Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

The Secret: Dare to Dream Blu-ray Movie Review

A glass half full.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III November 20, 2020

Commercially successful director Andy Tennant returns with The Secret: Dare to Dream, which sounds like a bad kid's movie but actually turns out to be a middle-of-the-road family flick with decent performances, an engaging concept, and a third act that goes almost completely off the rails. Loosely based on the popular self-help book by Rhonda Byrne, it follows a down-on-their-luck family led by widow Miranda Wells (Katie Holmes) who struggles to raise three children in hurricane-battered Louisiana. Their lives change with the arrival of Bray Johnson (Josh Lucas), who's in town on business but also hand-delivers an envelope that's somehow connected to Miranda's late husband.

Aiming to combine mystery and emotional intrigue with the uplifting sentimentality of a Hallmark drama, Dare to Dream doesn't really accomplish either one but tries anyway. Its main narrative arc is driven by the lifestyle clash between Miranda and Bray: she's constantly stressed out and emotionally detached, and he feels perfectly content with tackling one challenge at a time -- which turns out to be pretty easy if you're a rich engineer who can afford to take off work for a few weeks. They first meet during a fender bender, and again when her roof is demolished by a tree; both are easily fixed by the alarmingly helpful Bray, and neither are appreciated by Miranda's boss/boyfriend Tucker (Jerry O'Connell) or her overbearing mother-in-law Bobby (Celia Weston). But more than a new bumper and roof, Bray wants to fix up Miranda's entire approach to life by insisting that positive thoughts leads to long-term success in life. It's a sentiment that she doesn't accept at first but gradually softens on, and the same goes for her three kids... including brat-turned-angel Missy (Sarah Hoffmeister), who'll be turning sixteen in just a few short days.

I'll admit that the first half of Dare of Dream serves up a pretty compelling and well-executed story; one that doesn't break much new ground in the world of family drama, but succeeds reasonably well on its mystery-laced setup and solid performances by the two leads. (If this Katie Holmes was in Batman Begins, I'd have liked her character more.) Unfortunately, the film's third act falls like a house of cards: almost everyone makes out-of-character decisions to boost the drama -- much like your average sitcom season finale -- including at least three ridiculous arguments, one of which hilariously ruins a 16th birthday party that was actually going pretty well otherwise. Unsurprisingly, everything's fixed in the home stretch when Dare to Dream gets wrapped up in a neat little bow, which ultimately undermines a genuine message in favor of its bait-and-switch coda that looks more like a Target holiday commercial.

And despite its claim that success arrives via positive thinking, nepotism helps too: there's a very distracting extended cameo by someone who, if last names are any indication, is a relative of the director. I'll let you look for it.

While Dare to Dream is collectively just about half of a decent movie, it's at least entertaining during several key stretches and might age a little better than expected, at least on the strength of its lead performances. Like most films set for launch in 2020, it flew under the radar and never actually made it to theaters but enjoyed short-term success via streaming in late July. Lionsgate's Blu-ray, although originally released in September, would likewise have made a bigger impact if timed for a December release -- that silly ending does, after all, take place on Christmas.

The Secret: Dare to Dream Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Like most, I was introduced to Dare to Dream via streaming and, although its source resolution -- or streaming resolution, for that matter -- is unknown, it's safe to say that Lionsgate's 1080p transfer easily beats that presentation for overall clarity and fine detail. Though some scenes and shots are as muddy and unflattering as the cover art, others are alive with subtle and more vivid colors that really do look appealing even if the film mostly favors an "anything goes" palette. The 2.39:1 compositions are dominated by mid-range and wide shots that mostly display excellent depth and good shadow detail, which also goes for a handful of dimly-lit interiors and nighttime sequences. The disc is very well authored and runs at a relatively high bit rate and, while a few signs of banding and aliasing could be spotted along the way, this is largely a very pleasing transfer that should satisfy fans and first-timers alike.

The Secret: Dare to Dream Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Not surprisingly, this dialogue-driven drama mostly plays it straight in the front channels, with occasional activity closer to the rears depending on location and crowd size. Music cues sound relatively full and dynamic with a great presence that rarely fights for attention. Perhaps the lone outliers are several scenes shot during stormy weather, most of which obviously feature much stronger channel separation and a more dominant, enveloping atmosphere. Still, these are few and far between so, while this clearly isn't a demo disc, it's a very capable lossless 5.1 mix that routinely gets the job done. Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the main feature only.

The Secret: Dare to Dream Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release arrives in a dual-hubbed keepcase with muddy cover art, a matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption code. Unsurprisingly for a movie of this type (and release year), the bonus features are minimal.

• Secrets On Set (4:34) - Author Rhonda Byrne and director Andy Tennant, along with actors Jerry O'Connell, Josh Lucas, Katie Holmes, and others briefly discuss the original book and its impact, as well as adapting it into a film and maintaining a religion-free approach to positive thinking. I still don't buy it, but it's nice.

The Secret: Dare to Dream Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Andy Tennant's The Secret: Dare to Dream has a good cast and an engaging premise but rarely builds momentum, struggling to make good on the initial mystery or maintain real interest without resorting to cheap, out-of-character decisions in the home stretch. But it's not boring and, if nothing else, the lead performances partially make up for other shortcomings. Lionsgate's Blu-ray, however, offers little more than a solid A/V presentation -- it's not surprising under the circumstances, but the total package isn't exactly a leap beyond what's you'd get by streaming it.