Secrets & Lies
Secrets & Lies Image
See the trailer
Metascore
91 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 27 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 36 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • Starring: Brenda Blethyn, Timothy Spall
  • Summary: A middle-aged London factory worker (Blethyn) is shocked when the mixed-race daughter she gave up at birth decides to track her down. At first she denies she is her mother. All family members become emotional, as everyone's secrets are exposed.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    100
    It moves us on a human level, it keeps us guessing during scenes as unpredictable as life, and it shows us how ordinary people have a chance of somehow coping with their problems, which are rather ordinary, too.
  2. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    100
    Leigh is an artist not at all blind to the world's darkness and pain. But the generosity and togetherness he and his company show in Secrets and Lies is something the movies -- and the world -- truly need. [25 October 1996, Friday, p.A]
    All this critic's reviews
  3. Dallas Observer
    Reviewed by: Arnold Wayne Jones
    80
    Secrets & Lies is all about wounds and our tendency to embrace placebos rather than the harder courses of treatment.
  4. Variety
    Reviewed by: Staff [not credited]
    60
    Unquestionably a finely observed, deeply felt work, though with some nagging problems in pacing and structure.

See all 27 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. Insatiableone
    10
    Mike Leigh reveals to us how secrets and lies can cause upset, pain, and regret in what has to be one of the best British films of all time. With spot-on dialogue and glorious performances it is hard to find fault with Leigh's masterpiece. Just when we thought Cynthia would live out the rest of her days as a worker in a banal factory, with her confrontational daughter Roxanne, she is thrown a life line in the form of Hortense, and we see their relationship flourish. Timothy Spall is also on top form as the glue that holds the family together.… Expand
  2. ShaniceT
    10
    Phenomenal film! Brilliant screenplay, direction, and acting.
  3. Macky
    10
    The Best Movie I have ever seen, PERIOD! Unbelivable acting, great story, deeply moving. If you care about people more than special effects see this movie.… Expand
  4. Scraper
    7
    The gearing up at the beginning of the film is slow while the cello and gray skies don't help much to break up the denseness. Secrets and Lies becomes more engrossing as it goes along. Terrific acting all the way really helps the vision. Reminds me a lot of "In the Bedroom" in that the sullen mood rarely lets go even when characters are smiling or laughing. Over all a quality film.… Expand

See all 12 User Reviews

Trailers

Current Movie Releases

Full List »
  1. Star Trek Into Darkness
    Metascore: 73
  2. Iron Man 3
    Metascore: 62
  3. 42
    Metascore: 62
  4. Evil Dead (2013)
    Metascore: 57
  5. The Croods
    Metascore: 55
  6. The Great Gatsby
    Metascore: 55
  7. Oblivion
    Metascore: 54
  8. Pain & Gain
    Metascore: 43
  9. G.I. Joe: Retaliation
    Metascore: 41
  10. Olympus Has Fallen
    Metascore: 41
  11. The Host
    Metascore: 35
  12. Tyler Perry's Temptation
    Metascore: 27
  13. Scary Movie 5
    Metascore: 11
All Current Movies »