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Secret Smile (2005) (TV)

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15 comments in total

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16 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
Woman dates man, woman dumps man, man gets even with chilling results, 13 December 2005

Author: Zuzus_petal from United Kingdom

I had the misfortune of missing the first part of this mini-drama. How foolish do I feel now? Incredibly. From what I have seen though, wow! Brief summary: woman dates man, woman dumps man, spurned lover tries to get his own back any way he can. I had previously seen David Tennant in Casanova and found him to have an irresistible charm.Tennant's television history as I know it was based in comedy and so I was intrigued to see him starring in a thriller.However, he did not fail to impress me in Secret Smile. His portrayal of a spurned lover hell bent on revenge was both captivating and chilling. One can see how charming he is but one constantly has to remind oneself about what he really is. The supporting cast are amazing. I did not think Claire Goose would be able to make the transition from soap acting in Casualty to such a serious drama. However, I was pleasantly surprised and her role showed how easily people can be controlled and manipulated. Furthermore, I admit I was not enamoured with Kate Ashfield until now. You were with her every step of the way, feeling her anger and frustration. It is not very often that such a suspenseful drama that actually holds you to your seat comes along. Television nowadays has become highly predictable but I am pleased to say that this was not. It was a superbly acted and directed piece. Best performance must go to Tennant. He was able to capture and exemplify how easy it is to dominate one person and how deep an impact that it can have.This is highly prevalent in a society where stalking and domestic violence remains taboo. I was afraid that Tennant would lose his edge with going to mainstream television, but if this is anything to go by, I had nothing to worry about.

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8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Watchable But Entirely Daft Thriller, 15 December 2005

Author: Theo Robertson from Isle Of Bute , Scotland

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

SECRET SMILE is a thriller that was sold to the TV public of having David Tennant as bad guy Brendan Block and to be totally honest I probably wouldn't have watched this if Tennant hadn't been cast as the tenth actor to play the title character in DOCTOR WHO so I was very interested in seeing how he'd play a villain In this type of thriller , much of the performance of the actor playing the villain makes or breaks the production , the whole story rests on one actor so do I think Tennant pulled it off ? Yes just about but not overwhelmingly . Tennant is good looking , though in a slightly effete way but I can see why he has a growing army of female fans falling over themselves to watch whatever he's in . Tennant plays Block just a little too hard edged and nasty a bit too early on . Wouldn't he have been more convincing if he smiled more and used some undoubted charm to woo characters into being on his side ? Sometimes Tennant plays Block a bit too obvious which led this viewer to wonder why characters were unable to see through his manipulation . Mind you Tennant gives a very good performance in comparison to Kate Ashfield who I thought was fairly wooden

!!!!! SPOILERS !!!!!

But the failings of SECRET SMILE is down to the story . I've never read Sean French's novel so I don't know how it compares to Kate Brooke's adaptation but I'm afraid it's somewhat silly . The first half of the story ( Episode one ) plays out as a lover scorned takes his revenge on the woman who jilted him and manipulates Miranda Cotton's brother into killing himself . Apparently the brother was a manic depressive and manic depressives when stressed stick their fingers in their ears and make wailing noises . I doubt if French or Brooke's are a psychiatrist so perhaps they should have read up on the condition before they committed the character to paper

Things get worse in the second half of the story ( Episode two ) but remains highly watchable because of the utterly bizarre plot twists . After courting Miranda's sister Kerry Block then dumps her on their wedding day and marries Miranda's friend Laura instead who then turns up dead in a bath tub . After several more twists and turns that defy comprehension Block rapes Miranda and then murders her and dumps the body and is then given a life sentence for murder and there's a twist at the end which I could see coming a mile away . The end

The twist is what SECRET SMILE will be remembered for and I fail to see how it could possibly work in real life . It all rests on Block turning up at Miranda's flat and accepting a glass of wine and the more you think about it the more things fall apart . What you mean you can emigrate to Australia without any references or without any checks being made . Don't the authorities do background checks and wouldn't they realise that the person you're claiming to be got drowned in a bath ? But I guess since he's going to be starring in DOCTOR WHO next year David Tennant had better get used to appearing in drama's with contrived endings . Bad Wolf anyone ?

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Second rate British mystery!, 30 May 2006

Author: ikanboy from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Miranda meets Brendan, a charming bloke, beds him in an instant, and then is amazed to find out he's a cad! Excuse me dear, in this day and age that's self destructive. He gets royally ticked off when she dumps him and gets his own back by dating her sister and ingratiating himself with her clueless family.

There is her brother, mentally ill, and a certain foil for Brendan's evil influence. He mugs Miranda's next love, apparently at Brendan's urging, who then departs the scene when he thinks Miranda is too obsessed with Brendan's manipulations. Miranda discovers Brendan's past is full of "crazy" behavior and dumps it all out at a family gathering, but no-one believes her, the silly saps all go against her "evidence". Why? Because Brendan has a bombshell of his own to drop. Miranda slept with her sister's former boyfriend back in God knows when! How does he know: he read it in her diary.

Does anyone, including Miranda, point out that her "evidence" come from a source that can be contacted and verified whereas his "evidence" comes from underhandedness. No! Mom and Dad go with Brendan's obvious "cattiness", because that drives on the drama! Then her brother kills himself, and we are left to believe Brendan had something to do with it, but he's so cloyingly self effacing at the funeral that everyone - except Miranda - falls for it.

When Brendan dumps the sister and marries Miranda's best friend, are the parents chagrined by their disloyalty? There is no sign of it. The sister even blames Miranda for it! What did Miranda do to deserve such a clueless and uncharitable lot? Then Brendan's new bride shows up dead in her bath tub. The police, evidently without any access to CSI technology, declare it as an accident! Another plot device to drive on the drama: make the cops look like idiots! It goes on and on, with poor old stupid Miranda being out foxed at every turn by this evil SOB! She's so stupid that when he manages to convince a Judge (who also does not seem to have access to evidentiary procedures) that she is a menace, and has a restraining order placed against her, she goes running off to his home when his latest bride calls her! Hey, it's effective to most of the female audience! By now they're so wrapped up with him getting his come uppance, that they don't care if the usual detective work goes missing! In the end she gets her revenge and poor old Brendan is hauled off to Jail for something he is innocent of, namely her murder. She lets her family believe she's been murdered, until Brendan is safely ensconced in Jail and then shows up to meet them at the airport in Australia! The dim witted couple are so pleased to see her, and evidently so pleased that Brendan is in Jail on trumped up charges, that they all live happily ever after! The plot is exasperating yet enthrallingly bad, It's enthralling if you accept that everyone has to ignore the obvious, and that is: The authorities are all stupid and incompetent! The main protagonist has a past, as our heroine uncovers. Do the police check it out: NO! Does the Judge check it out? NO! Do her parents check it out: NO! Does her sister: NO! It's all a typical BBC production, predicated on the audience being interested enough in the unfolding drama, that they accept that this guy is going to continue to fool everybody, so that our heroine has to take justice into her own hands. Roll over Agatha!

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Warning for One Night Stands, 8 May 2008

Author: pigletgirlkp from Massachusetts

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

When Miranda meets the tall and handsome Brendan through a friend and brings him home she doesn't expect the romance to lead to deception and murder. After a night of carnal bliss the seeming sweet Brendan becomes obsessed with Miranda and integrates himself into her life by seeking out and beginning a relationship with her sister Kerry. Miranda knows that Brendan is being vindictive and wants to protect her family and friends even if they don't believe her. She soon becomes equally obsessed with proving his guilt after people mysteriously die. Could Miranda be sealing her own fate or Brendans when she goes snooping into his life and finds a disturbing past? Kate Ashfield (Shaun of the Dead) gives a fantastic performance along side David Tennant's (Doctor Who) brilliant and convincingly psychotic one.

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2 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Another point of view, 28 December 2006

Author: alienminx from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

After watching the whole show (both parts of the mini series on BBC America), i really wasn't sure if Brendan deserved what he got. Did he actually do all the things we were lead to believe he did or did Miranda just get obsessed with the whole idea of what she thought he was doing. He did actually move on and get out of her life, but she still persisted on going after him. Was he really a murderer or was he set up by a woman just set on revenge???

Looking back over it, you really don't know on a lot of things, did he deliberately date Miranda's sister to get back at her (or just to be near her), did he cause Troy's death, did he kill Laura, did he kill his parents, we don't really know, Miranda just leads you to think that. OK, Brendan can be a really nasty piece of work, definitely a split personality.

I think it's worth another look, just don't look at the flaws too much, it's a good watch, very entertaining, not the best suspense made but David Tennant's performance alone makes it worth watching!

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2 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Quite good--some minor weaknesses, 28 September 2006

Author: opusv5 from Ottawa, Canada

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I found this quite gripping, the acting very good, the characters believable. Manipulative (here to the point of psychotic) people such as Brendan do exist, though, despite being a liar, rapist, and bully, he does not seem to have actually committed murder. In fact, though he is associated with other violent deaths(his parents', Troy, Laura's), it is implied that he only had a psychological hand in them. One perhaps weak point: he is sentenced to life with possibility of parole only after 22 years. The sentence may be unrealistic if only because, despite the incriminating key,Miranda's body was still not found. The basic credo is: no body, no murder. Also: one person commenting on this film may have mentioned Miranda's emigrating to Austalia using a false identity when, the dialog says, she was actually visiting there as a tourist

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2 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Gripping piece - better acting., 27 February 2006

Author: DarthAbspie from Between a gnarled birch and an enchanted stream.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Miranda Cotton meets a guy; takes him home, bit of hanky-panky, they start to see each other. Just like any other relationship. But when she catches him reading her diary, she starts to get a bit worried, and asks him to leave.

To her shock and terror, in a few months he has proposed to her sister.

This piece really gripped me from start to finish. I curled up with a blanket and watched it - as a Doctor Who fan for many years, it's important to me that my Doctor is a good actor, and although I'd seen Tennant's acting before and loved it, I wanted to have a final test. I was certainly impressed. Secret Smile had a solid enough storyline that really terrified me in places, but it really was all down to the fabulous casting. Kate Ashfield (Miranda) had you on her side all the way through, conveying well what the emotions were - and Susannah Wise (Miranda's best friend, Laura) and her 'husband', James Daffern, despite having minor roles, impressed me beyond many of the other supporting cast.

There was not a truly weak performance in the cast. If I had to pick a low point it would probably be Claire Goose, but I think that was just down to a bad character as opposed to the acting; the book's Kerry is considerably different, somehow, and I didn't find myself connecting with this one so powerfully.

David Tennant was, however, the true highlight - he managed to convey Brendan's truly sadistic side with just a look - and yet still managed to have me feeling sorry for him when Miranda turned him away. 'That line' as it has become known - I won't write it, but suffice to say it's when he was thinking about her lips - was delivered with such a venom, that it physically made me shudder. A wonderful performance with immense presence. Also, kudos to Robert Lowe for a moving piece as Troy Cotton, even if his character was unbelievable.

Altogether, 10/10 for acting, 7/10 for plot. Definitely worth a watch - I videoed it, and really enjoyed it.

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6 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
a better twist than a gin and tonic., 2 January 2006

Author: Jennifer McMahon from United Kingdom

I would have to disagree with the comments made previously. Secret Smile was a complete breath of fresh air to drama. The characters were unusual and that is what made it an absolute triumph. I'm glad that Miranda mumbled, it shows her passiveness and lack of control in the situation. It's different that her sister was the weak one because in the end, we see the dominating character that was Brendan fooled by his own game, by the people we perceived as weak. So what if Troy isn't a class example of you depression. Who cares if you have a degree in Psychology? You're just bitter because it isn't they way you studied depression. It's fiction. Get Over It. Forget all the factual stuff of depression and the psychology behind. Fair enough I don't have the degree, but I found it truly though-provoking and found myself comparing my personality to the persona of some of the characters. It's good that I connect with the programme because you want to be fooled into thinking. Nobody has time to pick out all the certain flaws in a television programme. I loved Secret Smile and it certainly fooled me. And that my friend was pure elite drama.

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5 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
the film was great, Tennant was even better (not to mention sexy) and the plot was very cool too, 19 April 2006

Author: joannaclaireice from United Kingdom

this film was actually one of the best films that i've seen and the fact that David Tennant was in the film made me want to see it after his brilliant appearance in Casanova and not to mention Doctor Who. i felt like it was my duty to see this film and considering that i don't usually watch anything that appears on ITV1 unless it's a film that i am sure of. David Tennant's appearance stunned me and i really like the last few minutes. great film, i'd recommend it to anyone, any time, any day. The whole film gave me shivers and the cold, cruel character that David Tennant played was such an indescribable character and my god it is now my favourite film. I was told that i should watch it because it's my sort of film and not to be mean but the beginning bored me a bit but i soon got the gist of the film nd went with the flow. there is so much that i want to say about how i feel towards the film but the only problem is how to put it into words. The film was great, Tennant was even better (not to mention sexy), and the plot was very cool,too. i wish that i had been there when the film was actually being made as it makes me want to cry yet it also makes me want to kill some of the characters. I'd never seen David Tennant play such a chilling and mysterious character before and it was such an abrupt change from his character as the Doctor and Romeo (Romeo and Juliet). This film is a must-see so make it top of your priority's to see this film J.

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3 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Amazing.....well worth watching, 14 December 2005

Author: insufferable_know_it_all from United Kingdom

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Secret Smiles starred David Tennant (Dr Who) as Brendan Block, Kate Ashfield (Shaun of the Dead) as Miranda Cotton and Claire Goose (Waking the Dead) as Kerry Cotton.

Miranda and Brendan meet at a party and end up going back to her flat for sex. Their relationship lasts about 10 days until Miranda ends it because she discovers that Brendan has taken her spare keys and has been reading her diary from when she was 18.

3 months later Miranda is having lunch with her sister Kerry who tells her she has a new boyfriend... Brendan. Miranda seems to be OK with this although she thinks that Brendan is odd and she doesn't like him.

About 5 weeks after Kerry and Brendan meet they announce their engagement. Miranda is devastated as she doesn't like Brendan. Kerry and Brendan sell their flats but have trouble buying a new one and end up having to stay with Miranda for a while. One evening Brendan comes into Miranda's room when she is in bed and straddles her claiming they used to make love like that. Miranda tries to push him off but the end up rolling over on the bed. Naturally, Kerry walks in and goes berserk and storms out. Brendan slaps her and she comes back, furious with Miranda.

During this time Brendan has made friends with Kerry and Miranda's younger brother Troy. Troy is a manic depressive and Brendan manages to convince him that Miranda doesn't love him and then he kills himself by jumping out of Miranda's window. This makes Miranda try sell her flat. At the funeral Brendan meets Laura, Miranda's best mate.

The day of Kerry and Brendan's wedding arrives and as Miranda turns up at her parents house she finds out that the wedding has just been called off by Brendan because of Laura. Miranda goes round to see Laura and Brendan tells her that him and Laura got married that morning.

About 3 months later Laura rings Miranda and says she wants to talk to her and when she turns up at the meeting place Brendan turns up instead of Laura. Miranda gets worried and goes to Laura's house only to find Laura dead in the bath.Miranda thinks Brendan killed her because she rang Miranda.

A few months later Kerry has a new boyfriend as does Brendan, but Miranda feels responsible and worried for Brendan's new girlfriend and goes to see her telling her that Brendan is dangerous and that she should leave him. Brendan finds her in his flat and gets a restricting order out on Miranda. Naomi (Brendan's new girlfriend) calls Miranda and tells her that Brendan has been hurting her and that she needs to come to the flat. It is a trap but Naomi manages to warn Miranda so she doesn't get caught by the police.

Naomi leaves Brendan and stays with Kerry but Brendan blames Miranda and goes to her apartment and rapes her. Then when Miranda's moving people turn up the next morning they find her blood in the bathroom and then everyone assumes the worst. Brendan is arrested and when his case finally gets to court he is found guilty and goes to prison. Miranda's parents get plane tickets to Australia from Naomi and when they and Kerry get there the find Miranda... she had faked her death.

We then find out what really happened.

Miranda drugged Brendan just before he raped her and although he did rape her When he had passed out/fallen asleep Miranda managed to get out from under him but he wakes up and comes after her. He chased her into the bathroom and we assume he has a knife as it looked like he picked one up and we think that he stabs her but what really happens was he didn't pick up a knife and when he got into the bathroom he tried to attack her again but passed out because of the drugs. Miranda drags him back to the living room and takes a syringe of blood, that has already been taken out of her arm, from the fridge and spreads it around the bathroom so to frame Brendan. Brendan wakes up and leaves not thinking anything of the fact that Miranda isn't there.

Miranda's movers turn up and find the blood and think the worst when the reality is that Miranda is pretending to Laura, as Brendan gave her Laura's passport and belongings when she died, and is on her way to Australia with Naomi.

This may not be everybody's cup of tea but those who like psychological thrillers will love it as will as those who are fans of David Tennant (like me) especially as he was amazing, showing of yet another side of his acting talent and proving he can do just about anything. There is a bit of sex/nudity in it and those who like David are treated to his body at the beginning and his backside at the end when he rapes Miranda.

IT IS DEFIANTLY WELL WORTH WATCHING.

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