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Secretary

  • 20022002
  • RR
  • 1h 47m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
93K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
438
401
Maggie Gyllenhaal in Secretary (2002)
Home Video Trailer from Lionsgate
Play trailer0:59
2 Videos
99+ Photos
ComedyDramaRomance
A young woman, recently released from a mental hospital, gets a job as a secretary to a demanding lawyer, where their employer-employee relationship turns into a sexual, sadomasochistic one.A young woman, recently released from a mental hospital, gets a job as a secretary to a demanding lawyer, where their employer-employee relationship turns into a sexual, sadomasochistic one.A young woman, recently released from a mental hospital, gets a job as a secretary to a demanding lawyer, where their employer-employee relationship turns into a sexual, sadomasochistic one.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
93K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
438
401
    • Steven Shainberg
    • Erin Cressida Wilson(screenplay)
    • Mary Gaitskill(short story)
    • Steven Shainberg(story adaptation)
  • Stars
    • James Spader
    • Maggie Gyllenhaal
    • Jeremy Davies
    • Steven Shainberg
    • Erin Cressida Wilson(screenplay)
    • Mary Gaitskill(short story)
    • Steven Shainberg(story adaptation)
  • Stars
    • James Spader
    • Maggie Gyllenhaal
    • Jeremy Davies
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 442User reviews
    • 171Critic reviews
    • 63Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos2

    Secretary
    Trailer 0:59
    Watch Secretary
    Secretary
    Trailer 2:18
    Watch Secretary

    Photos140

    James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal in Secretary (2002)
    Maggie Gyllenhaal in Secretary (2002)
    James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal in Secretary (2002)
    Maggie Gyllenhaal in Secretary (2002)
    James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Steven Shainberg in Secretary (2002)
    Jake Gyllenhaal and Maggie Gyllenhaal at an event for Secretary (2002)
    James Spader at an event for Secretary (2002)
    James Spader at an event for Secretary (2002)
    Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Steven Shainberg at an event for Secretary (2002)
    Jake Gyllenhaal and Maggie Gyllenhaal at an event for Secretary (2002)
    Maggie Gyllenhaal at an event for Secretary (2002)
    Maggie Gyllenhaal at an event for Secretary (2002)

    Top cast

    Edit
    James Spader
    James Spader
    • Mr. Grey
    Maggie Gyllenhaal
    Maggie Gyllenhaal
    • Lee Holloway
    Jeremy Davies
    Jeremy Davies
    • Peter
    Lesley Ann Warren
    Lesley Ann Warren
    • Joan Holloway
    Stephen McHattie
    Stephen McHattie
    • Burt Holloway
    Patrick Bauchau
    Patrick Bauchau
    • Dr. Twardon
    Jessica Tuck
    Jessica Tuck
    • Tricia O'Connor
    Oz Perkins
    Oz Perkins
    • Jonathan
    Amy Locane
    Amy Locane
    • Lee's Sister
    Mary Joy
    Mary Joy
    • Sylvia
    Michael Mantell
    Michael Mantell
    • Stewart
    Lily Knight
    Lily Knight
    • Paralegal
    Sabrina Grdevich
    Sabrina Grdevich
    • Allison
    Lacey Kohl
    • Louisa
    Julene Renee
    Julene Renee
    • Jessica
    Lauren Cohn
    Lauren Cohn
    • First Secretary
    Ezra Buzzington
    Ezra Buzzington
    • Typing Teacher
    Kyle Colerider-Krugh
    Kyle Colerider-Krugh
    • Mr. Garvey
      • Steven Shainberg
      • Erin Cressida Wilson(screenplay) (story adaptation)
      • Mary Gaitskill(short story)
      • Steven Shainberg(story adaptation)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In a 2018 interview Maggie Gyllenhaal called her role in Secretary "the first time that I was given a role where I could express something about myself," describing taking the role of Lee as an opportunity to "explore something that's on the edge of what I know about myself but with the protection of fiction." She also gave director Steven Shainberg a lot of credit for his collaborative approach, describing him as "interested in me as an artist, was interested in what I was offering, and the way that shifted the story, as opposed to whatever he had imagined before I got there."
    • Goofs
      All the cars in the film have Florida license plates on the front of the car. Florida only has back plates.
    • Quotes

      [Mr. Grey asks Lee why she cuts herself]

      E. Edward Grey: Why do you cut yourself, Lee?

      Lee: I don't know.

      E. Edward Grey: Is it that sometimes the pain inside has to come to the surface and when you see evidence of the pain inside, you finally know you're really here? Then, when you watch the wound heal, it's comforting. Isn't it?

      Lee: I... That's a way to put it.

    • Crazy credits
      The legal disclaimer has typing errors:
      • "fictitious" is misspelled "ficticious"
      • "unintentional" is misspelled "unitentional"
      • unauthorized use of the film is warned as resulting in "civil liberty" instead of "civil liability"
    • Connections
      Featured in Late Show with David Letterman: Episode #10.42 (2002)
    • Soundtracks
      Whatchamacallit
      Performed by Juan García Esquivel (as Esquivel)

      Written by Juan García Esquivel (as Juan Garcia Esquivel)

      Courtesy of The RCA Records Label, a unit of BMG Entertainment

      Under license from BMG Special Products

    User reviews442

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Thoughtful and yes, sentimental.
    Those Gyllenhalls, they sure can act. Maggie, like her brother Jake, turns in great performances like they're routine - she makes it look easy. In 'Secretary', she delivers a layered, complex performance as Lee Holloway, a disturbed young lady who deals with stress by cutting herself - the pain pushes away everything else that's bothering her.

    As she's released from an institution back into the world, she takes her first job as secretary to lawyer E. Edward Grey, played by James Spader. From then on, the movie explores their relationship and how it affects Lee, taking her from the quiet, self-damaging wallflower into the determined and strong woman she becomes.

    The film's use of S&M in the relationship between Lee and Mr. Grey makes it a bit controversial, but it's not really the focus here. The idea of Lee as the submissive and Mr. Grey as the dominant have little to do with their sexuality and everything to do with their personality issues.

    Lee can't handle extreme emotion without resorting to pain, because she can't take control of her own life. What she sees in Mr. Grey is love - absolute love, the likes of which she can't find with her fiance Peter (Jeremy Davies). That love allows her to give him the power of her pain - by doing that, she's finding something worthy to focus on instead of the nothingness of her sewing kit and iodine.

    Mr. Grey, for his part, is a man who can't deal with anything except in his own ordered, regimented way. He cares for his orchids but little else, and the steps he takes with Lee open up his wary heart. He's slower to develop than she is, and to take the final steps towards a real, lasting relationship, he has to be dragged there by the force of Lee's own will.

    The key to this film - and S&M relationships in general - is that Lee (the submissive) has all the power, not Mr. Grey (the dominant). She sets the terms by which the relationship will be conducted, seemingly for the first time in her entire life (including the relationships with her family). Lee finds love and desire in Mr. Grey, and pursues it while healing her own shattered psyche in the process.

    Maggie Gyllenhall is luminous here. She can say more with a facial expression than most can in a Shakespearean soliloquy. She gives herself completely over to the part, without a wink or a nudge that she's just kidding, or thinks any part of this is silly. She becomes Lee Holloway, which is the best compliment you can give an actor. Spader, for his part, follows in a long string of oddballs, but doesn't go over the top, as he could have been tempted to do. This is Maggie's movie, and he supports it and plays off it well.

    Rating: 8/10, based on the strong performance of Maggie Gyllenhall and the character of Lee Holloway, but nocked down due to a poorly-constructed finale that just doesn't fit with the rest of the film. Highly recommended.
    helpful•156
    24
    • kmberger
    • Apr 14, 2003

    FAQ3

    • What's up with the worm?
    • Why does Lee stare into the camera at the end of the film?
    • What songs are featured in the film?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 11, 2002 (United States)
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official site (France)
      • Official site (United Kingdom)
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • The Darkroom, 5370 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Slough Pond
      • TwoPoundBag Productions
      • double A Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 47 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby

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