With Elise Duran at the helm, ‘Can You Keep A Secret?’ is a gooey, crushing romantic comedy that hides a fuzzy warmth inside its goofy comedic attire. The story follows Emma Corrigan, a work-hating 20-something lady who is still uncertain about life. She bumps into a charming stranger on a trip from Chicago to New York. The turbulence in the air gives a semblance of a near-death experience, and Emma reveals all her secrets to her co-passenger.
Much to Emma’s dismay, the stranger turns out to be the main responsible for the company. Alexandra Daddario of the famous “Percy Jackson” franchise tries out the role of Emma with grace while Tyler Hoechlin, Sunita Mani and more accompany her. The romantic concoction, while reasonably predictable, seduces audiences with an irresistible recipe. However, you might be wondering how much of the story is based on truth. In that case, let’s dig deeper.
Can you keep a secret based on a true story?
No, ‘Can you keep a secret?’ is not based on a true story. However, you might be wondering where the story came from. It hides appropriate moments that can be relatable. Themes like workplace harassment and imagery like annoying kids in front of your airplane seat permeate the story. Besides chronicling a swaying love tale, the film also hides a realistic depiction of the workspace, with a degree of gender sensitivity and LGBTQIA+ awareness. The film is about finding your inner courage to be who you are – plus, who doesn’t love some good old secrets?
Elise Duran directed the film from a script written by Peter Hutchings, whose past credits include the young adult romantic comedy “Then Came You.” Hutchings’ storyline has enough brilliant moments and quirky characters to engage you on the journey. However, he did build his hand on Madeleine Wickham’s (you may know her best as Sophie Kinsella) bestselling 2003 novel of the same name. It was the first stand-alone novel the author wrote from his run with the “Shopaholic” book series. Although the author wasn’t actively involved in the reimagining, she did attest that the film feels fresh and contemporary after all these years.
It takes sixteen years, but the novel finally found its way to the screen. And guess what, it remains universal and therefore highly relatable. The basic structure of the neighbor meeting her boss unwittingly remains the same. However, the film makes some changes to the original story. For example, Emma Panther Cola’s company becomes Panda Cola. Also, in the novel, the story takes place on the other side of the Atlantic, in London, instead of New York in the film version.
But this isn’t the author’s first Americanized adaptation – previously, “Confessions of a Shopaholic” moved from England to New York. However, the film is ultimately about secrets – and you might be wondering if any of the secrets leaked in the film adhere to the actors’ lives. In the film, Emma reveals to Jack that she is crying over Imagine Dragon’s ‘Demons’ – Alexandra Daddario also appeared in the music video for ‘Radioactive’, by the same band. Also, the dog you see Emma holding in her selfie with Jack is actually Alexandra’s pet dog, Levon.
Jack tells Emma he’s afraid of the dark and keeps a baseball bat by his bed. The actor, Tyler Hoechlin, was one of the best baseball players when he was in college. Additionally, Jack is afraid of flying, which may be a sneaky nod to Tyler’s portrayal of Superman in “Superman and Lois.” Therefore, we can conclude that the film mostly adheres to realism, although it remains quite fictional.
Read more: Do Emma and Jack get back together at the end of Can You Keep a Secret?
