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Secretary ReviewsRating: 5 - crazed shocking amazing brilliant This film is a testament to the new and engaging style of indie cinema. Here we have an impossibly slick and beautifully stylized love story on the edge and I'm glad to see that it's appreciated. Maggie Gyllenhaal (who I've only glimpsed in Donnie Darko and Adaptation) is stunning. Lee's journey from darkness to light, through what may be seen by many as a dark avenue, is touching and earnest. She learns to live and be comfortable in her own skin, as well as finding the strength to fight for what she wants rather than timidly taking the path others set for her. She plays opposite James Spader (a gifted and beautiful actor) naturally and without a single hitch. Their relationship grows and transforms both characters with utter grace and sensitivity. Possibly the most amazing thing about this film is the fact that it never becomes pretentious, preachy or even slightly over the top. It is always honest, true to its characters and often comic, in spite of its rather taboo subject matter. Wonderful as the movie is, watching it at home on DVD is not without some difficulty. If you have a player with a sound equalizer, use it. There are quite a few moments when the sound gets very soft and very loud - often back to back. Rating: 5 - Finally a romance that breaks the mold It really has been awhile since a smart, sly, and extremely sexy romance has come along. It's not the S & M side of this movie that makes it refreshing (although it is personally something new to me). It's the way the subject is handled with taste and style. Maggie Gyllenhaal in one of her first starring roles, gives a startling and real performance as Lee, a troubled woman just out of the mental institution. To help steer herself towards sanity again, she takes a job as a secretary with lawyer E. Edward Gray (James Spader, who although is playing a character similar to the one in 's,l,&v', plays his role wonderfully). At first the work is pretty typical but then he begins reprimanding her for typing errors and the like. It starts out mild but it soon escalates to spankings. And Lee likes it. Her relationship with Gray awakens her and she becomes a new and stronger person. But there's trouble in paradise when Gray begins to feel disgusted with himself. There's more but that will remain undisclosed. I'll start off by saying this film is definately not for everyone. But those who venture into the territory will find something in this movie to latch onto. This is a die-hard romance in disguise. So those who are willing to take the plunge, I say, dive right in. You will be, ahem, satisfied. Rating: 4 - Offbeat comedy, treading where others have feared to go This film deals with the eroticism of classic dominance and submission. And yet it's a quirky character-driven romantic comedy. Maggie Gyllenhaal stars as Lee, a young woman who has just been released from a mental hospital. Seems she's into self-mutilation and even though her mother hides all the knives in the house, Lee still manages do some surreptitious cuts on her inner thighs with her manicure implements. Soon, she gets a secretarial job for a lawyer, played by James Spader. It's a rather strange office where they still use old-fashioned manual typewriters. Weird details like this keep the story unreal. In spite of a rather placid romance with another former mental hospital graduate, Jeremy Davis, there's no doubt that Lee is attracted to her boss, who shows signs of having his own compulsive mental problems. Eventually, she makes some typographical errors. Her boss then has her bend over the desk while he administers a spanking. She's immediately turned on and starts to pursue him. The script does well in that it makes the secretary both vulnerable and plucky at the same time. There's a lot of character development. She's a fine actress and seems to own the role. James Spader and Jeremy Davis are excellent as well. The script does not do well when it lapses into dreamy fantasy sequences which slow down the action. It's also longer than it needs to be and makes the same points too many times. And the ending is ridiculous and doesn't grow intrinsically from the plot. The best thing about "Secretary" is that it's different and treads where others have feared to go. The tone is lighthearted throughout and there are some real connections between the characters during the erotic scenes. However, it sure isn't for everybody. And some people will find it quite uncomfortable to watch. I enjoyed it but it just had too many faults for me to give it more than a lukewarm recommendation.
Secretary |
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