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.
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12/08/02
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Secretary (2002)
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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
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Reviews for Secretary
Suspend your inclination toward the politically correct for a couple of hours and I bet you'll find yourself, as I did, rooting for these two loonies to live slappily ever after.
12/08/02
Even though Secretary goes down an uncomfortable road, it does so in a way that is refreshingly honest, intelligent, and eminently watchable.
12/03/02
The film was cute and well-acted and tastefully directed and its humor well-placed, but it went nowhere with its muted story.
12/02/02
For grownups only, this is a sort of...romance.
11/30/02
Gyllenhaal is so winsome, so self-possessed, so knowing in her innocence, that she makes bondage seem (pardon the pun) captivating.
11/25/02
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
The film itself may leave you with an odd, unsettled feeling, if not a really bad taste in your mouth.
11/22/02
Ughhh! Can we please give the 50's a rest?
11/20/02
Click to read the article
11/16/02
...not every movie couple has to look like Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.
11/07/02
The cast comes through even when the movie doesn't.
11/04/02
Top CriticClick to read the article
11/03/02
It seems to be a case of everyone thinking that the subject matter is so very interesting and unusual that it's all the film needs. To some degree, that's true, but that mentality threatens to turn the into My Big Fat Spanking Wedding.
10/30/02
It is . . . undeniably absorbing, playing like a great book. As the film splays across the screen, you may find yourself anticipating each new page, err frame.
10/29/02
...Shainberg’s adult fairy tale works because Gyllenhaal is simply marvelous, fetching and vulnerable and able to enlist not just our empathy but our faith in her troubled young girl.
10/29/02
Unless there are whips, chains or a whole lot of black leather in your closet, "Secretary" is probably not an ideal date movie.
10/25/02
The one thing that’s consistently involving in Secretary is Maggie Gyllenhaal as the secretary.
10/25/02
Notwithstanding my problem with the movie's final half hour, I'm going to recommend SECRETARY, based on the wonderful acting clinic put on by Spader and Gyllenhaal, and also the unique way Shainberg goes about telling what at heart is a sweet little girl-
10/24/02
A funny and somehow touching treatment of sadomasochistic behavior at the workplace. Spader and Gyllenhaal are fantastic.
10/24/02
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...
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