Sam I've just watched this movie as it was shown this afternoon on TV, and boy I was very surprised.There are so many movies in this kind of young-teen-family genre, but this is definitely one of the best. The underlying message of the movie was a basic 'don't keep secrets from your friends' in a very interesting way.Everything was very true to life (except for the dinosaur bones maybe!) -- for example, when Phillip's older brother had been drinking, and been in the car with a friend who was too drunk to drive. Although he was only fourteen, the fact is that fourteen year olds do do that sort of thing -- whether it's nice or not, or whether it's right or not.It was also good the way they had that massive twist towards the end, yet everything worked out very well in the end without being corny.This is the sort of movie that isn't ground-breaking cinema (and doesn't try to be) but still is quite an entertaining way to spend an hour and a half.

larson-elliot I caught this movie on TV and at first I thought it was a movie I had seen before but I soon realized it was a remake. I did not think it was as good as the original. The script has been rewritten for younger audiences and the characters were younger. In the original I think it starts off on her 18th birthday. Due to the younger characters they toned down the romantic plot to more of a teenage puppy love. Also they took out a lot of the quirkiness of the original character who was more of an adventurous tom boy that liked to pretend she was Huidini.If you like this movie I recommend watching the original.The original is "Samantha" (1992) IMDb# tt0102832

Hamish Joy Sunday morning, all my friends went visiting their homes, no college, and a perpetual feeling of 'I'm-about-to-yawn-any-minute-now' creeping out at me. Needless to say, I was bored out of my skull when this movie came up on TV. It seemed like a cheesy movie, and I would have seen just about anything at that moment. (of course with the exception of Freddy Prince Junior movies, but then again, that just shows good sense) It did indeed seem like nothing more than idle time pass when I started off; a cute story about a teenager who protects her neighboring kids' secrets for a fee... simple little secrets like a broken vase... but somewhere along the line, the movie took shape to a surprisingly deeper story.It is a lovely tribute to friendship. It covers the bond between friends in a very neat way. It is a movie about trust, inspiration, and growing up. Most of the people played their part well. Evan Rachel Wood gave an particularly compelling performance.I loved the violin sequences. And the general musical undertone was well delivered. The kids' general problems were also cute. The central theme of a 'professional secret keeper' was an interesting combination of fairy tale and reality. Perhaps that was why I was surprised how great it finally turned out.It has its bad points, of course. *spoiler* Somewhere in the process of making this cute little story, they decided to put in romance as well. It was as if they felt COMPELLED to add in that piece. An obligatory addition. And they had to end the romance part on a positive note. It somehow doesn't fit in. Not by a long shot. I loved all other parts of the ending, but that bit felt too out of place *spoiler* All in all, I'd say you should give this a watch. You'll find out age doesn't matter. You're never too old to enjoy this movie. Like me, though, you may regard this as a children's movie at first, you may also be pleasantly moved. And if you're one of those people who feel just a tad bit reluctant to really yell out how much they actually loved it, don't worry. We can keep that little secret.

suchinezz my parents rented it thinking it would be a cute family movie, im a 15 year old female who suffered so much because i decided to watch this incredibly pointless movie. i left halfway, even my little preteen sister thought it sucked. my parents regretted getting this movie. and really, dont waste ur time on this piece of nothingness. dont listen to the other comments. its a trick to get u to suffer as well. im serious ........ what a waste of time and money .........