Sadomasochism is treated as a joke in Secretary, but the fun of the movie is that it's also much more than a joke.
Comment
09/19/02
Rate this Movie 
Secretary (2002)
74
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:138
Fresh:102
Rotten:36
Average Rating:6.7/10
Consensus: Maggie Gyllenhaal impresses in this romantic comedy with a kinky twist.
Theatrical Release:Sep 20, 2002 Limited
Box Office: $3,806,471
Synopsis: With sheer originality and bold,unflinching humor, Secretary embraces a most unconventional relationship and lays open the notion that love doesn't always occur in the traditional fashion. Lee... [More]
Starring: Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Spader, Jeremy Davies, Lesley Ann Warren
Director: Steven Shainberg
Get This Movie
Reviews for Secretary
Click to read the article
12/06/05
Click to read the article
12/30/06
Full of creepy, quirky moments, this is a great bizarre love story -- and proof that there's someone out there for everyone.
09/20/02
Click to read the article
12/06/05
I don't know about you, but I found all these outrageously romantic maneuvers both funny and endearing.
10/02/02
Top CriticClick to read the article
10/28/03
Secretary explodes with juicy innuendo, even from its opening moments.
09/20/02
A funny and somehow touching treatment of sadomasochistic behavior at the workplace. Spader and Gyllenhaal are fantastic.
10/24/02
Secretary is one of the rare films that knows how to make fun of fetishes while having fun with them, and all the while taking them as seriously as the people on screen surely do.
09/20/02
instead of applauding her, she makes you want to run to the hall closet and get down the cat-o'-nine-tails. "Take that, you fine actress. Take that!" What better response could a performance elicit.
11/23/02
Its rewards are small, and not commensurate with its potential... In the end, much of what makes Secretary so interesting is ultimately confounding, and vice versa.
09/23/02
Provocative, funny and one of the more offbeat love stories you’re ever going to see.
01/01/03
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 that effect on people who are playing out such a strange story.
09/20/02
If there’s a joke here, it’s on anybody who’s too uptight to groove on the whatever-gets-you-through-the-night love story Secretary envisions.
12/27/02
Secretary is not a movie about fetishism. It is a movie about passion.
09/19/02
A different kind of love story - one that is dark, disturbing, painful to watch, yet compelling.
09/27/02
The more I thought about it, the more I liked it.
10/04/02
A twisted and very funny rethinking of the romantic comedy genre. Great performances by Spader and Gyllenhaal.
04/22/06
If you don't flee, you might be seduced. If you don't laugh, flee.
09/27/02
Latest News for Secretary
July 17, 2008:
Maggie Gyllenhaal Talks The Dark Knight 
It's a far cry from indie fare like Secretary or Sherrybaby, but for Maggie Gyllenhaal, taking on the role of Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight was just the logical next step in... More...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
Wes Anderson on Fox
The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Animated Oscar?
Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.
TIME's Holiday Movie Preview
Richard Corliss previews the season's best offerings and hottest tickets.
Scenic Routes
The AV Club's Mike D'Angelo airs his beefs with Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds