Much like "Loose Change" or any other conspiracy film, this piece is not without its die-hard supporters who claim that it's changed their life and that everyone who disagrees is a fool too closed-minded to see their One True Way. But if you're a fan of science or critical thinking (or thinking in general),this film will honestly waste 90 minutes of your life. It presents self-help book authors who think they've got a mandate to tell other people how to live their lives. It presents two people who claim to be scientists talking about this great, monumental discovery of the "Law" of Attraction, but have yet to win a Nobel Prize for such Earth-shattering work (or be taken seriously by the scientific community). It shamelessly cherry-picks quotes from a handful of famous people of the past and claims that they were all on board with this wonderful Secret (which explains why they got so rich and powerful). Indeed this makes you wonder why their "experts" like John Gray haven't yet joined the Pantheon of world's greatest people.

What is the Secret, you ask? Here it is in a nutshell: The movie first suckers the simple-minded into believing it has some validity by first presenting the revolutionary concept that boils down to "a positive outlook on life makes you more pleasant and makes you experience your day better". Wow, truly ground-breaking, thanks! But much like any pseudo-science, it takes a common knowledge that people agree with and then springboards off it to draw ridiculous conclusions, namely that your mind is a beacon that continually communicates with the universe and because the universe truly cares about you, it grants you everything you ever dream about: Wealth, power, fame. Seriously. This is their law of attraction: What you think about.... happens. And oh yeah, every bit of negativity in your life is due to your negative thoughts and you could've avoided this negativity by simply wishing a little harder and being more positive.

And that's where the most offensive part of the film comes in because while such a point of view may not be too offensive for middle-class well-fed Americans and their worst problems (bills, heckling, lack of love),it's an incredible insult to anyone who has ever been through real suffering and negativity: The Jews of the Holocaust, the office workers of the World Trade Center, the starving kids in Africa, anyone who ever got killed in an earthquake, landslide, hurricane, tornado, etc. Suddenly the "avoid bad things by thinking positively" starts seeming ridiculous and yet it's a problem that needs to be addressed by these "experts" before pushing an infantile concept that claims to solve every human problem in the universe for more book/CD/DVD sales.

How do these people propose to solve such problems and prove their point? They treat their audience like children by showing examples of Aladdin with a Genie that says "Your wish is my command" to explain just how the universe actually functions. They paint a scenario where a boy wants a bicycle really badly and instead of asking his parents for it, saving his change, or opening up a lemonade stand, he merely cuts out a magazine clipping of the bike, concentrates really hard, wishes and wishes, and lo and behold, an old man (who I hope is a relative) one day appears at his door with a brand-new bike. Really!

Then they go on to show a guy who got paralyzed in an accident but due to some kind of unseen luck, makes a recovery and walks again. He claims this happened because he was always positive and wished that he could walk again. So the Secret really works! Not quite, especially when you consider the fact that most people who become paralyzed never make any recovery (Christopher Reeve apparently was positive enough to achieve fame and fortune but didn't wish hard enough to walk again after his accident). Again and again, the film insults victims of real misfortune by reducing the world's misery to trivial problems that can all be solved in the mind. It appeals to folks with no real troubles of their own as a cheap-fix self-help solution while I can't imagine what it must be like for victims of ACTUAL misfortune to sit there and be told that "it's all in your mind".

The movie is disgusting, ridiculous, ignorant, and self-centered. It gives the foolish an easy answer but glazes over a problem so complex as human misery with a childish fairy tale. I recommend this movie if you liked "Loose Change". All others, you have been warned.

Oh yeah, and the cinematography was cheesy.

As a student of metaphysics, and as one who has practiced the Law of Attraction successfully for many years, I heard The Secret talked about on Oprah and purchased it. I'm always looking for new "takes" on the concept, if you will. If this has helped some people change their lives, that's great, and for that I will give it a 4. However, for anyone who has studied and practiced metaphysics, it's not really quite there, and I would urge people truly interested in the law of attraction, the one universe-one mind theory, etc., to go well beyond this CD.

Oprah says she practices The Secret, and she does, but not in the way it's practiced here. Oprah comes from a much more spiritual mindset, and that's what The Secret is missing. It's not about getting stuff. It's about developing a sense of true identity and being unafraid to go after what you feel you are meant to do in life and being open to many possible ways of achieving it. This idea is much better stated by Tracy Goss in "The Last Word on Power," by "The Science of Mind," the works of John Randolph Price, by "In Tune with the Infinite," by Ralph Waldo Trine, and by any number of other books.

One of the more vicious comments on the board said if Bill Gates told him that he got rich by imagining it, he'd believe in The Secret. It doesn't quite work that way. Jim Carey is a great believer in metaphysics and the law of attraction, and he did more than imagine his way out of living in a van with his family. Oprah is a great believer in this philosophy as well. So in fact was movie star Ginger Rogers, Georgia Engel from "Mary Tyler Moore" who is now on Broadway, actor Val Kilmer, Broadway star Carol Channing, Carol Burnett, actress Angela Lansbury, the current Miss USA, and more than likely Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and millions of other people. And millions more practice this philosophy every day without realizing it.

The problem with a DVD like this is that this is not a concept that people can decipher easily. How do I know that? I've read the comments here. People think it's about positive thinking and visualizing, which is a pity. Instead of helping an age-old theory, I think The Secret has set back a powerful philosophy thousands of years.

I encourage anyone who sees a grain of something salvageable in this DVD to carry your studies a little further.

I've watched the whole documentary and these are my impressions divided into positive (+),neutral (±) and negative (-) remarks.

(+) To those who experience negative thoughts throughout every day this is a great opportunity to change their way of thinking. This documentary encourages people to change their lives in a positive way.

(+) The theory is explained in a way that's easy to comprehend. To those who are already familiar with this theory (resembling Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy) it may seem repetitive, but to newcomers this might be necessary.

(±) In my opinion, there are claims being made during the documentary that aren't backed up with solid proof. They do tell some remarkable stories, but it doesn't really convince me for some reason.

(±) Several times the interviewees give certain numbers and facts as proof of a statement they're making, but the methods of researching those facts aren't being explained. You just have to believe that what they say is true.

(-) At start The Secret gives the impression that you're going to watch a movie about a woman who will discover "The Secret", how and why it has been kept as a secret for so long, exposing a conspiracy and in the end revealing the secret to the viewer... But it's none of that. It's basically just a documentary.

(-) It's overdone. It feels like I'm watching Tel Sell, and the talking just goes on and on... (But again, to newcomers and people who need a periodical pep talk this might be just the right thing.)

(-) At a certain point, the documentary talks about a "constant state of joy" (at least twice)! The makers of this movie fail to mention that there is nothing wrong with grief and such feelings. If a family member or a good friend of yours dies, then why should you force yourself into a constant state of joy? It's alright to cry, be angry or whatever, as long as you don't exaggerate it, stay in control of yourself and act wisely. But the movie lacks in mentioning this.

(-) The documentary does seem to emphasize on money, welfare and "thus" happiness. I miss the element of growth. If you'd live life the way they recommend you to it feels so superficial to me... As if at the end of your life you only seemed to care about your own well-being.