Our Little Secret Review : Lindsay Lohan's Christmas rom-com is more of a guilty pleasure than holiday cheer

Story: After discovering that their significant others are siblings, two resentful exes are forced to spend Christmas together under one roof, while keeping their past romance a secret.

Review: Lindsay Lohan returns to the rom-com genre in Our Little Secret, following her previous project Irish Wish, but this Christmas film is more about awkwardness than holiday cheer. The story starts with an animated prelude set in 1996, where Avery (Lindsay Lohan) and Logan (Ian Harding) are childhood friends who fall in love—only to part ways in 2014 when Avery leaves for an unspecified job in London. The breakup seems abrupt, and the movie never fully explains why a career opportunity is enough to end a perfect romance. This lack of emotional depth sets the tone for a story that prioritizes plot contrivances over character development.

Fast-forward to the present day, and Avery and Logan have moved on with new, equally unappealing significant others—Avery's boyfriend, Cameron (Jon Rudnitsky) and Logan’s girlfriend, Cassie (Katie Baker), a manipulative princess. The twist? They're siblings, which leads to an inevitable and cringe-worthy Christmas reunion under one roof. Avery and Logan must now pretend they were never once the perfect couple, all while navigating their dysfunctional families and their own unresolved feelings.

Directed by Stephen Herek and written by Hailey DeDominicis, Our Little Secret offers moments of forced comedy, particularly in a scene where Avery, unintentionally stoned from THC gummies, delivers a bizarre church speech. This moment, along with others, feels like an awkward attempt to create humor, but instead leaves the audience cringing.

Lohan and Harding do their best to navigate this awkward material, with Lohan delivering a sly, grounded performance amidst the over-the-top antics, while Harding brings a sharp dry wit. However, the film's plot is too contrived for either of them to shine fully. The supporting characters, including a controlling matriarch Erica (played fantastically by Kristin Chenoweth), contribute to the growing list of secrets and misunderstandings, leading to a chaotic Christmas climax.

Ultimately, Our Little Secret is a holiday film that misses the mark. It’s not funny enough to be truly entertaining, nor does it offer enough heart to satisfy fans of romantic comedies. Instead, it’s a lukewarm, campy affair—a mix of holiday clichés and forced humor, making it more of a guilty pleasure than a feel-good festive favorite.