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When they said “the more, the merrier,” they definitely didn’t have this in mind. In Our Little Secret (now available on Netflix), Lindsay Lohan finds herself trapped in exactly the type of holiday getaway she was hoping to avoid: a week with her ex-boyfriend Logan, played by Pretty Little Liars alum Ian Harding. The bickering duo will have to learn to live with each other when they discover an unfortunate conundrum that forces them to spend Christmas together. So, what’s that little secret?
“The movie is about a girl who’s dating someone, and she goes to meet his family for the holidays,” Lohan tells Tudum. “Then she bumps into her ex, who is dating her boyfriend’s sister. And all kinds of stuff breaks loose.”
Lohan is quickly becoming a holiday rom-com fixture on Netflix; in 2022, she starred in Falling for Christmas, and earlier this year she won hearts with Irish Wish. Now, with Our Little Secret on the horizon, she says, “It’s so beautiful to be able to do films that are associated with holidays because it’s family time. When you can make a movie that families can remember and come together to see, it makes it all the more special.”
Written by Hailey DeDominicis and directed by Stephen Herek (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Dog Gone), Our Little Secret is the second in Lohan’s ongoing creative partnership with Netflix.
Like her roles in those prior Netflix films, Lohan’s Our Little Secret character is, according to the actor, “a girl soul-searching on a journey of love.” But the character of Avery gives Lohan the opportunity to show off some exciting new skills. “I think the biggest difference with Avery is that, in this, I did have to do some comedic scenes — I haven’t had to go as deep into that before,” Lohan says.
Read on to learn more about Our Little Secret, including its not-so-secret cast, plot, and so much more, as explained by its stars.
Two resentful exes — Avery (Lohan) and Logan (Harding) — are forced to spend Christmas under the same roof after discovering that their current partners are siblings.
Lohan and Harding are the heart of the film. Though they’ve been apart for some time, Logan knows Avery better than anyone else. “Logan remembers and adores a lot of what makes Avery, well, Avery,” Harding says. That includes “[her] deep love of snacks and coffee and the inability to realize that she will most likely be cold in any temperature under 70 degrees.
In the middle of Our Little Secret is Erica Morgan (Holidate’s Kristin Chenoweth), the matriarch of all this yuletide mess. “There’s a lot of surprise family six-degrees-of-separation issues ahead, which is fun to play,” Chenoweth tells Tudum.
One person — who you can spot in the just-released photos — is enjoying the family fun of Our Little Secret. As Katie Baker, who portrays Erica’s daughter Cassie, jokes, “Being compared to Kristin Chenoweth is actually my childhood dream come true.”
Our Little Secret has been revealed — you can watch it right now.
Our Little Secret stars:
These images are definitely worth sharing. In one of the photos, we get a glimpse of Logan’s relationship with Cassie, the Morgans’ picture-perfect daughter. “I think their relationship is a decent one. They’re both good people and care deeply for each other. They have fun together,” Harding says. “But running into Avery makes Logan take a step back and reconsider what he really needs in life, and whether a relationship with anyone is a good idea at this stage of his life.”
The Morgans’ uncanny family portrait may also have Logan questioning his place in their traditions. “The Morgans try to present like they’re the perfect family, but like their annual family portrait, something isn’t quite right,” Katie Baker, who portrays the middle Morgan sibling Cassie, tells Tudum. “This Christmas will teach the Morgan family some important lessons.”
Lohan was the first to send Chenoweth a photo of the prop from set. “I was like, ‘Why do I look better in the painting?’ ” Chenoweth says with a smile. “But that’s a joke. It actually frightened me. I should have walked away with one.” Jon Rudnitsky, who stars as Avery’s boyfriend, Cameron, is also dreaming of getting his hands on a spooky painting of his own. “The family portrait was both hilarious and terrifying, and I don’t know why I haven’t been sent a framed copy,” he says.
Unlike fetch, this reunion is actually happening. Lohan and Mean Girls principal Tim Meadows are on-screen together again in Our Little Secret. In the photos, we get a peek of Meadows’ character, Morgan family friend Stan, along with his wife, Margaret (Reyes). Although Meadows and Lohan kept in touch over the years, the actor and comedian was moved to perform with her again, 20 years after the teen classic premiered.
“It was really lovely to see her again.” Meadows says. “The surprise to me — if any — was just how we both enjoy each other’s company. And she asked me to take a photo together first!”
Lohan calls the moment “full circle.” She adds: “Tim is just such a wonderful human being. I just love being around him. We had a few moments where I could not stop laughing.”
Welcome back to 2014. “Happy” is all over the radio, everyone is texting that one meme of Kermit the Frog sipping tea, and, in the Our Little Secret universe, small town girl Avery is leaving home for a big job halfway around the world. Her boyfriend, Logan, isn’t taking it well, so he gets drunk at dinner. Or … does he? Logan’s inebriation is actually a distraction for Avery’s surprise going-away party, which quickly goes awry. Logan takes well-intentioned advice to “follow his heart” to a very bad place, and spontaneously proposes to Avery. She refuses and Logan reacts poorly, saying her late mother would be “disappointed” in her. The breakup is loud and painful.
So, cue the montage. We fly through 10 years of pop culture nostalgia, world-changing news items, and real-life rejected breakups. Suddenly it’s 2024, and Logan and Avery are leading very separate lives. He’s a real estate developer with a heart of gold and a glamorous girlfriend named Cassie. She’s a business consultant with an MBA and a hotshot lawyer boyfriend named Cameron.
But not everything in Avery and Logan’s lives is so disparate. In fact, they’re headed to the same holiday party this year. Because, as they’re both horrified to learn, Avery and Logan are dating siblings. In a panic, Avery makes a snap decision to lie about knowing Logan. She’s already worn out by Cam’s “meanie” mom, Erica, and doesn’t want to give the Morgan family matriarch another reason to dislike her.
Although Avery and Erica spend the film at odds, Chenoweth and Lohan’s relationship couldn’t be better. As Chenoweth says, “I constantly hugged Lindsay. I could not take being mean to her. Before filming, I would always be like, ‘Just remember I love you.’ ”
Erica, however, just wants Avery to stop wearing jeans, eating cookies, and being “a lot” (read: accidentally stoned) at church. Desperate to win Erica over, Avery fakes a dessert-based emergency around Veronica the dog (“Every good rom-com needs a cute furry friend!” says Baker). The Morgans’ vet understands the pain of in-laws and agrees to help Avery play the hero. Unfortunately for her, that means making faux-imperiled dog sounds for the whole office to hear. The scene gave Lohan the opportunity to “go deeper” with her comedy than other recent roles. Chenoweth loved it.
“I did feel myself peeing my pants just a little,” Chenoweth jokes. The miraculous healing of Veronica also finally puts Avery near Erica’s good side.
As Avery is barking up the Morgan tree, the pressure around her and Logan plummets — especially after he agrees to go along with their scheme in exchange for some business advice. Logan’s passion project is a deal with the Morgans’ best friend Stan. Not only are Avery and Logan co-conspirators now, but they’re able to have mature heart-to-hearts about their breakup. Logan even drives Avery to her dad’s house to deal with a real estate problem. Recognizing how much she loves the home, Logan urges her to embrace her past and buy it. The fact that they’re sitting exactly where they once broke up — and Logan essentially proposed — isn’t lost on either of them.
“Logan remembers and adores a lot of what makes Avery, well, Avery: a deep love of snacks and coffee, and an inability to realize that she will most likely be cold in any temperature under 70 degrees,” Harding explains.
But Logan and Avery’s connection isn’t the only problem in their respective relationships. There’s also Sophie, a beautiful doctor and Cam’s childhood friend, who’s planning to move back home from Australia. Cam returns home suspiciously late after a night out with Sophie; his clothes also look rumpled at best. “Cameron stays with Avery despite his crush on Sophie because he’s a coward and a prick,” Rudnitsky succinctly explains.
Everyone’s truths come out during Christmas Eve dinner. “I find the rom-com tropes used in this film really fun! Secrets revealed and old loves reunited during Christmas,” says Judy Reyes, who plays Stan’s wife, Margaret. First, we learn Leonard and Margaret are having an affair. “I had no idea I would be found in the closet with Tim Meadows’ character's wife!” Bucatinsky says, pointing out that he and Meadows played spouses themselves in the sitcom Marry Me. “I would’ve been less surprised if it was Tim in there with me!”
Then Logan’s family shows up, only to divulge his and Avery’s nearly engaged past. Soon enough, everyone is talking about Veronica’s forged medical scare, the cookie fiasco, the dubious atmosphere around Cam and Sophie, all the marijuana floating around the Morgan house, and Leonard’s affair.
Still, this story has a happy ending. Avery’s dad lets her buy his house, and Logan — fresh off of a big professional success with Stan — shows up to his ex’s housewarming party. He doesn’t propose, but Logan does profess his love. The last time we see Avery and Logan, it’s a year later and they’re walking into their shared home, planning their wedding.
“Their journey is about time,” Lohan says. “They felt separated because the timing wasn't right and then, throughout time, both of their individual journeys brought them back together when it was meant to be.”
Harding wishes the characters many seasons of happiness ahead. He says, “I hope they have contentment, travel, and maybe a holiday that doesn’t involve lies and the unintentional consumption of narcotics.”
It’s no secret that you have an entire slate of new rom-coms to enjoy this year. You can also fall in love with Meet Me Next Christmas, Hot Frosty, and The Merry Gentlemen this holiday season.
Additional reporting by John DiLillo.