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Amazon.co.uk Review
Secretary is a kinky love story featuring 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, but who then 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 humour 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
DVD Description
When Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal - Donnie Darko, Adaptation) gets a job as a secretary in a small firm, she does her best to please. But her new boss (James Spader - Stargate, Crash) finds fault with her typing and administers a rather unconventional kind of punishment. Soon Lee realizes that she is not only becoming the perfect secretary, but also the woman she always wanted to be. Daring, sexy and provocative, this award-winning film is a must for anyone who’s ever had a hard day at work …
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I have to admit, I only watched this film because my sister persuaded me to. I had written it off beforehand because the trailers I saw portrayed the film as something I was certain I would not like. However when I sat down and watched it, I had to eat humble pie! Maggie Gyllenhaal is excellent as self-harmer Lee, who takes a job at a secretary and develops an unconventional relationship with her boss (James Spader in the kind of role that seems to be written for him). It is interesting that Lee's confidence grows the longer she is in, what could be interpreted as an exploitative relationship, and it is never black and white what is considered 'right' or 'wrong' - in fact the more traditional relationship she could have with her more 'official' boyfriend seems bland and unfulflling in comparison. Something I really love about the film is the soundtrack, it gives the whole film a classy, other-worldly air, that maintains the sense of tongue in cheek humour without denigrating what is going on. All in all a challenging film that might well surprise you.
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Secretary does what somebody should have done a long time ago. It's a romance that pushes the point that not every couple is the pastel-shaded sunshine couple that you get in most rom-coms, calling each other pet names and sitting in on Sunday with the papers. Secretary is dark, witty, funny, romantic and genuinely fresh. If you're looking for a standard romcom, or if you've made any assumptions due to the film's title, think again. If you're a fan of subversive, brave and honest cinema than I can't recommend Secretary highly enough.
35 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
'Secretary' begins by throwing us into the life of Lee, a compulsive self-mutilator who lands herself a job as an eccentric lawyer's secretary after being released from the psychiatric institution. Quite a lot to stomach already, then the story develops into a tale of love at first sight with a seriously sadomasochistic twist, as Lee is immediately drawn to her domineering boss. He in turn seems to share the same feelings but is apparently incapable of forging relationships, therefore the only way they experience their romance is through darkly comical S&M experiences. Morally wrong perhaps but director Steven Shainburg portrays the fetish theme in a surprisingly gentle light allowing the film to continue as a love story in one way or an other.
Whilst 'Secretary' is slightly out there on a proverbial limb, the aim was not to shock but to portray love from a perspective outside of the social norms. On that note it succeeds and while criticisms do exist over the morality of one torture replacing an other, the general tone of the film is surprisingly optimistic and romantic.
Maggie Gyllenhaal shines with a breakthrough role as the submissive Lee with a turn which saw her achieve a Golden Globe nomination. Her energetic performance most certainly deserved more as she played a very challenging role down to an almost perfection.
It was a routine walk in the park for James Spader, almost a veteran on the indie scene. Nevertheless he was still very impressive as Mr. Grey, the obsessive lawyer as he surprisingly manages to force the audience into building up an odd likeness of his character despite all of his odd eccentricities.
Sadomasochism is a tricky subject but 'Secretary' approaches it carefully, avoiding offence and the shock factor. Shainburg has also done a brilliant job in creating these two characters but making them very human by not alienating them. If you have been looking for a rom-com in the vein of 'The Wedding Planner' or even 'The Wedding Singer', then it's likely to be a safe bet not to go near 'Secretary'. However if you are not afraid to experience a much darker romantic comedy with an other twist added onto that then this might just be your thing.
8/10
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
HORRIBLE
I found it very uncomfortable to watch. i'm not sure a single one of the characters was married to their sexual partners.
Published 9 days ago by RossBis
sweet funny
this is a great movie i totally love it, it is sweet love story but not for the faint hearted. James spader and maggie gyllenhall have great chemistry together.
Published 24 days ago by louise
Unconventional love story
Maggie G is brilliant in this film - you can really see her character develop through the story from a hunched over, sad, shuffling little soul into a confident woman. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Sonneblom
An interesting insight into a woman's personality
I first saw most of the latter half of this at a friends'. I did not know what I was watching and only then recognised Maggie Gyllenhaal's face although I did not then know her... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Claptonian
Good film interesting sub plot
I bought this DVD after it was mentioned in a lecture I attended. I work in health care! The story is about a rather bizarre relationship with slight sado masochistic overtones but... Read more
Published 3 months ago by E. A. Davies
Raw Love
In this film Maggie Gyllenhaal plays a rather demanding character, which she does with depth and humour. Read more
Published 8 months ago by bizmandan
such sexy fun
I can watch this film over and over . It portrays s and m in such an interesting way , rather than the usual nudge nudge wink wink . Read more
Published 8 months ago by cartoon
Cult Classic?
Maggie Gyllenhaal is a delight to see in any movie - beautiful as she is. This movie was not aimed at being a pure money maker as such but has the makings of being a cult classic. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Nic
One of the great films about female desire
The recollections of a young woman who went from the misery self-harming to the surprise fulfilment of a bdsm relationship with her boss and finally fell in love with him. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Philoctetes
One of my favourites.
The film is about a young woman, recently released from a mental hospital. She gets a job as a secretary to a demanding lawyer. Read more
Published 10 months ago by F Wells
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