed with a string of festive films – including Hot Frosty, the Merry Gentlemen and Dwayne Johnson’s Red One.
Our Little Secret, which was released today, has now joined the ranks, with Lindsay Lohan leading the cast beside Ian Harding, Kristin Chenoweth, Tim Meadows, Henry Czerny and Judy Reyes.
It follows former couple Avery (Lindsay) and Logan (Ian) as they are unwittingly thrown back together for Christmas after realizing that their new partners are actually siblings.
They decide not to spill the beans about their romantic history in a bid to not make things awkward and protect their current relationships but, unsurprisingly, this makes the festive period a lot more difficult.
The Mean Girls icon isn’t new to the Netflix family as Our Little Secret marks her third original film with the streamer – however, the critics were left seriously unimpressed with her latest offering.
Our Little Secret landed on Netflix today (Picture: Netflix)
Lindsay Lohan led the cast as Avery (Picture: Netflix)
Variety’s Owen Gleiberman branded it ‘crumpled tinsel of a different order’, penning: ‘I’m tempted to say that it achieves full Netflix cookie-cutter. I cringed, I grimaced, I said “No!…,” I forced myself to stop looking at how much time there was left.’
Brennan Klein from ScreenRant panned: ‘A compelling script can save a bland or even ugly movie, but Our Little Secret lacks this too.
‘The setups for the movie’s big comic setpieces … are generally forced, hollow, and cliché, requiring an at best lackadaisical approach to understanding human psychology.
‘As a result, there is a gaping void of chemistry between the two leads that sinks every last bit of potential for Our Little Secret to be satisfying as a romance.’
Kristin Chenoweth was described as the best part of the movie (Picture: Netflix)
Emma Kiely of Collider described it as a ‘stiff, poorly written comedy that is somewhat saved by the performances of its two leads’.
‘Nothing can be said for the remaining cast as they fill in some of the most underwritten characters the streamer has ever brought to life, except for Chenoweth,’ she added.
‘It’s a role made for her and despite the subpar writing, she sinks her teeth and makes this one-dimensional villain into a wicked delight.
‘Come for Lohan, stay for Harding, and watch until the end for Kristin Chenoweth — all while ignoring some of the most robotic dialogue your ears ever heard.’
Critics slammed the ‘cringe’ new Netflix flick (Picture: Netflix)
As Emily Zelmer from the Observer simply added: ‘Netflix has been on a winning streak with Lindsay Lohan holiday movies. Until now, that is.’
Our Little Secret is the latest in a very long line of festive flicks gracing Netflix this year, with Hot Frosty, The Merry Gentlemen and Meet Me Next Christmas just some of the others on offer.
The official synopsis reads: ‘Two resentful exes are forced to spend Christmas under the same roof after discovering that their current partners are siblings.’
Lindsay, who has been a staple of the big screen since the 90s, spoke out over the comparisons to her most recent Netflix projects – Falling for Christmas and Irish Wish – insisting that she wanted to focus on a ‘more mature’ movie this time around.
Lindsay Lohan opened up about her latest project (Picture: GC Images)
‘Falling for Christmas was more fun, it was a lot more whimsical, I would say,’ she told Radio Times. ‘And after Irish Wish, I wanted to something that was a bit more mature, character-wise, and relatable in different ways. So that’s why I fell in love with this story.
‘And it’s Christmassy, but it’s not, like, Christmas in your face, which I also like, it’s not Christmas overload.
‘Which is great, Christmas overload. But there was a bit more of a balance of a real story behind it.’
Our Little Secret is on Netflix now.
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