Secretary

  • 2002


MOVIE IS pathetic original romantic uncomfortable emotional
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64 %
76 % Certified Fresh
$ 9 Million
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See Where to Watch Secretary
Positive Reviews 66
Negative reviews 14
Average Rating 3.5/5
pathetic original romantic uncomfortable emotional

  • All
  • Positive
  • Negative
2.5
Sadomasochism is treated as a joke in Secretary, but the fun of the movie is that its also much more than a joke. EW
3.8
By absorbing so much of Mr. Greys time and attention, Lee, who has abysmal self esteem, feels that attention is being paid to her. Rogerebert
4.5
Each, in turn, seeks out normality before learning that it aint all that its cracked up to be. Austin Chronicle
3.1
Manville: Oh dear, she needs to take a check, doesnt she Neeson: But being the professional I was, I went woof woof.
4.5
In a coda that could have borrowed its title from Billy Wilders Some Like It Hot Nobodys Perfect Secretary ends on an extremely satisfying emotional n .. Screen Daily
4.0
Each, in turn, seeks out normality before learning that it aint all that its cracked up to be.
3.8
Some people want the ol ball and chain and then there are those who just want the Ball and Chain. E Film Critic
2.0
Gyllenhaal gives a star making performance in a meandering S&M fairy tale. What is this film trying to be when all is said and slapped E Film Critic
4.0
A great feature film with enough laughs, weirdness, fine performances and filmmaking flair to earn it a place on most critics top ten of the year list .. E Film Critic
4.5
From here on, director Steven Shainberg nudges Secretary through a dramatic arc thats quite the reverse of most films. Telegraph
1.3
Played by Graham Greene (Dances With Wolves) in one of the years best performances, hes a fully dimensional character: pathetic and shrewd, tragic and .. San Francisco Chronicle
3.5
A perfect example of a small quirky film ... a really bizarre love story... JoBlo
4.5
Mr. Grey doesnt miss a thing that goes on, and most of his observations have to do with her. Spirituality And Practice
3.0
A romantic film designed to make viewers queasy rather than comfortably content...far from a great movie, but Spaders is a great performance. One Guys Opinion
2.5
The film was cute and well acted and tastefully directed and its humor well placed, but it went nowhere with its muted story. Sover
4.4
Part of the reason that Secretary succeeds is that it doesnt treat S&M relationships only as the butt of jokes or purely for their shock value when we .. ReelViews
3.8
The fact that I actually take the time to think about all of this proves to me that theres something undeniably unique and worthwhile about this film. Mark Reviews Movies
3.0
Secretary is owned by its costars, Spader and Gyllenhaal. Maggie G. makes an amazing breakthrough in her first starring role and eats up the screen.
3.8
Its usually a cop out to say that a movie isnt for every taste. ( Usa Today
2.5
Lee doesnt mind any of this; in fact, its just the sort of relationship shes been looking for. Reel Film Reviews
4.5
Spader handles a tricky role beautifully, but this is Gyllenhaalss tour de force. She is remarkable and original. The Times
2.0
The relationship between quirky perfectionist lawyer E. Edward Grey (James Spader) and his obsessive secretary Lee (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is uncomfortabl .. Eric Ds Nider
4.0
When one gets past the sadistic and sensually erotic material, however, the film boils down to a love story where the participants stumble into a uniq .. News Review
4.0
A funny and somehow touching treatment of sadomasochistic behavior at the workplace. Spader and Gyllenhaal are fantastic. News Review
3.3
Spader shrinks inside, tending orchids, that most sexually twisted of botanical seducers. Screen It
4.5
The characters are more deeply thought through than in most right thinking films. Film Journal International ..
3.1
Its likely that, for most audiences, this story will not be as appealing as producer/director Steven Shainberg obviously thinks it is, and it doesnt h .. Deseret News (Salt Lake Ci ..
1.9
Its a movie for guys who secretly want to spank their secretaries into submission and for women who wish their guys would treat them nastier. Internet Reviews
3.8
If you think a sado masochistic relationship is sick and perverted, this original movie will make you think again. Internet Reviews
4.0
An S&M romantic comedy isnt exactly normal fare its at least a couple of light years removed from Doris Day and Rock Hudson or is it In the world of S .. Mountain X
4.5
See it, but dont expect too much enlightenment as to What Women Really Want.
3.0
It doesnt take long for the bored Lee to develop a crush on her older, rather strict boss, though at first, its a one sided relationship. Emanuellevy
4.5
A fascinating and eccentric character study, and study of unconventional relationships fueled by fetish... Cinema Crazed
4.5
A liberating, kindhearted picture, one whose ending brings with it the feeling that something has finally been shaken free. Salon
3.5
It does what good films do best; that is to provoke us, push our buttons, make us think and maybe even entertain us in the process. Flim Threet
4.0
For all the dolorous trim, Secretary is a genial romance that maintains a surprisingly buoyant tone throughout, notwithstanding some of the writers sp .. Calendar Live
1.3
Eventually Lee realizes that she doesnt love Peter and she and Edward acknowledge the perversity that binds them. Hollywood
2.0
And the miracle of the movie is that Erin Wilsons shrewd script, Steven Shainbergs uncompromising direction and the delicately layered performances of .. Seattle Pi
4.5
Ive seldom seen a film that makes such a virtue of its pared down content and cast or turns what many would regard as a vice into a riveting bit of ci .. Standard
3.0
Steven Shainberg maintains a level of erotic suspense and anticipation that his terribly empathetic characters fulfill with pleasantly surprising acts .. Coles Mithey
4.4
Spader plays Lee as if possessed by Edward G. Robinson not from his gangster days, but rather from his time working with Fritz Lange in classic noirs .. Movie Freak
2.5
...it wasnt the subject matter that ultimately defeated the film...It was the unfulfilling, incongruous, wait a second, did I miss something ending. Spliced Wire
3.8
I cant recommend Secretary to my parents, for example, because of its subject matter. Movie Habit
2.5
Despite powerful performances from its main stars, Secretary falls short of its ambitious aims, struggling to find a fitting end for its intriguing an .. Boxoffice Magazine
2.0
Full of creepy, quirky moments, this is a great bizarre love story and proof that theres someone out there for everyone. E Online
4.5
Offers something few films even attempt: an honest depiction of the role sex plays in everyday life as a source of empowerment and healing. La Weekly
4.0
It has an integrity to the kinkiness of its theme that doesnt shake loose. Varia Gate
4.5
manages the impossible trifecta of being simultaneously funny, sympathetic, and really, really hot. The Stranger
2.5
If this is the case, then this commentary isnt very inspirational, at best bittersweet. Ross Anthony
5.0
Secretary recalibrates the capabilities of meaningful romantic comedy a Pygmalion variation thats stealthily tender, witty but never broad and scintil .. The Filmy Ap
3.8
Are they, therefore, any better or worse than we are Happily, Mr. Shainberg doesnt attempt to answer that question, he just explores his clever concei .. Big Picture Big Sound
3.8
Gyllenhaal is so winsome, so self possessed, so knowing in her innocence, that she makes bondage seem (pardon the pun) captivating. Sltrib
2.5
The one thing thats consistently involving in Secretary is Maggie Gyllenhaal as the secretary. Montreal Film Journal
4.5
A feel good movie about sadomasochism, the seriocomic Secretary manages to be simultaneously subversive and sweet...In the wrong hands, the conceit co .. News Week
3.0
The film was cute and well acted and tastefully directed and its humor well placed, but it went nowhere with its muted story. Dennis Schwartz Reviews
4.0
A sly female empowerment movie, although not in a way anyone would expect. Window To The Movies
2.0
An edgy, cleverly written indie that simply derails shortly before the final stretch. Guide Live
3.5
The movie seems to lurch at times from light to dark, from happiness to horror, from merely sinful to downright savage. Intimacy and S&M tastes have t .. Jam! Movies
4.5
This strange fairly tale with a very kinky twist is the first movie I have seen in many months that left me utterly satisfied. Rediff
4.4
It is truly original in its tone, its choices made and paths taken. Denver Post
4.4
Even though Secretary goes down an uncomfortable road, it does so in a way that is refreshingly honest, intelligent, and eminently watchable. Aisle Seat
3.5
A different kind of love story one that is dark, disturbing, painful to watch, yet compelling. TheMovieChicks.com
3.0
... Secretary shows how one woman stopped at nothing to get her love. But Im still scratching my head at the whole thing. Reel Talk Online
1.5
Maybe, but Spaders Grey certainly doesnt convey the seductive charm of someone who could get past a sexual harassment suit with his behavior. Films Nobs
3.8
If this doesnt seem like much of a progression well, its a subtle awareness of power and a quiet lift in Lees posture. Seattle Times
2.5
The oddball supporting cast, which includes a spastic Jeremy Davies and a ghastly Lesley Ann Warren, doesnt help either. Movie Martyr
1.9
This isnt even the kind of movie that you would allow a convicted criminal to observe. Cinema Phile
2.5
The movie isnt painfully bad, something to be fully experienced; its just tediously bad, something to be fully forgotten. Globe and Mail
3.8
...not every movie couple has to look like Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. Suburban Chicago News
2.5
Secretary is not a movie about fetishism. It is a movie about passion. About Film
3.5
...check it out if youre into S&M, self mutilation, or feel that normal love stories are boring. Supercala.com
3.0
With its rushed pace and isnt this wacky soundtrack, the film exudes TV shallowness, and by the time it arrives at its absurdly happy ending, it has a .. Citysearch
4.4
Few films have ever captured the essence of a truly sado masochistic relationship as this and few actors could play the repressed creepy sensual weird .. Zap2it.com
4.5
Its a blisteringly funny performance, with Mr. Grey feeling like an extension of this famed Sex, Lies and Videotape role. San Diego Metropolitan
3.0
If theres a joke here, its on anybody whos too uptight to groove on the whatever gets you through the night love story Secretary envisions. Deep Focus
2.5
A fairy tale romance wrapped within the fantasia of sadomasochistic games, Steven Shainbergs Secretary takes devious routes only to arrive at an old f ..
3.8
Whether it shocks or disturbs or amuses, Secretary deserves applause for doing something most movies avoid these days.
2.5
The screenplay ... oversimplifies aspects of Lee and Mr. Greys relationship while unnecessarily complicating others. eye WEEKLY
4.5
I dont know about you, but I found all these outrageously romantic maneuvers both funny and endearing. Ny Observer
4.5
all at once a post feminist fairy tale about the flowering self realisation of a young woman, a parable of therapeutic recovery, and an allegory of of .. Projected Figures
3.1
Fancy a little S&M If so, then the kinky Secretary should be right up your alley. Imdb
2.0
Its rewards are small, and not commensurate with its potential... In the end, much of what makes Secretary so interesting is ultimately confounding, a .. Entertainment Today
1.5
The problem with Secretary isnt that it is offensive or unnerving although you get the idea the filmmakers hoped it might be at least one of those. Th .. Dallas Observer
3.9
A twisted and very funny rethinking of the romantic comedy genre. Great performances by Spader and Gyllenhaal. Djardine Blogspot
3.0
If you like your comedy dark and slightly freaky, then Steve Shainbergs film deserves your attention. Journal News (Westchester, ..
4.4
I feel like its the opposite of sickening sweet as its kind of an adventurous, bittersweet think piece; a relic from the time when studios realized ch .. Lawrence
4.0
Unless there are whips, chains or a whole lot of black leather in your closet, Secretary is probably not an ideal date movie. Dm Register
3.8
Depending upon your reaction to this movie, you may never again be able to look at a red felt Sharpie pen without disgust, a thrill, or the giggles. Boston Globe
1.5
Secretary is a piffle. I didnt hate it. And I wouldnt have been upset if the film had broken and the last 30 minutes were forever lost to me.
1.5
Perhaps there is something bold about saying pain can bring healing as long as its applied by the right hand, but that seems obvious and normal thanks .. Aint It Cool
5.0
Ultimately, hes used by both central characters, and that fact that this is largely down to the heroine not having analysed her own feelings doesnt ma .. Movie Gurus
3.8
Lets face it a dark, quirky, sado masochistic romantic comedy isnt for everyone.



See Where to Watch Secretary