Secret Admirer
Directed by David Greenwalt
Written by David Greenwalt, Jim Kouf
Starring: C. Thomas Howell, Lori Loughlin, Kelly Preston, Fred Ward
Runtime: 90 minutes
Now Available on Blu-Ray in a Brand New 2K Master from Kino Lorber

by Kirk Stevens, Contributor

Synopsis from Letterboxd:

When high-school heartthrob Michael receives an unsigned love letter, his guy friends convince him that it’s from knock-out prom queen Deborah Anne. He then enlists his best friend, pretty honor student Toni, to help him pass his own anonymous letter to Debbie. But when Michael’s younger brother snatches and misplaces the original letter, as well as the second letter also being mishandled, the mysteriously romantic words soon make their way into the hands of the adults in their families, touching off a scandalous soap opera of mixed-up motives, mistaken identities and misled emotions.

While it may not be remembered as an 80’s teen movie classic with the likes of John Hughes, David Greenwalt’s Secret Admirer is a perfectly charming comedy of errors that serves as a breezy, entertaining watch. Originally conceived as a vehicle for Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner, the film was re-tooled to be a teen sex comedy after they passed on the project. While we’ll never know what that version of Secret Admirer would have looked like, the final product plays like a mix between the horny comedies of its era and a farcical Cyrano de Bergerac. The film juggles both genres, never finding quite the right balance, but nonetheless it is a memorable effort.

The stronger, more traditional sections of the film follow Michael (a heartthrob C. Thomas Howell) as he receives an anonymous love letter and wants to believe it’s from his crush, the beautiful Deborah Ann Fimple (Kelly Preston). However, the letter is actually from his good friend Toni (Lori Loughlin), who is in love with him. Michael writes a love letter in return, and asks Toni to give it to Deborath Ann. Through a series of mishaps, the letter ends up in the hands of Deborah’s mother, Elizabeth (Dee Wallace Stone), and the plot spirals into Michael and Deborah Ann’s parents having affairs with each other. This section of the film is clunkier, teetering between serious adult matters and heightened comedy, but it’s also a pleasant surprise that goes in directions which make it stand out from other movies of that era. Fred Ward gives a very game performance as the intense Lieutenant Lou Fimple, Deborah Ann’s father, which by itself is a reason to give this title a shot.

Secret Admirer has many 80’s high school movie cliches, for better and for worse. There’s misogyny, casual homophobia, a meathead named Steve (Scott McGinnis), fast food restaurant hi-jinks, and even Corey Haim. Upon release, it didn’t do very well at the box office and reviews weren’t particularly favorable, but with the passage of time and an honestly stunning new transfer, it’s overall a pleasant and quirky watch. 

What Features Make It Special:

• Brand New HD Master – From a 2K Scan of the 35mm Interpositve

• NEW Audio Commentary by Director David Greenwalt, Co-Writer Jim Kouf and Associate Producer Lynn Kouf, Moderated by Historian/Filmmaker Daniel Kremer

• Radio Spots

• Theatrical Trailer

• Optional English Subtitles

Why you need to add it to your video library:

There’s a lot to like about Secret Admirer. It’s not perfect, but in this modern age where there’s a dearth of studio comedies and a constant stream of IP and content, it’s a nice reminder that there used to be movies made for and about teenagers. And in this case, it’s about their parents too! It’s odd, yet it’s by-the-numbers, and somehow soothing in its predictability and modest pacing. It’s also reminiscent of being young and dumb and making grand gestures in the name of love. This Blu-Ray looks great and the commentary track from David Greenwalt, Jim Kouf, and Lynn Kouf is a nice reflection from friends looking back fondly on what sounded like a very fun production. I recommend watching this Secret Admirer disc with some pizza, Pepsi, and a group of friends.