Themes: Sexual Awakening, Workplace Romance, Dysfunctional Families
Main Cast: Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Spader, Jeremy Davies, Lesley Ann Warren, Stephen McHattie
Release Year: 2002
Country: US
Run Time: 112 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Sadomasochism provides the backdrop for a very unusual employer/employee relationship in this very offbeat romantic drama from filmmaker Steven Shainberg. Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a shy young woman, who, after a brief spell in a mental institution, is released in the care of her overprotective mother (Lesley Ann Warren) and hard-drinking father (Stephen McHattie). Hoping to make good on her own, Lee begins looking for a job, and in her free time indulges in her odd habit of inflicting pain upon herself in various ways. Lee is hired as a secretary by E. Edward Grey (James Spader), a grim and ruthlessly efficient attorney who warns her that her work will be both dull and demanding. Lee takes to the job with genuine enthusiasm, and while she's recently acquired a new boyfriend, Peter (Jeremy Davies), she's far more intrigued by Grey's coldly patrician demeanor. While Grey often criticizes Lee, she seems to thrive on his abuse, but one day he crosses a line when he insists upon spanking her after some minor mistake. Lee quite enjoys the treatment, and wants it to continue, but Grey can no longer take pleasure humiliating Lee when he knows that she likes it; he fires her, despite her pleas to be allowed to stay. Finally discovering the key to her sexual and emotional needs, Lee tries to persuade Peter to be rough with her, but he simply doesn't have the taste or talent for it, and Lee soon maps out a last-ditch effort to win back her position with Grey, whatever the cost. Secretary won a special award for "Originality" at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Maggie Gyllenhaal's first starring role provides her with the opportunity to explore a rather demanding character, which she performs with depth and humor in Secretary. As Lee Holloway, she portrays a young woman with a strange addiction to pain, but remains engaging and easily empathized with. Lee's endeavors in the "real" world, after a youth with an emotionally disruptive family life, prove to be a bizarre representation of one's willingness to comply, in order to fulfill one's desires. By taking a secretarial job with E. Edward Grey (James Spader), she learns that taking orders is not only within her capacity as an employee, but in fact, serves a higher purpose for the whole of her person. Gyllenhaal makes magic as Lee, with a blatantly erotic upward gaze somehow innocent enough to leave both Mr. Grey and the audience wondering whether Lee -- or Gyllenhaal herself -- is aware of just how hot she really is. Lee becomes both emotionally and physically charged by her encounters with Spader's Mr. Grey, who issues commands in an unbearably sexy low voice. Spader's attractive forcefulness equals Gyllenhaal's more vulnerable role in its effectiveness of characterization. Tenaciously exacting, Mr. Grey's affection for obedience turns darkly appealing when sexy Spader ruthlessly delivers his demands. This strong opposition might suggest issues of stereotypical gender roles, but the film does not presume to make generalizations. Instead, it speaks specifically of the circumstances within one unique relationship that will define itself by the needs of the two individuals involved, however disturbing they may be. Within the deep mental and emotional issues of a somewhat alternative relationship, director Steven Shainberg creates a careful balance of mood using well-timed humor to prevent getting bogged down by the severity of the story. Meanwhile, the film pushes the boundaries of the R rating by use of implication. The things it doesn't show explicitly -- like masturbation -- are more than hinted at, while not officially breaking any limits. Taking metaphor to the extreme, Secretary allows access to the laughter and the pain of love in raw form. ~ Sarah Sloboda, All Movie Guide
Stephen McHattie - Burt Holloway; Patrick Bauchau - Dr. Twardon; Oz Perkins - Jonathan; Jessica Tuck - Tricia O'Connor; Amy Locane - Lee's Sister; Mary Joy - Sylvia; Michael Mantell - Stewart; Sabrina Grdevich - Allison; Lily Knight - Paralegal; Lacey Kohl - Louisa; Julene Renee - Jessica
Credit
Nick Ralbovsky - Art Director, Ellen Parks - Casting, Marjorie Bowers - Costume Designer, Vince Maggio - First Assistant Director, Kiran Gonsalves - First Assistant Director, Steven Shainberg - Director, Pam Wise - Editor, Joel Posner - Executive Producer, P.J. Posner - Executive Producer, Jamie Beardsley - Executive Producer, Michael Roban - Executive Producer, Angelo Badalamenti - Composer (Music Score), Beth Amy Rosenblatt - Musical Direction/Supervision, Amy Danger - Production Designer, Steven Fierberg - Cinematographer, Andrew Fierberg - Producer, Amy Hobby - Producer, Steven Shainberg - Producer, Michael Murray - Set Designer, Michael Baker - Set Designer, Tom Varga - Sound/Sound Designer, Jon Ailetcher - Sound/Sound Designer, Jonathan Wolff - Sound/Sound Designer, Erin Cressida Wilson - Screenwriter, Steven Shainberg - Screenwriter, Richard Benda - Additional Cinematography, John Foster - Additional Cinematography, Sonja Rom - Additional Cinematography, Scott Kevan - Additional Cinematography, Louise Fenton - Production Assistant, Jay Rabinowitz - Additional Editing, Beth Amy Rosenblatt - Executive Music Producer, Brian Langman - Supervising Sound Editor, Mary Gaitskill - Short Story Author
Lee Holloway, the socially awkward and emotionally sensitive youngest daughter of a dysfunctional family, adjusts to normal life after having been hospitalized following an incident of dangerous self-harm. She learns to type, starts to date an acquaintance named Peter, and begins to work as a secretary for an eccentric attorney, E. Edward Grey, who hires her despite her stilted social skills and unprofessional appearance.
Though at first Grey appears highly irritated at Lee's typos and other innocuous mistakes, it soon becomes apparent that he is sexually aroused by her submissive behaviour. After he confronts her about her self-injury addiction and commands that she never hurt herself again, the two embark on a BDSM relationship. Lee experiences a sexual—and personal—awakening, and she falls deeply in love. Edward, however, displays insecurity concerning his feelings for Lee, and he shows shame and disgust over his sexual habits. After a sexual encounter in his office, he fires Lee.
Peter soon proposes to Lee, who reluctantly agrees to marry him. However, whilst trying on her wedding gown she leaves and runs to Edward's office where she declares her love for him. Edward, still uncertain about their relationship, tests Lee by commanding her to sit in his chair without moving her hands or feet until he returns. Lee eagerly complies. Days pass, as Peter, family members, and acquaintances individually visit Lee to alternately attempt to dissuade or encourage her. After three days, Edward returns to the office and takes Lee to his apartment where he bathes and nurtures her. The pair marry and happily continue their dominant/submissive relationship.
Many changes were made from Mary Gaitskill's original short story, which had to be significantly expanded and given greater depth in order to be made into a feature-length film. On the small scale, individual lines were changed, such as the protagonist's use of "I'm so stupid" in one instance becoming a fantasy-sequence cry of "I'm your Secretary," which the director thought far more "celebratory."[1] Additionally, the ending of the story was changed to give a more positive outcome to the relationship.
A relatively small, independent production, the filming of Secretary was not without mishaps. Notably, in one instance the film-makers accidentally obtained shooting rights for the wrong park. Gyllenhaal supposedly encouraged them to hastily shoot the required park scene anyway whilst crew members distracted the local police.[citation needed]
Cast
James Spader - E. Edward Grey, Lee's employer and sexually dominant lover. Spader has a history of playing characters with seemingly unusual sexualities, such as a voyeur in Sex, Lies and Videotape and a car crash fetishist in Crash.
Maggie Gyllenhaal - Lee Holloway, the eponymous submissive secretary. This was Gyllenhaal's first role to require scenes of full frontal nudity.
Initially screened at several 2002 film festivals, Secretary had its domestic theatrical release on the 20th September 2002 and was released in various foreign markets across 2003 and 2004.
DVD
The film's region 1DVD was released on the 1st of April 2003. In the UK, a version by Tartan Video was released on the 5th of January 2004, followed by a budget edition by Prism Leisure on the 7th of February 2005.
Special editions of the DVD include the film's trailer and TV spots, cast and director interviews, a behind-the-scenes documentary, cast and director "Curricula Vitae" and an audio commentary by director Steven Shainberg and writer Erin Cressida Wilson.
Reception
Critics
The film was generally received positively by critics. It currently has a rating of 74% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 137 reviews.[2] Many critics noted the film's original take on themes of sadomasochism, with Roger Ebert saying that the film "approaches the tricky subject...with a stealthy tread, avoiding the dangers of making it either too offensive, or too funny"[3] and Ain't It Cool News commenting: "Perhaps there is something bold about saying that pain can bring healing as long as it’s applied by the right hand, but even that seems obvious and even normal thanks to [Gyllenhaal]."[4]
Box office
Secretary grossed $4,059,680 domestically and $5,244,929 internationally, to a total of $9,304,609.
Awards
Secretary was nominated for a number of awards and won several, with numerous wins for Maggie Gyllenhaal's breakthrough performance in particular.
Best Breakthrough Performance (Maggie Gyllenhaal, winner)
Soundtrack
The pulp fiction-style cover art for the Secretary soundtrack album.
The film's soundtrack album was released on CD on the 8th of October 2002 with an MP3 download version released on the 11th of July 2006. The soundtrack album contains Angelo Badalamenti's score as well as two songs that were notably featured over erotic montages in the film: Leonard Cohen's "I'm Your Man" and Lizzie West's "Chariots Rise".
The song "Chariots Rise" was changed slightly for the film, with the lyric "what a fool am I, to fall so in love" changed to "what grace have I, to fall so in love."
Track listing
All tracks by Angelo Badalamenti unless otherwise stated.
