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Secretary

  • 20022002
  • RR
  • 1h 47m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
90K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
799
50
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Maggie Gyllenhaal in Secretary (2002)
Home Video Trailer from Lionsgate
Play trailer0:59
2 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Comedy
  • Drama
  • Romance

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
90K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
799
50
  • Director
    • Steven Shainberg
  • Writers
    • Erin Cressida Wilson(screenplay)
    • Mary Gaitskill(short story)
    • Steven Shainberg(story adaptation)
  • Stars
    • James Spader
    • Maggie Gyllenhaal
    • Jeremy Davies
Top credits
  • Director
    • Steven Shainberg
  • Writers
    • 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
    • 436User reviews
    • 172Critic reviews
    • 63Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 15 wins & 26 nominations

    Videos2

    Secretary
    Trailer 0:59
    Secretary
    Secretary
    Trailer 2:18
    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. Greyas Mr. Grey
    Maggie Gyllenhaal
    Maggie Gyllenhaal
    • Lee Hollowayas Lee Holloway
    Jeremy Davies
    Jeremy Davies
    • Peteras Peter
    Lesley Ann Warren
    Lesley Ann Warren
    • Joan Hollowayas Joan Holloway
    Stephen McHattie
    Stephen McHattie
    • Burt Hollowayas Burt Holloway
    Patrick Bauchau
    Patrick Bauchau
    • Dr. Twardonas Dr. Twardon
    Jessica Tuck
    Jessica Tuck
    • Tricia O'Connoras Tricia O'Connor
    Oz Perkins
    Oz Perkins
    • Jonathanas Jonathan
    Amy Locane
    Amy Locane
    • Lee's Sisteras Lee's Sister
    Mary Joy
    Mary Joy
    • Sylviaas Sylvia
    Michael Mantell
    Michael Mantell
    • Stewartas Stewart
    Lily Knight
    Lily Knight
    • Paralegalas Paralegal
    Sabrina Grdevich
    Sabrina Grdevich
    • Allisonas Allison
    Lacey Kohl
    • Louisaas Louisa
    Julene Renee
    Julene Renee
    • Jessicaas Jessica
    Lauren Cohn
    Lauren Cohn
    • First Secretaryas First Secretary
    Ezra Buzzington
    Ezra Buzzington
    • Typing Teacheras Typing Teacher
    Kyle Colerider-Krugh
    Kyle Colerider-Krugh
    • Mr. Garveyas Mr. Garvey
    • Director
      • Steven Shainberg
    • Writers
      • Erin Cressida Wilson(screenplay) (story adaptation)
      • Mary Gaitskill(short story)
      • Steven Shainberg(story adaptation)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    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. —kateann1027
    • secretary
    • bdsm
    • submissive woman
    • pantyhose
    • sexual role playing
    • 323 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Assume the position.
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Romance
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated R for strong sexuality, some nudity, depiction of behavioral disorders, and language
    • Parents guide

    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
      Lee is bent over his desk and Mr Grey instructs her to pull down her pantyhose and underwear. When viewed in profile we see the edge of a bodysuit across her thigh. It's unlikely to be a tan line because she was completely covered (hiding her scars) while her girlfriends were in bikinis.
    • 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 reviews436

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Not Your Typical Office Romance
    Maggie Gyllenhaal deserves an Oscar nomination for her brilliant portrayal of borderline psychotic, self-mutilating Lee Holloway, a former mental institution patient seeking to sustain herself - vocationally and emotionally - in a challenging world where she has few safe harbors. She comes from a messy family background although that alone can't explain her illness.

    Learning typing, she gets a secretary's job with lawyer E. Edward Grey (James Spader, who also turns in a first-rate, nuanced performance). Grey refuses to have any computers in his very smart, expensive law office. Like many lawyers he's a perfectionist who abhors typographical errors but his obsession with perfection reflects more than an anal personality hitched to a law degree. His solo practice seems to thrive better than his self-control of a suppressed sexuality, awakened by Maggie at first unknowingly.

    This is a film about what many consider to be deviant behavior (sado-masochism and bondage-discipline, not your usual Hollywood romantic fun and games) that most will concur is uncommon in the workplace. Director Steven Shainberg and his cast - and Gyllenhaal and Spader carry the film, forget the supporting actors - show Lee and Grey's rocky and developing relationship with candor, without condemnation and without exploitation. The lawyer and his secretary are sexualized in a way few have experienced and those who have don't talk to folks outside their circle.

    This is a black comedy/a black drama. It either grabs or repels the viewer: there's no in-between. The resolution? Is it realistic or a cop-out? I'd love to hear from those able to comment from experience on IMDb's discussion board. But I have a feeling few will post reactions.

    A very different film that I rate 8/10 on a personal scale where I value the deep and tortured acting projecting the absorbing conflict of this sexualized working (initially) relationship.
    helpful•160
    27
    • lawprof
    • Sep 22, 2002

    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)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official site (France)
      • Official site (United Kingdom)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Kotiba
    • 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

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $4,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $4,059,680
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $182,306
      • Sep 22, 2002
    • Gross worldwide
      • $9,304,609
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 47 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Indie Spirit Awards preview: ‘The Lost Daughter’ will win 3, including Best Feature
    Indie Spirit Awards preview: ‘The Lost Daughter’ will win 3, including Best Feature
    Mar 4Gold Derby
    Maggie Gyllenhaal on Crafting The Lost Daughter and How She’s Always Been a Director
    Maggie Gyllenhaal on Crafting The Lost Daughter and How She’s Always Been a Director
    Jan 27The Film Stage

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