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starring: Patrick Bauchau, Ezra Buzzington, Lauren Cohn, Kyle Colerider-Krugh, Jeremy Davies
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9781589712959
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
ISBN: 1589712951
Label: Lions Gate
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Lions Gate
Release Date: April 01, 2003
Running Time: 111 minutes
Sales Rank: 11954
Studio: Lions Gate
Theatrical Release Date: 2002
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
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
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - NO MAYONNAISE THIS TIME !
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.
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Rating: - Secretary review by Brandon
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.
Rating:  - Look Beyond The Pain
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. ... Read More
Rating: - forget the D/S theme; excellent movie!
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 ... Read More
Rating: - Maggie's big break...
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.
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