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09/27/02
Secretary (2002)
74
%
Tomatometer
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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.
Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins
Genre: Comedies
US 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
Reviews for Secretary
101 - 120 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Top CriticA different kind of love story - one that is dark, disturbing, painful to watch, yet compelling.
09/27/02
One of the best of a growing strain of daring films ... that argue that any sexual relationship that doesn't hurt anyone and works for its participants is a relationship that is worthy of our respect.
09/26/02
An edgy, cleverly written indie that simply derails shortly before the final stretch.
09/26/02
If S&M seems like a strange route to true love, maybe it is, but it's to this film's (and its makers') credit that we believe that that's exactly what these two people need to find each other -- and themselves.
09/26/02
The characters in Secretary never feel the least bit human.
09/26/02
Secretary is weird, but it works.
09/26/02
For all its Bunuellian pretensions, Secretary is deeply conventional: Edward and Lee accept their bondage as the way to a more fulfilling life. It's the filmmakers who need to be spanked.
09/26/02
I found the movie a bit of a bore.
09/26/02
The Graduate by way of humiliation and water sports.
09/25/02
Secretary [is] about as compelling as a Corn Flakes commercial.
09/24/02
This is one of those movies that could have gone all wrong, but it hits all the right notes.
09/23/02
Top CriticClick to read the article
09/23/02
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
If you like your comedy dark and slightly freaky, then Steve Shainberg's film deserves your attention.
09/21/02
Secretary explodes with juicy innuendo, even from its opening moments.
09/20/02
With its rushed pace and isn't-this-wacky soundtrack, the film exudes TV shallowness, and by the time it arrives at its absurdly happy ending, it has all the impact of a pinch.
09/20/02
Before it takes a sudden turn and devolves into a bizarre sort of romantic comedy, Steven Shainberg's adaptation of Mary Gaitskill's harrowing short story ... is a brilliantly played, deeply unsettling experience.
09/20/02
Disturbing yet engrossing.
09/20/02
Makes S&M seem very romantic, and Maggie Gyllenhaal is a delight.
09/20/02
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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