The self-actualization phenomenon known as The Secret pivots on the time-honored new age notion of the Laws of Attraction: That is, think positively, and positive things will come to you. This film, originally broadcast over the Internet, has been enhanced and extended for this DVD edition; but it retains the essential elements that have captivated millions.

Over the course of its 92 minutes, The Secret introduces a parade of “teachers” hailing from various fields, including psychology, metaphysics, quantum physics, theology, spirit channeling, and personal motivation.

Familiar faces and thoughts include those of John Gray (Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus), Neale Donald Walsch (Conversations with God), and What the Bleep Do We Know? veteran Fred Alan Wolf. Like What the Bleep…?, this film mingles in among its talking heads vignettes underscoring its principles, although here the stories are varied, in contrast to the earlier film’s single, Marlee Matlin-focused narrative.

Produced and narrated by Australian television veteran Rhonda Byrne, The Secret’s ultimate goal for viewers is, as Johnny Mercer put it, to “accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative,” and “don’t mess with Mr. In-Between.” For many, that’s an eye-opener. (Barnes & Noble)

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Not really a movie or documentary, The Secret is more of a video seminar, a presentation featuring a series of authors, philosophers, doctors, quantum physicists, entrepreneurs, and spiritual practitioners expounding on the powers of The Secret (probably the most well-known of the presenters is Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul and The Success Principles).

What is The Secret, exactly? “That principle can be summed up in three simple words: thoughts become things,” proclaims writer Mike Dooley, author of Notes from the Universe. Put it another way, it’s The Power of Positive Thinking and how it can be applied to attracting more money, better health, and relationships; in short, happiness. (There is a rundown of topics on the DVD Chapters menu).

Most of the material here is given in a straightforward manner, with the presenters simply talking into the camera to address the audience directly, which is good because it avoids the trap of pretense. On the other hand, the quick edits between presenters (would it hurt to let them say more than one sentence at a time?) don’t help because it reduces many of their points to palatable sound bites and aphorisms. To many viewers, this may make the program come across as a series of nice ideas not rooted in reality.

Plus it’s somewhat spurious to claim that The Secret was well understood and practiced by specific individuals like Plato or Shakespeare (it’s well known that some of the historical figures noted didn’t exactly live happy or even prosperous lives, despite their achievements). But still, the primary message is one of positivity and hope for everyone. So what to make of it? In the end, programs like this generally find an audience that is open to the message, and many will probably find it to be… (Amazon)