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Can You Keep a Secret? (2008) movie poster

Characters & Themes

Can You Keep a Secret? (2008) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2008 · 106 mins · French
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Directed by
Alexandre Arcady
Starring
Pierre Arditi, Michaël Youn, Antoine De Caunes, Ary Abittan, Géraldine Nakache, Corinne Puget

Delphine passes herself off as her boss’s lover.

Comedy Drama Cast, crew & box office
On this page (8)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Characters explained (6)
  3. 3 Where & when it takes place
  4. 4 Themes & meaning (4)
  5. 5 Character & meaning questions
  6. 6 Movie threads
  7. 7 Categories
  8. 8 Every angle
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6 main characters · contains spoilers

Can You Keep a Secret? Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of Can You Keep a Secret? (2008), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Emma Corrigan

    An ambitious junior marketing representative for Panda who reveals her deepest secrets on a plane, then navigates a fraught romance with her CEO. She balances career ambition with personal insecurities and learns to assert her own value beyond the gaze of others.

    • 💼 Professional
    • ❤️ Romantic
    • 🤫 Secretive
    • 🎭 Confidence issues

  • Jack Harper

    The charming CEO of Panda who becomes Emma’s conflicted lover. His public persona hides private vulnerabilities as he tries to protect a goddaughter’s privacy, while also courting Emma and confronting the consequences of exposing secrets.

    • 💼 Executive
    • ❤️ Romantic
    • 🔎 Secretive
    • 🎭 Power

  • Connor

    Emma's boyfriend who is left behind as she pursues excitement and truth, leading to a breakup that highlights the fragility of relationships under career stress.

    • ❤️ Boyfriend
    • 💬 Communication issues
    • 💔 Breakup
    • 🗣️ Honesty

  • Lissy

    Emma’s roommate and confidante who cautions her about the power imbalance in her relationship with Jack and offers grounded, honest perspective on love and career.

    • 👯‍♀️ Friend
    • 🗣️ Advisor
    • 💡 Realistic
    • 🧭 Guidance

  • Cybill

    Emma’s boss who eagerly takes credit for successful campaigns, embodying corporate opportunism and the pressure to advance.

    • 🏢 Boss
    • 🗒️ Strategist
    • 💼 Office politics
    • 🗣️ Approval-seeker

  • Nick

    A Panda representative responsible for creative campaigns; his budget decisions and ad success are central to the workplace dynamics and Emma's challenge to the status quo.

    • 🧠 Creative
    • 🗳️ Budget
    • 🗣️ Office politics
    • 🚀 Ambition

Last updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:23

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Setting

Where and When Does Can You Keep a Secret? Take Place?

The setting of Can You Keep a Secret? (2008): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

Late 2010s

The film is set in contemporary times, reflecting modern office culture, smartphones, and media scrutiny. It features live TV appearances and the rapid spread of information through tabloids and social chatter. The timeline centers on current-era corporate dynamics, romance, and personal growth that feel immediate and relatable.

Location

Chicago, New York

The story primarily unfolds in Chicago, where Emma travels for a Panda sales meeting and where most key scenes occur—offices, airports, and coffee shops shaping the romance and professional tensions. New York is referenced as Emma's origin and the broader corporate base of Panda, adding a sense of scale to the company’s reach. Chicago's fast-paced urban atmosphere provides the backdrop for Emma's personal and career challenges.

  • 🏙️ Urban setting
  • 🍕 Food culture
  • 🗺️ City centers

Last updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:23

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4 major themes

Can You Keep a Secret? Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is Can You Keep a Secret? (2008) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Secrets

    A central thread is Emma’s willingness to reveal intimate details to a stranger, and the consequences when those secrets become exposed by a powerful figure. The film explores privacy versus public persona, showing how personal vulnerabilities can fuel both connection and conflict. As secrets collide with ambition at Panda, the line between romance and manipulation blurs.

  • Workplace Dynamics

    Office politics drive much of the plot, from promotions to credit-taking. Emma navigates tense power balances, bosses who seek to control narratives, and the pressure to perform under scrutiny. The dynamic between Emma, Cybill, and Nick exposes how ambition and favoritism can shape careers.

  • Romance and Power

    The romance between Emma and Jack sits atop a power imbalance—boss and employee—creating tension between desire and propriety. Their relationship tests trust as public exposure threatens their private life. The story resolves through honesty, mutual vulnerability, and choosing genuine connection over image.

  • Public Image

    Public perception drives the plot as media and colleagues scrutinize Emma’s life through Jack’s televised comments and office gossip. The film explores how a single misstep or reveal can alter reputation and opportunities. Emma’s quest for a fair chance at advancement intersects with how she is perceived by others.

Last updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:23

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Character & theme questions

Can You Keep a Secret? Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about Can You Keep a Secret? (2008): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Where is Can You Keep a Secret set?

The movie primarily takes place in Chicago, where Emma travels for a Panda sales meeting. Most key scenes occur in Chicago's offices, airports, and coffee shops. New York is referenced as Emma's origin and Panda's corporate headquarters, giving the story a sense of scale between the two cities.

  • chicago
  • new york
  • setting
  • locations
  • panda
Q2

When does Can You Keep a Secret take place?

The film is set in contemporary times, specifically the late 2010s. It reflects modern office culture, smartphones, and media scrutiny with live TV appearances and rapid information spread through tabloids and social media.

  • time period
  • era
  • modern
  • contemporary
  • late 2010s
Q3

What are the main themes in Can You Keep a Secret?

The movie explores four key themes: secrets and privacy versus public persona, workplace dynamics and corporate politics, romance complicated by power imbalance between boss and employee, and how public perception shapes opportunities and reputation.

  • themes
  • secrets
  • workplace
  • romance
  • public image
Q4

What does the secrets theme mean in Can You Keep a Secret?

The secrets theme centers on Emma's willingness to reveal intimate details to a stranger and the consequences when those secrets are exposed by a powerful figure. It explores how personal vulnerabilities can fuel both connection and conflict, especially as secrets collide with corporate ambition at Panda.

  • secrets
  • privacy
  • exposure
  • vulnerability
Q5

What workplace dynamics are explored in the movie?

Office politics drive much of the plot, including promotions, credit-taking, and power balances. Emma navigates bosses who seek to control narratives and pressure to perform under scrutiny. The dynamic between Emma, her boss Cybill, and CEO Jack exposes how ambition and favoritism shape careers.

  • workplace
  • office
  • corporate
  • politics
  • career
Q6

How does the movie handle romance and power imbalance?

The romance between Emma and Jack sits atop a significant power imbalance as boss and employee, creating tension between desire and propriety. Their relationship tests trust as public exposure threatens their private connection, ultimately resolving through honesty and mutual vulnerability.

  • romance
  • power
  • relationship
  • boss
  • employee
Q7

Who is Emma Corrigan?

Emma Corrigan is an ambitious junior marketing representative for Panda who reveals her deepest secrets on a plane to a stranger. She navigates a fraught romance with her CEO while balancing career ambition with personal insecurities, ultimately learning to assert her value beyond others' perceptions.

  • emma corrigan
  • protagonist
  • marketing
  • panda
Q8

Who is Jack Harper?

Jack Harper is the charming CEO of Panda who becomes Emma's conflicted lover. His public persona hides private vulnerabilities as he tries to protect a goddaughter's privacy while also pursuing Emma and confronting the consequences of publicly exposing secrets.

  • jack harper
  • ceo
  • panda
  • lover
Q9

What role does public image play in Can You Keep a Secret?

Public perception drives the plot as media and colleagues scrutinize Emma's life through Jack's televised comments and office gossip. The film shows how a single reveal can alter reputation and opportunities, with Emma's quest for advancement intersecting directly with how others perceive her.

  • public image
  • media
  • reputation
  • scrutiny
Q10

Who are the other key characters in the movie?

The supporting cast includes Connor, Emma's boyfriend left behind as she pursues truth; Lissy, her roommate who cautions about the power imbalance; Cybill, her boss who takes credit for others' work; and Nick, a Panda creative whose budget decisions affect Emma's career.

  • connor
  • lissy
  • cybill
  • nick
  • supporting characters

Movie threads

More Movies Like Can You Keep a Secret?, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Can You Keep a Secret? tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Lighthearted Workplace Confessions like in Can You Keep a Secret?

Secret-filled romantic comedies set against a professional backdrop. If you enjoyed the charming mix of office life and romantic secrets in Can You Keep a Secret?, you'll love these movies. This list features comedies and dramas where professional settings spark humorous misunderstandings, personal growth, and feel-good romantic resolutions.

  • romantic
  • humorous
  • uplifting
  • anxious
  • embarrassing
  • hopeful
  • Tone: light, humorous, hopeful
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories in this thread typically follow a protagonist navigating their professional life while hiding a personal secret, often related to romance or identity. The central conflict arises from the tension between their public persona and private truth, leading to comedic situations and a climax where the secret is revealed, ultimately resulting in personal and professional growth.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped together for their shared focus on low-stakes professional environments, the lighthearted tone of romantic misunderstandings, and the satisfying arc of self-discovery that resolves both personal and career conflicts in a positive, uplifting way.

Can You Keep a Secret? movie poster

Can You Keep a Secret?

2008
You’re My Boss movie poster

You’re My Boss

2015
More Than a Secretary movie poster

More Than a Secretary

1936
Desk Set movie poster

Desk Set

1957
All in a Night’s Work movie poster

All in a Night’s Work

1961
Set It Up movie poster

Set It Up

2018
The Wedding Planner movie poster

The Wedding Planner

2001
Our Little Secret movie poster

Our Little Secret

2024

Accidental Identity and Self-Discovery stories like Can You Keep a Secret?

Comedies where a lie about identity leads to genuine personal transformation. Looking for more movies like Can You Keep a Secret? where a harmless lie about identity spirals into a journey of self-discovery? These films share a pattern of comedic deception leading to unexpected personal growth and romantic fulfillment, all with a light and steady pacing.

  • self-discovery
  • humorous
  • embarrassing
  • hopeful
  • charming
  • anxious
  • Tone: light, humorous, uplifting
  • Pacing: steady
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves a protagonist who, often out of social anxiety or a desire for acceptance, fabricates an aspect of their life. This lie quickly escalates, creating a dual life they must maintain. The comedy stems from the near-misses and embarrassments, while the emotional core is the character's gradual realization that the persona they invented contains elements of their true, desired self, leading to an authentic transformation.

Why they belong together: Movies in this thread share a specific comedic premise—the accidental identity—that drives both the humor and the character arc. They are united by a light tone, a focus on personal rather than high-stakes consequences, and a ultimately hopeful message about authenticity and growth.

Can You Keep a Secret? movie poster

Can You Keep a Secret?

2008
Somebody I Used to Know movie poster

Somebody I Used to Know

2023
The Accidental Husband movie poster

The Accidental Husband

2008
Just Go with It movie poster

Just Go with It

2011
A Case of You movie poster

A Case of You

2013
Rich in Love movie poster

Rich in Love

2020
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People movie poster

How to Lose Friends & Alienate People

2008
Alibi.com movie poster

Alibi.com

2017

Categories

Movie Lists Featuring Can You Keep a Secret?

Can You Keep a Secret? appears in these hand-built movie categories. Each one groups movies by a specific mood, theme or story type, with their plot summaries and endings explained.

View all movie categories
Workplace Found Family Comedies movies

Workplace Found Family Comedies

Workplace found family comedies
Cynics Forced Into Sincerity movies

Cynics Forced Into Sincerity

Comedies about cynical experts

Every angle

Can You Keep a Secret? (2008) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Can You Keep a Secret? in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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