The Girlfriend Experience (2009)

Truly Dreadful Film

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

How sad is this?

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Honestly, I think the disdain here is two-fold, it's certainly an experimental film and Sasha Grey was in porn.In fact, she was sort of the name in porn...I mean, Rolling Stone did a feature article about her.But the thing is, she can act. She's no Brando, but she does a decent enough job to not hate her and actually appreciate some of what she does. Some fine tuning, she might have something going for her...aside from the dubious reputation of Rolling Stones "Dirtiest Woman on Earth" And then "Soderbergh's Experimental Crap" label...kill a guy for trying something new? I get bored putting together little pieces of pottery and checking the crosses to guesstimate a date. Sometimes I long for an ancient bedpan or two just to shakes things up.I'm sure the same goes for Hollywood, and sure, when you try something new its hit or miss...but then I'm getting to the point in my old age where "The Girlfriend Experience" looks more entertaining than another "Oceans" movie and...really, if it strikes out I didn't spend my money to watch the same old film again.In this case he kind of struck out, but it is 2009, its not exactly like you have many choices at the box office these days.Do I want to go see more Aliens and Robots blowing things up, do I want to go see a remake, or do I just want to chill at home and watch "Dog Day Afternoon" again? Oh, wait, Soderbergh's got something that's not exactly like everything else, it's worth a shot.

The cinematography is intriguing and pleasant for most of the film and it had potential, though there are some flaws with the plot and main character.Perhaps with more character development and longer run time, Sasha Grey could have shown depth, but I found it was an unrealistic representation of high class escort work. Unlike what other reviews say, she would not need to be "less boring" in real life to make $2000/hr, although she would have limited regular clientele (i.e. probably not "the best" at what she does in the area as suggested). Some of her struggles in the film appeared unnatural and more like very mild daily struggles an escort encounters (stalkers? Taxes? Family of client? Clients pushing boundaries? Clients wanting exclusivity? "Friends" in the industry being untrustworthy? Bumping into someone and client hears your real name?).Less important but aside from this, the brand names recited were all pronounced very wrong, which appears even less likely she is actually shopping at those NY stores (kikidm - which is named after an historical figure). If you are familiar with high end lingerie boutiques + escorting you are bound to hear their proper name because you are probably going in person and paying in cash!I expected Grey to be a better fit for this role, as she had worked in the adult industry and and seems like a smart lady. It would have been nice to show some deeper client-escort conversations, or on the other end, some sort of personal emotional experience but neither occurred significantly; she must have something motivating her to continue this work? (Money is not enough after a while to do something you don't really care for, with people you don't fancy, and always interferes with a normal personal life)In summary, they should have consulted several real life escorts (not ones that rely on celebrity status for 2 hour novelty appointments either) and included one or two events that do not fall into the "ideal and unrealistic" sex work life depiction. Also - does not take much to decently pronounce french names...

when I first found out that the legendary Sasha Grey has appeared in a long movie, I couldn't wait to watch it. With all the mystery accompanied with that nymph, I expected something more than just a dull, poor-directed drama. It was really a hard one to watch to the end. In addition Sasha's performance wasn't up to expectations. I mean it's too sophisticated for a porn star, but too amateur for a Hollywood actress.Characters of the story are shallow. You don't get anything from the the first role, Chelsea, other than she is an escort and has a boyfriend. Very little background, very little details and justifications about why she is doing this, unless you imagine reading some personology books as justification! you also don't get anything from the boyfriend and why he is getting along with this. The story doesn't even start half way through the movie and you're like why exactly am I watching this? Well I'm watching it because of Sasha Grey, but other than that there is no reason. The director tried to tell the story in non-linear style with flashbacks and flash forwards but it didn't work at all. It's like they divide every scene into a couple of parts and threw every part on some point of the movie randomly! There is no meaningful order. To sum up if you are fond of Sasha, well you gotto watch this but if you want to watch a deep, interesting, touching drama then this is not your movie. I wish they could use Sasha's character in a better way.

When Steven Soderbergh is not too busy directing George Clooney or a frat pack led by George Clooney, he must be in the middle of an intricate work of art. So much so, this is art on the other side of the spectrum, a realm too rare to be noticed by fans of the flamboyant Ocean's trilogy.Set during the start of the current and very real financial crisis, the plot for the most part revolves round the true nature of the crisis and its effects on upper working-class people. Book marking the film in time and space, Soderbergh even boldly debates the outcome of a 700 billion stimulus plan as strategized by Barak Obama. But as financial stress continues to take its toll before the stimulus nurtures any recovery, the needs of sexually active men can never be stifled. This is where Chelsea (Sasha Grey) comes in. She isn't just a regular street walker paid to blow off some steam, but an escort of the highest calibre. Much more than that, Chelsea is a high profile, chauffeur driven escort offering a high level of companionship where fine dinning, intellectual conversations and emotional reciprocation plays a major part in her business, rather than just consensual sex at a pre-determined price. Metaphorically, it is like evaluating the difference between paying for a room at a classy hotel for one night and renting a fully furnished apartment for a month. As the plot progresses, Chelsea runs her independent business in total control. But things start to get complicated when she finds herself mixed up in a possessive "real" relationship, while caught between her ambitions of being the best in the business and allowing the prospect of sleazy clients pimp her product to cities less affected by the recession, namely Dubai (UAE).Although critically controversial for various reasons, this is a director's film through and through and Soderbergh has his name written all over it with his unmistakable handy work etched into all aspects of the movie. With a plot severely depending on dialogue, the only setback may be in the script that seems improvised at times. But even that appears innovative when characters appear natural and very believable. Another signature trade mark is his panning of plot segments back and forth like setting pieces of a puzzle into place. This is done by narrating a day in the life of a prostitute as described by Chelsea in her journal. At times the approach is from a documentary styled interview between Chelsea and prospective clients, while simultaneously building up insight into her personality. This is also Soderbergh's crossover into digital filming, so to speak. As such, cinematography is dynamic yet superb. Intimate moments are sometimes intentionally out of focus, at other times fully zoomed in with maximum lens aperture but using ambient lighting, again a key characteristic of the current digital era. Coming to the topic of sex, which also happens to be the main topic of discussion, the act itself is never shown but a more subtle approach is given to brief nudity, including a suggestively framed full frontal. Soderbergh's skills aside, the jewel in the crown is Sasha Grey's debut into mainstream Hollywood. I say ˜debut' not because this is her first lead role, but because of her controversial background in hard core porn. The way I see it, if Ms Grey can deliver an above average performance as a character with all her clothes on, then there is no need in bringing up her past. Besides her stunning looks, she also possesses an uncanny way of flirting with the camera and ultimately engages the viewer. This is called on-screen charisma, and she has a lot of it.Back to Soderbergh, given his multi award winning "Traffic" and recent biopic "Che: Part 1&2", I wouldn't call this his masterpiece, but it still is a definitive piece of art that would give Woody Allen a raised brow. And with a tagline that says "See it with someone you ****", perception of art has potentially endless possibilities.