Secretary
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Movie Reviews of Secretary
Movie Review: Smart, sexy and so so good
Summary: 5 Stars
Maggie Gyllenhaal won my heart with her portrayal of Lee, a quirky young woman who's family life has pushed her to self-mutilation (an act that landed her in a mental institution). Upon returning home from her stay in the ward she is determined to live her life a new by starting over, getting a job and being normal (although, how can you be normal when you have a mother who waits outside your place of work all day until you get off just so she doesn't have to go home)...So Lee starts working for the anal retentive if somewhat sexist lawyer Edward. She is his new secretary. Yet she makes mistakes, and Edward is a bit of a perfectionest. So it's only natural that Lee will have to make up for those mistakes. Quite a few spankings later, a few rug burned knees (from crawling people) and a pretty obvious cum stain on the back of her blouse and things are starting to get serious...but it's how serious that will surprise you. The ending is not anything I expected, mostly because it had a layer of warmth and warmth was not anything I expected from these charactors. Watch this film, if not for the humor that is found in exploiting sexually debased activitys or the idea that two people repressing so much can let it out by spanking one another, watch it for Maggie's brilliant performance, not to mention Spader pulling off what he does best. Great film for the freak (meant in a good way) at heart.Movie Review: It Actually Understands S&M
Summary: 5 Stars
All right...to get this out of the way, I'm a practicing submissive. It took me a while to watch this movie, because I was afraid of how it would portray the S&M content. It turns out that it is erotic and unexpectedly moving. I was pleased by the fact that, while there is humor involved, the movie doesn't turn the desires of Edward and Lee into a big joke. It also doesn't judge them, or nudge the audience as if to say "Isn't this sick?" It just probes why these characters have these desires, and need them, and why they are happier acting them out. I'm not quite sure if I'm happy with the ending (marriage is a bit conventional), but overall, I loved this movie.The acting is superb. Maggie Gyllenhaal portrays her character's blossoming awareness and sexuality convincingly, and James Spader has just leapt into my list of actors I most admire (also, actors who I find sexy. Hey, I'm a submissive; he's good fantasy material). I give them both lots of credit for taking roles that--I imagine--many actors wouldn't touch.
And I also must address a "judgmental" review below calling this movie evil and sick. I say, if consenting adults feel that S&M fulfills them, what is sick about that? Rather, it would be sick to repress their desires because society disapproves. Their souls aren't dead; they're gloriously alive. Perhaps you--the "judgmental" reviewer--should examine your soul instead.
Movie Review: Must Be Flexible And Have Good Peephole Skills
Summary: 5 Stars
Voyeuristic, a bit naughty, even somewhat challenging. All the same, it completely succeeds, and it does so for three reasons. First and foremost is Maggie Gyllenhaal. When we meet her she is so pretty, so endearing, and so thoroughly vulnerable that we immediately want to protect her. The next is James Spader. Normally seeing his name associated with a movie makes me want to stick hot needles into my eyes. Spader is often found in awful movies and frequently observed being awful in good ones. He exudes a predatory smarm, as though half his soul went missing. But here he is cast against type. Though playing the part of S in this S&M tango, he's victimized by an obsessive need to control and is far from mastering it.
The demure and adorable Ms. Gyllenhaal, by contrast, intentionally populates his letters with typos to incur welcome wrath and discipline, there is strength and power in her weakness. The third is director Steven Shainberg's even-handed way of presenting the affair. Had he gone for smutty leering, or worse, broad belly laughs, the film would quickly have degenerated and become dumb and unpleasant. Instead he delivers a real, erotic yarn about two people getting what they want and need, with no one being hurt. Restraint was carefully employed and the result is a sweet, if unusual love story. That is the delightful, and surprising secret of Secretary.
Movie Review: genuine weirdos find love via sado-masochism
Summary: 5 Stars
(SPOILER WARNING.) There is no question that this is one of the oddest love stories I have ever seen. A young woman, with a quirky beauty that reveals itself over the course of the film, evolves from a self-mutilating mental patient to a fully realized and loving wife. It is an extraordinary transformation, told in the form of comedy, and the viewer can believe it.
The acting is wonderful. Spader is at his absolute best: creepy, with bizarre tastes to say the least, yet full of need in a way that is understandable and increasingly vital. From a rigid obsessive type, he becomes a man in search of love, even if it involves ropes and a saddle. This is also Gyllenhaal's first starring role and she is magnificent. The supporting characters from her hapless boy toy to her alcoholic father and co-dependant mother are also excellent.
As many have noted, this film had to tread an extremely fine line. One the one hand, there is no question that the couple is perverted. They indulge in pain, humiliation, and bondage. On the other hand, though so wounded and inhibited, they forge a true relationship. Their journey is moving, at times titillating, and even fascinating.
Warmly recommended. The range of human behavior is forever unfathomable and unpredictable. This film shows what a mystery life and the hope for love can be.
Movie Review: Finally a romance that breaks the mold
Summary: 5 Stars
It really has been awhile since a smart, sly, and extremely sexy romance has come along. It's not the S & M side of this movie that makes it refreshing (although it is personally something new to me). It's the way the subject is handled with taste and style. Maggie Gyllenhaal in one of her first starring roles, gives a startling and real performance as Lee, a troubled woman just out of the mental institution. To help steer herself towards sanity again, she takes a job as a secretary with lawyer E. Edward Gray (James Spader, who although is playing a character similar to the one in 's,l,&v', plays his role wonderfully). At first the work is pretty typical but then he begins reprimanding her for typing errors and the like. It starts out mild but it soon escalates to spankings. And Lee likes it. Her relationship with Gray awakens her and she becomes a new and stronger person. But there's trouble in paradise when Gray begins to feel disgusted with himself. There's more but that will remain undisclosed. I'll start off by saying this film is definately not for everyone. But those who venture into the territory will find something in this movie to latch onto. Despite the fact that the cover and opening music scream 'soft core porn', this is a die-hard romance in disguise. So those who are willing to take the plunge, I say, dive right in. You will be, ahem, satisfied.