Plot: What’s it about?
As the last day of school winds down, Michael Ryan (C. Thomas Howell) prepares for summer, but soon finds himself interested in more immediate matters. You see, he has been given a passionate, unbelievable love letter, the kind of note that makes your heart pump ten times faster, knowing someone could put down in words such romantic notions. Of course, he is thrilled to be on the receiving end of the letter, but there is a small problem that holds back his happiness, as the letter was unsigned. Thus he knows someone has intense feelings for him, but he isn’t sure who she is and more to the point, if he feels the same as she does. A friend of his manages to read it and since Michael is head over heels for a girl named Deborah (Kelly Preston), the two surmise that it must be her and that Michael’s dreams have come true. But he learns she wasn’t the one, when she doesn’t respond to quotes from the letter and in fact, nails him with perhaps the coldest shoulder she has ever shown him. So he tells the story of the letter to his female friend Toni (Lori Loughlin), who suggests he write an unsigned letter back to Deborah, to get his feelings in the open and express his pleasure over the letter. But things don’t go as planned and the letters wind up in the wrong hands, causing all kinds of romantic confusion…
I’ve seen this movie a few times on cable over the years and while it isn’t all that original, it is a fun little picture, especially for fans of 1980s teen cinema. We’ve all seen countless television shows and movies where an unsigned love letter causes a whirlwind of unintentional romance, but Secret Admirer never seems overly recycled. Of course, it is a light romantic comedy and never amounts to anything more than that, but it is fun to watch and makes a solid choice if you’re home with that special someone. As I said, the premise has been used before, but small touches add freshness and while still predictable, that enhances the concept. The balance of laughs and romance leans more toward the humor side of the coin, but ample sparks do surface between our characters, including some unexpected ones, of course. The performances are good by 80s teen cinema standards, with such stars as C. Thomas Howell, Kelly Preston, Dee Wallace Stone, and Lori Loughlin in on all the hjinks. In the end, Secret Admirer turns out to be better than it should be and while MGM’s disc is thin on extras, the price is low enough to make it worthwhile.
Although he was never part of the elite level 80s “Brat Pack,” C. Thomas Howell was a solid presence in the teen cinema movement of that decade. His name shows up a few times in movies from the 80s and I think that more often than not, he offers enjoyable performances. He works better within a comedic backdrop than more dramatic material, but even when called on to be more serious, he can usually come up strong. In Secret Admirer, he isn’t asked to do much aside from light romance and comedy, but as usual, he shows up and delivers. I won’t claim his work here is superb or even all that remarkable, but within the demands of the material, I think Howell is good and hits most of the right notes. Then again, this is the kind of picture he is most at home in and as such, its not that a surprise that he’s in solid form here. Other films with Howell include Soul Man, Red Dawn, Side Out, E.T.- The Extra Terrestrial, and That Night. The cast also includes Lori Loughlin (Back to the Beach, Tv’s Full House), Kelly Preston (Nothing to Lose, Space Camp), and Dee Wallace Stone (The Frighteners, The Howling).
Video: How does it look?
Secret Admirer is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition included on the disc’s flip side. The visuals here look worn and dated, but given the film’s low profile, we can’t expect extensive restoration work to be done. But it looks about like we’d expect a lower tier 80s comedy to look, a little soft in most scenes and more grain than I’d like, but the image is still more than acceptable. The colors also appear a tad faded and the grain causes some contrast issues, but even so, this is not a total loss. When compared to the old VHS edition and broadcast versions, the image here is much sharper and of course, its nice to be able to view Secret Admirer is its intended widescreen presentation.
Audio: How does it sound?
As this is a dialogue fueled comedy from the 80s, the included 2.0 surround option has little in the way of bells & whistles. But then again, this kind of material doesn’t need dynamic presence and by turn, the audio here is more than acceptable. The 80s musical soundtrack is fun and sounds good here, while sound effects never amount to much, but as I said, this material never asks much of the surround channels. No complaints with dialogue either, as vocals stream through in clean and sharp fashion, so no lines are ever drowned out here. This disc also includes a Spanish language track, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
