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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: Lions Gate
Salesrank: 14967
Released: July 15, 2008 |
| Our Price: $7.54 |
| Used Price: $8.83 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal) has a few strikes against her when she applies for a secretarial position at the law office of E. Edward Grey (James Spader). At first the work seems quite normal but soon in between typing filing and coffee making Lee and Mr. Grey embark on a more personal relationship together crossing the lines of conduct that would give any human resource director the vapors!System Requirements:Running Time: 111 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/LOVE & ROMANCE Rating: R UPC: 658149236202 Manufacturer No: 23620
Description of Secretary:
This kinky love story features a standout performance by Maggie Gyllenhaal, an offbeat young actress in her first starring role. Gyllenhaal plays Lee, a nervous girl who compulsively cuts herself, who gets a job as a secretary for Edward, an imperious lawyer (James Spader, an old hand at tales of perverse affection). Edward's reprimands for typos and spelling errors begin with mild humiliation, but as Lee responds to his orders--which are driven as much by his own anxieties and fears as any sense of order--the punishments escalate to spankings, shackles, and more. Secretary walks a fine line. It finds sly humor in these sadomasochistic doings without turning them into a gag, and it takes Lee and Edward's mutual desires seriously without getting self-righteous or pompous. Certainly not a movie for everyone, but some people may be unexpectedly stirred up by this smart and steamy tale of repressed passion. --Bret Fetzer
Secretary Reviews:
NO MAYONNAISE THIS TIME ! 
2008-10-05 - I'M YOUR SECRETARY! I'M YOUR SECRETARY! Punishingly funny. Sick, disturbing, entertainingly silly comedy. From subtle, to heavy-handed, to unpredictable.
You're not sure if you want to like, hate, or pity the main characters; Mr Grey (James Spader - Stargate, The Practice, Boston Legal) or Lee (Maggie Gyllenhaal - Donnie Darko, The Dark Knight). But there are some outrageous scenes that make up for the somewhat (ahem) sick sexual practices that the boss and secretary go through.
Jeremy Davies (Saving Private Ryan, Solaris, Rescue Dawn), as Lee's spaced-out boyfriend Peter, lends welcomed comic relief to some pretty dark and painful scenes (pun intended).
This movie is definitely not for the straight-laced; even though you've got to keep reminding yourself "It's only a movie." Not be be taken seriously. The tomato throwing scene was priceless.
Secretary review by Brandon
2008-10-02 - Good movie, kind of long though and more drama than action. Maggie is very good in this movie. I'd recommend it only for adults though, pretty provocative.
Look Beyond The Pain 
2008-10-01 - Normally I wouldn't watch such a movie, but I did. There are many themes layered throughout this movie that you could pull apart and inspect, or ignore, depending on your view. You could fixate yourself on the S&M aspect and be blind to everything else, unable to look past the red-rears and handcuffs.
I saw this movie as about a woman discovering who she is in a world she never knew existed. Yes, James Spader's character is a bit odd, dominating her with almost Nazi-like authority. But the girl holds herself, finding out how strong she really is and how much she can endure. It's about discovering what really drives you forward and makes you who you are. It's about being able to look passed what society thinks as normal and create your own world with your own rules.
The movie started a bit slow, then gradually picked up momentum. By the end I was so pulled into it I wanted more. A short "making of" segment and trailer are the only special features on this DVD. Not much else, but then again I couldn't imagine what more could be added.
Overall a great movie, fun for the whole family...especially the kids!!
forget the D/S theme; excellent movie!
2008-09-10 - In writing this review, I notice that the recommended tags are things like "BDSM" and "taboo," however this view of the movie really doesn't do it justice. Neither is it done justice by the view of Mary Gaitskill that this is the "Pretty Woman" version of the short story this movie is based on. "Secretary" is not a salacious Dom-sub movie, but it has cinematic qualities that recommend it as something more than a Hollywood romantic comedy.
From a set and costume perspective, this is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Everything chosen for this film is textured, highly sensuous, and beautiful, and the cinematography is well crafted to show off the props without detracting from the story-telling. The script is also well done with adequate dialog and good plot development. I hadn't read anything about this film beforehand, I honestly didn't know how it was going to turn out right up til the end, and I wanted to find out! There is only one really unfortunate choice--a video montage with a pop music soundtrack around 1:40:00 takes you out of the world the director has sucked you into. But that is only one instance.
As for the Dom-sub theme, I was prepared to be turned off, but I was not. Despite the theme, the movie is not sadistic in its treatment of the heroine. It invites us to be sympathetic with her, and the James Spader character actually helps her stop one unhealthy and damaging clinical expression of psychopathology. Whether the relationship that eventually develops between Gyllenhaal and Spader should be considered "healthy" (or is itself an expression of psychopathology) is something for psychologists and sexologists to debate among themselves, but "Secretary" does not invite us to leer at exploitation the way a film like "Boogie Nights" does.
This is not a film I would watch with my parents or children, or with hard-left feminists. But I would watch it with friends or possibly a date (not the first). If you are a film aficionado or if you enjoy off-beat films (like Tim Burton), you really need to see this one, although I think it could be enjoyed by just about anybody who doesn't have a knee-jerk reaction to the theme.
Maggie's big break...
2008-09-01 - I finally saw this film. I've always liked Maggie Gyllenhaal (Mona Lisa Smile, etc.) and she carried this first lead role like a confident pro. Indeed, she was fine, as was James Spader, more in control than the roles for which he's known. My favorite of all, however, is Jeremy Davies. A very earnest and complete performance. Steven Shainberg has crafted a film that shocks, amuses, and finally leaves the audience with a happy feeling.
