Secretary details
| Format: | 18 DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeremy Davies, Lesley Ann Warren |
| Director: | Steven Shainberg |
| Genres: | Comedy - Romantic, Drama - General, Romance |
| Studio: | TARTAN VIDEO |
| Collections: | 2012's Top Films, Book Adaptations, Cult Classics, Decades: 00s, Guilty Pleasures, Leading Ladies, Love Hurts, LOVEFiLM Loves... |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Secretary |
18 Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 47 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 29 Sep 2003 |
| Main languages: | English |
Write your own review
Most helpful review
One for the masochists
By jonke from London , 18 Dec 2003[Highly rated reviewer]
Or should that be one for the sadists, the bondage fans, the orange, ligature and fishnets brigade? Lee Holloway (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, Donnie Darko's sister) finally shakes off her teenage self-harming misery years by falling hopelessly in love with her lawyer boss, Mr Grey (a sparkling James Spader) who just happens to be a dyed-in-the-wool sexual sadist.
It would be easy to dismiss this film as a prurient voyeuristic eye on the affairs of those who exist on the margins of sexual behaviour. I'm sure too that a lot of professionals working with people suffering from psycho-sexual problems would throw up their hands in horror at the notion that their clients could emerge from self-destructive, self-harming phases by embracing regular bondage and caning sessions. So far, so politically incorrect.
There is something more to this film though than the brief synopsis given above. When Lee looks us in the eye at the end of the movie, she's saying, "Come on, judge me if you're so sure of yourself". As far as she's concerned, she's swapped misery for bliss and her relationship with Mr Grey is entirely positive and consensual.
I would recommend this film for anyone who is prepared to put up with a few tremors and quakes in their moral universe. It's well-played, fairly credible and amusing without being too up itself.- Was this review helpful to you?
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All reviews
(554)Works well with apt humor and acting
By a customer , 01 Apr 2013An intelligent and very well acted, sexy and quirky comedy. It could very easily have gone off the rails and failed, given the general plot line of a vulnerable women in a job who willingly becomes controlled by her employer in all facets of her life. But it's clever humor and spot on acting, and the art with which it redeems itself as a believable love story between two very unusual characters who are with difficulty, right for each other, makes this a more memorable film.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Worth Watching - maybe only once though
By a customer , 30 Mar 2013Somewhat off beat and slow moving at times but worth watching as both the main characters performed their parts well.- Was this review helpful to you?
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very enjoyable
By a customer , 28 Mar 2013I really enjoyed this film and though it was slow in parts, the storyline and acting made up for it- Was this review helpful to you?
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Fab film
By a customer , 06 Mar 2013Ace film unusual/quirk dark comedy love story can be a bit slow in parts but with good all round acting by all.- Was this review helpful to you?
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:D brill
By a customer , 02 Mar 2013I actually liked this film, it gets silly at one point but I just loved the uniqueness of the film. Hadn't seen anything like it before. A set-you-free kind of film. It has humour as well which lightens the sadism part.- Was this review helpful to you?
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