Taking a job for rather weird lawyer Mr Grey (James Spader), nervy Lee (Maggie Gyllenhaal) soon finds herself being bent over the desk and heartily spanked. Not that she's complaining - - Grey's love for smack-daddy work practices breaks Lee loose from her dull, neurotic life... Secretary is nowhere near as enlightening or as plugged-in as it should have been, but Steven Shainberg's provocative breakthrough film nevertheless offers a neat balance of drama, comedy and eroticism. It also comes with a spanking good turn from Jake's older sister, with Ms Gyllenhaal making the most of her star-making role.
DVD Extras:
Helmer Shainberg claims that Secretary does for S&M lovers what My Beautiful Laundrette did for gay couples. He explains this at length in an interview that, like the film, starts out interesting but eventually drags. Same goes for his trivia-stuffed commentary (shared with writer Erin Cressida Wilson), so dry it could be used as a tea-towel. The featurette, meanwhile, merely repeats the very best quotes from the interviews.
