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Title: Secretary (2002)
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| 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 | |
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. Written by kateann1027
Secretary is the first of its kind - a very dark love story. First of its kind in that it deals with themes never seen before seen in mainstream Hollywood cinema - S&M, sexual dominance and submission.
Maggie Gyllenhaal is outstanding in a potential minefield of a role - she handles it with dignity and even provides some effective dark humour.
The story here is that her character, Lee, applies for a job as a secretary for the firm owned by James Spader's brilliant Mr Grey. However, Lee has a history of self-harm and masochism and Grey has a dominance complex along with a very sadistic streak. Combine these 2 in theory and you have 2 very happy people. But this is no ordinary love story...
Spader, as stated, is brilliant. He brings an icy steel to the troubled Grey, but also provides a touch of black humour which comes at some great moments to 'release the tension'.
For the themes supplied here you'd probably expect a lot of raunchiness - well there are sexual moments, of course, but there is nothing gratuitous, which is in itself an achievement and well handled.
Overall it's quirky, off-beat, and a little bit different.
Worth a view.