This movie has placed itself in my top ten favorite movies list.
Did anyone think it was over the top? Was anyone disgusted by it? I wanna know.
There were a few funny parts. The movie just sort of…unsettled me. It wasn’t the subject matter, just all of the awkwardness.
Don’t think I actually liked it. Plus, I’ve never been one for “love stories” no matter how bizarre.
I very much enjoyed it, although I wasn’t too happy the the female lead being a former mental patient. It just seemed unnecesary, and a little bit like associating those preferences with insanity. However, since I don’t have any better suggestions, and it did fit in with the story, I won’t complain much.
I didn’t really notice a lot of awkwardness, which is odd – awkward moments in movies usually unsettle me, and often make me feel funny inside.
Overall, I’ll stick with it being a great movie. I’ve recommended it to all of my friends, though AFAIK none of them have taken me up on it as of yet.
I thought the mental institution part was apt, it reinforced the idea of two “broken” people finding each other and fitting together so well.
I can relate very much to this film:). Not that I’ve ever needed to stay in a mental institution, but I’ve done things/acted in ways that other people didn’t understand. Which I suppose is true of all of us, to an extent.
The scene where she was leaning over his desk waiting to be spanked had to have the most sexual tension I’ve ever experienced in a film. I litererally held my breath.
I loved this movie! There are very few actors who can portray creepy, broken, and unbelievably sexy quite like James Spader. I think what I liked best about it is that it’s hard to categorize. It’s funny, it’s sad, it’s sexy, it’s twisted, but perhaps most importantly, it isn’t easy, it’s unflinching. There are awkward, sometimes even uncomfortable moments, but there’s no judgement. The characters aren’t punished in the end for being “deviants.”
I found it very entertaining. I don’t think it would have worked at all without James Spader, and Maggie Gylenhall (sp?) was pretty good also.
It has its twisted moments, but if you strip it all away, it’s just a love story about 2 lost souls finding each other.
Being in a crowded theater helped me with this film, so I don’t know how good it would be to see on video.
Damn. Just saw this last night. Wow. Talk about great acting. This script must have been a terrible read in comparrison. The things that were greatest about the movie were visual. The unspoken words the actors used meant as much as the ones they said out loud. You go from thinking “What is this sick fuck gonna do to this poor girl?” to almost crying because they found true love.
When she leaned over her fiance (to get spanked) and he responded instead by pulling out a condom her reaction was great. "That’s NOT what I meant!’ with a roll of her eyes. That chick was great. What else have I seen her in?
Spader is a real gem. What a presence that guy has. He can be one disturbing fuck when he wants to be. Probably my favorite character that he has played. Thank goodness I have a spell-checker and a computer at work. I’m glad that they found love but I wouldn’t be too into corporal punishment for administrative errors. . . well maybe if my boss was 2 blonde girls in bikinis, but that gig didn’t work out.
DaLovin’ Dj
It was nice. Not thrilling, but nice.
The SO really enjoyed it alot, though.
It is quite OK but directed poorly. The story takes forever to get going and the last 30 minutes or so are a total mess. There are some boring, repetitive scenes where I was much more interested in the wacky furniture and art etc. in the office than the character interaction. Plus some scenes I think are more graphic than they needed to be. However, this movie got under my skin a little and made me think; that’s good.
I would certainly not place it on any “best movie” list. But both actors are really outstanding in their roles (and I especially loved seeing Leslie Ann Warren as the kooky, nervous mom).
Are there any disturbing images in the film? I’m still getting over Pulp Fiction.
Maggie G was absolutely great–she’s lovely without being “Hollywood” about it. If not mistaken, this is based on a book, so the assylum and such may have been a given condition. Still, it’s pretty clear that her masochism with Spader’s character is, eventually, based on love. Her cutting of herself was self-hatred.
Personally, I would have like to have seen him take her over his knee for a spanking. The intimacy is much higher in such a position, thus making the tension in the movie higher.
I thought it was highly entertaining until James Spader’s overwhelming self-loathing sent the movie off the rails.
Actually, this is typical of all romantic comedies, I find. Two characters are introduced, and we know they’ll be together at the end, so what do you do for two hours? Somewhere along the way, one or both will have to have a completely irrational overreaction that just makes me want to reach into the film and slap them. “So he doesn’t like your parents! Get OVER it, you moron!” or “So she mentioned rings. That’s no reason to freak out, you IDIOT!”
And then, when the emotional wrinkles are smoothed over, the cahracters get back together and everything is hunky-dory. The final minues of Secretary are okay, though their calm domestic life as she kisses him goodbye before he goes to work seems jarringly out of place.