Secretary
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Movie Reviews of Secretary
Movie Review: Dark Humour
Summary: 5 Stars
"Secretary" is an excellent if eccentric romantic story (so to speak) where the main actors, Lee and Mr Grey, played their delicate roles exceptionally well, particularly for Lee in this her first starring role.
Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a nervous, frustrated, aimless, innocent and vulnerable lady who had recently been released from a mental institution. She has a very low self-esteem and an eccentric habit of inflicting pain on herself. After her release from mental institution, she acquires a secretarial qualification and gets a job at the law firm of E. Edward Grey. Mr Grey (James Spade) is an imperious and perfectionist lawyer. He employs Lee, who stirs dark and shameful urges in him. Mr Grey is a sadist who believes in sexual dominance. He subjects Lee to spanking for minor typing errors which, strangely enough she enjoys. There is natural chemistry between these two unusual characters. Ironically, although Mr Grey is supposed to be the dominant character, it is in fact Lee that exercises immense power on her employer. He in fact needs and desires her desperately.
Some people may find the film disturbing and shocking with an apparently vulnerable lady at the mercy of a fussy and sadistic boss with kinky sexual desires. The submissive character of Lee may present her as someone deserving of protection. Most normal people may find the relationship between Lee and Mr Grey very weird and perhaps unreal, being a fictional creation of Hollywood. However, for those that are open minded and enjoy dark humour, the film should be of a lot of interest. It may also enlighten people that indeed S & M does exist and this brings originality into the film.
Movie Review: a tasteful blend of desire and love
Summary: 5 Stars
The amazing thing about this movie is that it blends the human desire for sexual passion with our ultimate desire to find a soul mate on this earth who can embrace our deepest selves even at our dirtiest core--and more importantly bring validity to it. Mr. Grey has a problem with sexual dominance that causes him to run through secretaries very quickly while Lee, who comes to work for him is a confused young woman with an affinity for self-induced pain.
Eventually the two learn of each other's socially unacceptable quirks and come to satisfy each other's needs, which were prior to unfulfilling and incomplete. The S&M between both Lee and Mr. Grey is by no means centered on pornography, which would separate sexual desire from intimacy and is used simply for the means of erotic pleasure but rather an intimate and unique bond that corny as it sounds completes both Lee and Mr. Grey. This is why Lee must tell Mr. Grey that she loves him and wants to make love to him--her feelings for him are not just erotic but centered on a deep and complex bond that can only be founded in love.
The ending is one for the hopeless romantic where the heroine, Lee has saved Mr. Grey with her relentless loyalty and complete devotion bringing him back to life and melting his once removed and icy heart as he romantically carries her upstairs to a private love making lair.
This is definitely a unique movie that you'll never forget and will probably have a strange love affair with. Both men and women can find something in this movie but as you've probably guessed is for the older crowd.
Movie Review: Surprisingly entertaining look into s/m
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw this on HBO in the middle of the night while on vacation, and was very surprised at the depth covered in this movie. Lee is a very disturbed young woman searching for control over her life. Her actions - the self-inflicted pain, the cutting, are all symptoms of trying to gain control when so much of her life to this point has been horribly insecure. Enter Mr. Gray, her neurotic attorney boss, who is drawn to her in a way that frightens him. He also has a problem with control, and is tediously exacting in his work and in his exercise. I loved the scene where he tells her, "you are never to harm yourself again." Apparently Lee, fresh from the world of well-meaning psychologists, has never been ordered to cease the self-harming behavior. Mr. Gray steps into the role of master and Lee begins to blossom. Lee begins to walk home, on the order of Mr. Gray, and feels more confidence as she imagines him beside her, protecting her. The relationship continues with Mr. Gray exacting mild punishment over her small mistakes. They are both playing a game with each other, becoming wrapped up in it. Until Mr. Gray, disgusted with himself and the escalation of their encounters, fires Lee. Again, he is attempting to get control over himself. As he says to her when she confronts him, "We can't do this 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!" It turns out that that is, indeed, what they both need. I thought the needs they both had were very well expressed in the scene where Lee confesses to cutting herself.
I recommend this film to people who will not be disgusted by a sensitive look at an alternative lifestyle.
Movie Review: Unusual romatnic comedy
Summary: 5 Stars
Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a disturbed young woman given to self-mutilation , just out of a stay in a mental institution. She does a typing course and takes a job as a secretary to eccentric lawyer E. Edward Grey (James Spader). She finds his exacting demands to her liking, and blossoms in his employment. Thier mutual attraction is obvious. She even acquires a nice but slightly wet boyfriend. Then one night E. Edward Grey sees her flirting with her boyfriend in the launderette (American launderettes seemm to be much more glamorous than British ones) this sets off feelings of jealousy that leads to his fury at her spelling mistakes and the now-famous (and very sexy) spanking scene. Their relationship blossoms and becomes more and more kinky (there is a wonderful scene where he puts a saddle on her and a carrot in her mouth and you can see the expression of absolute relish on her face). But he is unable to cope with their growing intimacy and backs off, he starts treating her, as she remarks in disgust "just like a regular old secretary", even when, in desperation, she empties all her tipp-ex into the river. Nice but wet boyfriend wants to marry her, and it looks for a while as if she is going to, but it's really Mr. Grey that she wants, and she is determined to do everything she can to get him. This is an absolutely wonderful film. James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal both give marvellous performances, the film has wit and charm and humour, and is the only film I've ever seen that treats a kinky relationship with such sympathy. It has a wonderful ending too. Absolutely delightful.Movie Review: Not a Comedy to my Way of Thinking.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a very interesting portrayal of some aspects of the D/s BDSM lifestyle. Although in fact that almost appears to be on the periphery of the story. The reality is more about these two conflicted characters neither of whom fit well into the real world.
I did not find this to be a comedy even though it has some good comic elements.
Also I suspect many people who have reveiwed this here did not understand some parts of it.
Lee, the main character does cut herself, but it seems to be the way she has learned to escape the pain of her life. The release of endorphans from the cutting pain, helps her feel better.
Mr. Grey, the lawyer is truly a lost soul. I would have to even conclude that he suffers from Aspergers syndrome based on his behavior: He is bright, shy and has a difficult time relating to other people in a normal way. He is really a gentle person, even releasing mice caught in his office back outside. Growing orchids. He has trouble reconciling his quiet nature with his need for dominance in his relationships.
Therein lies the crux of the story.
Well done, sensual and fun. However without being familiar with or having read up on the BDSM lifestyle mny viewers may not really understand the story. There are many books on this on Amazon, including Consensual Spanking and others.
Many folks may find this film disturbing however, so choose carefully who you show it to.