Secretary (2002)

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.

Director:

Steven Shainberg

Writers:

Erin Cressida Wilson (screenplay), Mary Gaitskill (short story)

Stars:

James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeremy Davies

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 15 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Spader	...	Mr. Grey
Maggie Gyllenhaal	...	Lee Holloway
Jeremy Davies	...	Peter
Lesley Ann Warren	...	Joan Holloway
Stephen McHattie	...	Burt Holloway
Patrick Bauchau	...	Dr. Twardon
Jessica Tuck	...	Tricia O'Connor
Oz Perkins	...	Jonathan
Amy Locane	...	Lee's Sister
Mary Joy	...	Sylvia
Michael Mantell	...	Stewart
Lily Knight	...	Paralegal
Sabrina Grdevich	...	Allison
Lacey Kohl	...	Louisa
Julene Renee	...	Jessica

Storyline

An emotionally fragile woman recently released from a mental hospital for self mutilation goes to school to gain secretarial skills to gain employment. She has an alcoholic father and a co-dependent mother who are clueless as to who she really is which a tormented soul who really wants to find something with which she can find success. She is a great secretary and finds a job with a unique, old fashioned, but off center in charge boss with a somewhat sadistic sexual proclivity. She grows and evolves and so does he.

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Plot Keywords:

secretary | employer employee relationship | bdsm | submissive woman | sexual role playing | 

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Taglines:

The story of a demanding boss and the woman who loves his demands.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality, some nudity, depiction of behavioral disorders, and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France] Official site [UK]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 October 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

La secretaria

Filming Locations:

La Boca Restaurant - 5368 Wilshire, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$182,306, 22 September 2002

Gross USA:

$4,059,680

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,304,609

Company Credits

Production Co:

Slough Pond, TwoPoundBag Productions, double A Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Erin Cressida Wilson: In Mr. Grey's waiting room, where there are three people waiting to see him, one of them is played by the film's screenwriter.

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Goofs

When Lee is sitting on Grey's table while keeping her palms over it, during several visits of her friends and relatives, a pot of peas and a pile of books are left over the table. Both the pile of books and the pot of peas seem to appear and disappear in different shots of the scene during a close-up.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lee: [narrating] I got out of the institution on the day of my sister's wedding. I had started to get used to the place. Breakfast at 8:00, classes at 2:00. Therapy at 4:00, and asleep by 10:00.
Dr. Twardon: [Lee's doctor says goodbye] You can call me any time, Lee. I will always try to be of help to you.
Lee: [narrating] Inside, life was simple.
Lee: [Lee hugs her doctor] Thank you, Dr. Twardon.
Lee: [narrating] For that reason, I was reluctant to go.

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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"

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Connections

Referenced in Fantasmes! Sexe, fiction et tentations (2013)

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Soundtracks

Agenda Suicide
Written by Todd Fink, Dapose, Clark Baechle, Jacob Thiele, and Joel Peterson
Performed by The Faint
Courtesy of Saddle Creek

User Reviews

oh, james, oh, maggie...

How refreshing!! It has been quite some time since I went to the movies and walked out feeling I could wholeheartedly endorse the film I just saw. When asked why this film was so good by my coworkers, I responded "the actors' performances, the sets, the script, the content, essentially everything." And so it is, everything. Thank the spirits that flow someone still has the ability, honesty, and energy to make such a film in the land of fakery and deception. While the relationship depicted is that of a sadist and a masochist and this is what will get played up in the press, the point is the relationship and the near impossibility of love working without complete honesty. Bravo.