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Original painted Christmas scene, from the Cine Claus illustration set

Essential Christmas · 2024

Our Little Secret

36/100Festive FactorWhy it scores 36 ↓
UK certificate 12101 min
Comedy · Romance

A farce built on one good idea: two exes find out their new partners are siblings and agree to keep quiet…

On Netflix · UK subscription →
Plan this film night ↓Can the kids watch? ↓
Explore this film 9 sections

The CineClaus Christmas score

Festive Factor

A different kind of Christmas.

Original painted Christmas scene, from the Cine Claus illustration set

A little magic in the making.

Five ingredients make the Festive Factor.
Open an ingredient to find out more.

Christmas in the storyChristmas is only the occasion.10/30

What we ask: Take Christmas out. Does the plot survive? Worth up to 30 of the 100 points.

A world dressed for ChristmasVisibly Christmas for most of it.15/20

What we ask: How much of the running time is visibly Christmas? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

The little seasonal details2 of the 10 kinds of Christmas icon we count turn up on screen.3/15

What we ask: How many kinds of Christmas icon turn up on screen: trees, lights, snow, carols and the rest? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

A Christmas heartHow far the ending rests on goodwill, family and belief: incidentally.5/20

What we ask: Does the ending depend on what Christmas means: goodwill, family, redemption, belief? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

A returning traditionNiche at Christmas (under 25,000).3/15

What we ask: Is it actually watched at Christmas in the UK? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

72/100

Cosiness Rating Rating

Mostly warm in tone. Mild threat. A happy ending.

How we score →
What do these scores mean?

Festive Factor measures how Christmassy a film is. Five ingredients add up to 100: story (30), setting (20), seasonal details (15), emotional heart (20) and returning tradition (15).

Cosiness is a separate score for warmth of tone, sense of safety, visual comfort, a reassuring ending and how easily you can settle into it.

How the Festive Factor works →
Your next film night

Where to watch

United KingdomChecked

Netflix

Included with a subscription
Open Our Little Secret on Netflix (opens in a new tab)

Streaming changes constantly and we cannot promise it is still right - check the service before you settle in. Streaming availability information provided by Streaming Availability API by Movie of the Night (opens in a new tab).

The story

About Our Little Secret

Ten years after a messy break-up, a business consultant and a property developer each travel to meet a new partner's family for Christmas, only to discover their partners are brother and sister. Stuck under one roof for the holidays, the two exes agree to hide their history, and the cover-up spirals into lies, blackmail and old feelings resurfacing.

The CineClaus verdict

A farce built on one good idea: two exes find out their new partners are siblings and agree to keep quiet about their past. Lohan and Harding commit to it gamely, and Kristin Chenoweth is a riot whenever she appears. The snag is that the lies pile up faster than the jokes, and Christmas mostly supplies the decorations and the deadline.

Reviewers were far cooler than Netflix audiences, who watched in their millions, and both camps have a point. Lohan fans after a noisy, forgiving festive romcom will be content.

The family desk

Can the kids watch?

12

Our take: teenagers will be fine, but sex references plus a comic scene of getting high rule it out for younger children.

Content advice & accessibility
Our age guidance
Editorial, separate from the official 12 certificate, and never looser than it.
The people behind the film

Cast and crew

The faces in front of the camera, and the people who brought the story to life.

Main cast

In billing order
A smiling woman with long wavy blonde hair in a black wrap dress and a diamond necklace, standing with a hand on her hip on a red carpet.Lindsay Lohanas Avery Becker
Close-up photograph of a smiling man with short dark hair and light eyes, wearing a grey top and speaking into a yellow microphone at a fan convention.Ian Hardingas Logan
Jon Rudnitskyas Cameron
Chris Parnell
Dan Bucatinskyas Leonard
Henry Czernyas Mitchell

Behind the camera

Directed by
Stephen Herek
Original score
Emily Bear
Writing & production credits
Producer
Mike Elliott
Photo credits

Portraits via Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence, approved for this page by a person. Sources and full photographer credits:

Lindsay Lohan · Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Kristin Chenoweth · Gage Skidmore · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab).

Ian Harding · German Comic Con · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 3.0 (opens in a new tab).

Tim Meadows · Gage Skidmore · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab).

Keep the Christmas feeling

Music & soundtrack

That tune you recognised. That score you loved. Take a little of the film into the rest of your Christmas.

The original score album, track by track.

Behind the music. Emily Bear composed the score.

About this music list

These are the songs and soundtrack we hold for the film, not a complete cue sheet, and they give no scene timings. Album track lists and durations come from MusicBrainz. Spotify and Apple Music links open the matched recordings; links marked Search open a search on that service. Album covers are each release's own, from the Cover Art Archive, credited under the cover.

musicbrainz.org ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Step into the story

Filming locations

The real places behind Our Little Secret. Choose one to explore.

Find it on the mapAtlanta, Georgia

© OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in a new tab)

Open larger map ↗ (OpenStreetMap, opens in a new tab)

Map shows the selected place. Drag to explore; use + and − to zoom.

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Photographs of the real places

There’s more behind the film.
Explore the next place.

Photo credits & location sources

These are photographs of the places, not film stills. Dates vary; photographs do not show current conditions or guarantee access.

Atlanta, Georgia · Atlas of Wonders (opens in a new tab)

Decatur, Georgia · Marc Merlin · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab) · Atlas of Wonders (opens in a new tab)

Covington, Georgia · Atlas of Wonders (opens in a new tab)

Map pins mark the place, not a camera position or a route. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), including any pin positions read from OpenStreetMap.

A little more Our Little Secret

Film facts &
behind the scenes

For the fans who stay after the credits.

On set

It started life with a different title

While in development the film was known as Merry Ex-Mas. Netflix confirmed the new name, Our Little Secret, on 22 January 2024, the same week cameras began to roll.

Read the story

Source: What's on Netflix ↗ (opens in a new tab)

On set

A shoot that ran a little over

Filming took place around Atlanta, Georgia, from late January 2024. It was scheduled to finish on 19 February but wrapped on 29 February, ten days later than planned.

Read the story

Source: What's on Netflix ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Movie magic

A real mansion outside, a soundstage inside

The grand family home is a real house in Atlanta when seen from the street, but its rooms, including the one lined with odd paintings, were built on a soundstage. Step inside and you have left the location behind.

Read the story
On your next watchNotice how the lighting indoors stays consistent from room to room, which is the soundstage at work.

Source: Atlas of Wonders ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Music & sound

Nineteen tracks of original score

The film's score is by composer Emily Bear, and a 19-track soundtrack album from the Netflix film is listed on MusicBrainz.

Read the story

Source: MusicBrainz ↗ (opens in a new tab)

And at a glance

Releases and certificates
: On streaming. Arrived on Netflix worldwide on the same day.
Sources & a note on these facts

Each production story is linked to its source, in our own words. Ending details stay behind a spoiler reveal.

Good to know

Questions about Our Little Secret

When did Our Little Secret come out?

It arrived on Netflix on 27 November 2024, the same day worldwide. It was made for streaming, so there was no UK cinema release.

Who directed Our Little Secret and who stars in it?

Stephen Herek directed it. Lindsay Lohan leads the cast, with Kristin Chenoweth, Ian Harding, Jon Rudnitsky, Chris Parnell and Tim Meadows beside her. Emily Bear wrote the score.

Where was Our Little Secret filmed?

Production was based around Atlanta, Georgia, with street scenes in Decatur and a tree-cutting scene near Covington. The interiors of the big family home were built on a soundstage.

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