Lindsay Lohan’s renaissance should be bigger than Netflix original movies

If there’s one thing missing from the modern cinematic landscape, it’s the real, ineffable charm that made no-name ingenues into overnight sensations. Seldom do we see the meteoric rise of someone whose it-factor is so undeniable that they can maintain their ascent after the shine of a viral TikTok dance or the precocious sparkle of a stolen scene wears off. The early 2000s were full of these entertainers, ones who could draw your gaze from across the room just by locking eyes with the cover of a “Vanity Fair” young Hollywood issue. Raven Symoné! Hilary Duff! Amanda Bynes! But there were none so effervescent as Lindsay Lohan, who, from her breakout role in “The Parent Trap” at age 12, proved she had more talent in her pinky than most young stars actors ever display in their entire careers.

Since her initial climb to stardom, Lohan has experienced her fair share of well-documented stumbles. But the worst mistakes weren’t enough to deplete the public’s goodwill — not entirely, at least. And after going through hell to mount a successful comeback, Lohan is far past the point of needing to prove herself to anyone. After moving semi-permanently to Dubai to escape the prying lenses of the paparazzi who had a bounty on her darkest days since she was still a teenager, the once-troubled star rerouted her life and regained control of her narrative. She got married, had a child, and began to act again at her own pace, starting with the 2022 Netflix holiday film “Falling for Christmas” before inking a two-picture deal with the streamer soon after. By anyone’s standards, Lohan took the raw deal she was given as a child star whose popularity exploded in the brutal celebrity culture of the early aughts and transformed it into an impressive second act.

But you wouldn’t know that by tapping into any of the press that Lohan has done for her latest Netflix film, “Our Little Secret.” In junkets and talk show interviews, the conversation inevitably turns to Lohan’s earlier work in films like “Mean Girls” and “Freaky Friday” (the latter of which will receive a sequel, “Freakier Friday,” in 2025). Those are safe places to land, topics that journalists and hosts can mine for some clickbait nostalgia or audience applause, but focusing so heavily on the past does little to serve this pivotal moment in Lohan’s career. 

After “Falling for Christmas,” it was plain to see that the Lohan Renaissance — or “Lohanaissance” as many (or, maybe, just me) dubbed it — was well underway. The Disney star who consistently outshined and outacted her peers was happy, healthy and ready to sharpen any performing skills that may have dulled during years when work was sparse. The public is rooting for Lohan in a way they haven’t in two decades. And though “Our Little Secret” is the best of Lohan’s trio of Netflix offerings, it should be both a temporary cap on her rom-coms and a springboard for something better suited to her broad array of talents.

Katie Baker, Ian Harding and Lindsay Lohan in “Our Little Secret” (Netflix) 

That’s not to say that “Our Little Secret” isn’t enjoyable all on its own, only that it’s become wearying to watch Lohan confined to the limits of a holiday movie made for a streamer. The film’s conceit isn’t exactly novel, either. In the movie, Lohan plays Avery, a young, business-minded woman who dumps her boyfriend Logan (Ian Harding) for a big job in London. Ten years after their trainwreck breakup, Avery tags along with her new beau Cameron (Jon Rudnitsky) for his big family Christmas, where she thinks the biggest hurdle will be impressing Cameron’s uptight, holiday-obsessed mother, Erica (Kristin Chenoweth). But a much larger obstacle waits just behind Erica’s wreath-and-string-light-covered entryway: Logan, with Cameron’s sister Cassie (Katie Baker) on his arm.

First-time screenwriter Hailey DeDominicis draws from familiar setups for her batch of holiday hijinks. But her droll, realistic script and the film’s reasonably stacked cast (for a streaming Christmas movie, anyway) keep “Our Little Secret” from feeling too conventional. Lohan’s first two Netflix films, “Falling for Christmas” and the godawful “Irish Wish,” had cheesy dialogue and slight magical elements that made both films feel wholly undeserving of Lohan’s singular presence. But in “Our Little Secret,” Lohan thankfully isn’t beholden to any of the kitsch that plagued her prior Netflix movies. The romantic subplot is predictable but sweet, and the humor is legitimately clever, letting Lohan remind us that her comedic chops extend far beyond physical humor. She’s still got the preternatural charisma that made audiences fall in love with her, and it hasn’t been this apparent in years.

Dan Bucatinsky, Kristin Chenoweth, Jake Brennan, Katie Baker, Jon Rudintsky in “Our Little Secret” (Netflix)While “Our Little Secret” is a decent movie — undoubtedly the best of Lohan’s three Netflix films — it’s only a sizzle reel compared to what she could do next. Nostalgia is a potent drug, and Lohan would do well to capitalize on the goodwill she’s built over the last couple of years, which will only keep stacking with “Freakier Friday” on the horizon. The masses are eager to see their favorite starlet shine bright again, and it’s time to pursue a project that isn’t tailor-made for Jimmy Fallon’s lowball questions and dated references. 

But what kind of project might that be, exactly? Lohan’s filmography offers a fair amount of underrated movies from which she could draw inspiration when looking toward the future. Assuming that there won’t be a “Freakiest Friday” (although I’d be happy to sell the rights to the name to the House of Mouse for a cool $2 million), Lohan is safe to step into something a bit more adult. If we look back to the mid-2000s when Lohan was making her first break from the Disney machine, turns in “A Prairie Home Companion” and “Georgia Rule” had Hollywood legends Meryl Streep and Jane Fonda singing her praises; the former even posed alongside Lohan on a “W Magazine” cover that same year, suggesting that Lohan had the potential to follow in Streep’s footsteps. 

While one might argue that a career of the same magnitude as Streep’s is far behind Lohan, there’s no reason to believe that a solid set of dramatic roles couldn’t be in her future. Both “Georgia Rule” and “A Prairie Home Companion” leveraged Lohan’s wide-eyed ingenue status, but consider how actors like Natasha Lyonne and Winona Ryder burst back onto the scene in major ways after achieving fame around the same age as Lohan. Both women had their struggles made public and faced relentless scrutiny, only to step back from the limelight until they found projects that spoke to their skill sets. 

Aside from that uncanny comic timing, Lohan is gifted with a screen presence that few of her contemporaries could replicate, making her perfect for scene-stealing supporting roles. A smaller part is nothing to scoff at, either. Margot Robbie managed to be the best part of Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City” with nothing but a brief, moving monologue in a scene that held the key to the entire film. With her signature husky voice and confident delivery, there’s no reason Lohan wouldn’t be the perfect choice for a similar bit part.

Well, there is one reason. To fully regain movie star status (if that is what she wants, that is), Lindsay Lohan has to stop being Lindsay Lohan. She has to find a connection to a character that will allow her to disappear into a role entirely. All her years as a tabloid target have made that a lofty task for Lohan, but it’s not an impossible goal. Take her starring role in Paul Schrader’s derided-yet-misunderstood 2013 L.A. noir “The Canyons.” As the bored trust fund kid Tara, Lohan drew from her experiences withering away in the California sun to craft a character who was detestable but always sympathetic. Despite the film’s tortured production, Lohan won Schrader’s praises. Her performance is perhaps the sole reason that the film has achieved cult status, mirrored in the equally lovable mess that is 2007’s “I Know Who Killed Me,” which wouldn’t be half as impressive without its enthusiastic star. 

But a full transformation may already be imminent, with Lohan recently confirming that she’s working on a biopic of Ann-Margret, who gave Lohan her blessing to play her in the movie. A film about one of cinema’s greatest dancers could be the ideal role for Lohan at this stage, letting her flex her physical prowess and dramatic chops in equal measure. But whether the biopic ends up being “Maria” good or “Back to Black” bad, it’s nice to see Lohan in the Hollywood mix again. Let’s just hope her massive potential doesn’t have to be our little secret much longer.