My Rating: 4.5/5.0
Mr. E. Edward Grey (As played by James Spader) is a lawyer in a small town looking for a secretary, as his others have quit recently. Thankfully for him, Lee Holloway (As played by Maggie Gyllenhaal) has just been released from a hospital for her self-harm issues and is looking for a job. She comes across him and they experience many themes, beginning at Secretive and leading into the huge theme in Mr. Grey’s life, Sadomasochistic. This did not surprise me in the least bit judging by how he acted from the beginning. An evidently dominant character, 100% type-A personality. This forms the basis of the title itself, Secretary.
Wait. Don’t we know a character like this already? Mr. Grey was his name, too? Some of you may know and some may not, but all I could think of when seeing this movie was the fictional billionaire character of Mr. Christian Trevelyan Grey. Although this movie was made in the year 2002, Fifty Shades of Grey by Miss E.L. James was made 9 years afterward. What I question myself is this: Was Christian Grey’s character’s persona inspired by E. Edward Grey’s? That’s quite a coincidence if you ask me. Bondage, Domination, Sadism and Masochism. High-class job (although Christian is clearly richer than E. Edward Grey. Either way, I found this instantly when watching the film. I don’t think a Fifty fan could miss that connection.
Despite the odd (and possibly coincidental) similarities, Steven Shainberg did a good job directing this film for what it is. This was the first of his movies I’ve watched, personally, so it was a taste of something new with him. There was a stillness of the film that lingered throughout most of it, and there could have been a bit more action for an 100-minute movie. The movie took place in a few different areas, but mostly in Mr. Grey’s office building and Lee at home. There could have been a change in scenery a little more often than there was.
Strange enough as it is, Lee went straight form a hospital to working for this man. She never once quit or questioned him. Is it really that realistic that someone would naturally be that submissive? It happens often, but not as often as to make a film about it. To me, it seems a bit far-fetched, but still has an good yet intense story line to it. I question Lee and how she is personally with this issue. How can a girl give up cutting herself when…
1. she has since 7th grade, steadily
2. she cant control herself but can easily go under the order of someone else to abruptly stop? Again, far-fetched.
As for the actors, James Spader did a FANTASTIC job portraying Erin Cressida Wilson (writer of the screenplay)’s character of Mr. E. Edward Grey. He was intense, sincere, and doesn’t joke around. Just as a dominant should be. Exactly his character, there. Maggie Gyllenhaal deserved her awards and nominations for this independent film. For being the main actress, this is the best film I’ve seen her in, but it’s up there with her performance in The Dark Knight.
I would recommend this movie to those who enjoy a short, quirky movie. It has its funny moments and is very unpredictable. IMDb gave this movie a 7.1/10.0, but it deserves more than that. It’s not a 10.0/10.0 of course, but it’s one of the better independent movies I’ve seen and deserves more praise than it’s gotten.
Kelsey's Movie Reviews 