The Girlfriend Experience (2009)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Dan S

  
  An original though detached and shallow study of the economic meltdown of 2008, seen through the lenses of a New York call girl (Sasha Grey), and how she deals with her various clients. While director Steven Soderbergh does a brilliant job picking a perspective on a subject like this… More
  An original though detached and shallow study of the economic meltdown of 2008, seen through the lenses of a New York call girl (Sasha Grey), and how she deals with her various clients. While director Steven Soderbergh does a brilliant job picking a perspective on a subject like this and having a "fly on the wall" presence throughout, the film's inability to enamor or push beyond its initial thoughts on the economy prove to be very disappointing. It is still pretty good considering how Soderbergh filmed this as well as the fact that this does feel like an authentic look at a major event, but his inability to get inside his character's heads as well as not knowing exactly how to end his film mars its enough to say it is not worth an automatic recommendation. It is not bad, it just had the potential to be so much more than it is.

• Ken S

  
  You have to admit, he got a hell of a performance out of a porn star.

• Steven C

  
  Steven Soderbergh's "The Girlfriend Experience" is the NYC companion to his LA set "Full Frontal". Both are meta-film style experiments that stretch the imagination with it's storytelling approach and performances, but while "Full Frontal" is… More
  Steven Soderbergh's "The Girlfriend Experience" is the NYC companion to his LA set "Full Frontal". Both are meta-film style experiments that stretch the imagination with it's storytelling approach and performances, but while "Full Frontal" is much more of a Hollywood satire, "The Girlfriend Experience" is a meditation of the economic state of 00's America and chasing pipe dreams. Brilliant cinematography and a daring plot make this film thought provoking, arresting and always fascinating.

• MisterYoda ?

  
  What a disappointment. The film comes over as having had no script to begin with. Everybody's chit-chatting along, the camera (manned by the man himself - and one hears he tried to channel Antonioni - what's he smoking) is so utterly boring, the frames so stilted, action so… More
  What a disappointment. The film comes over as having had no script to begin with. Everybody's chit-chatting along, the camera (manned by the man himself - and one hears he tried to channel Antonioni - what's he smoking) is so utterly boring, the frames so stilted, action so terribly stagy - what actually is this movie. Not to mention the 'infamous' RED camera: the movie looked like it was shot with some miniDV camera with all highlights totally blown and no depth to the images. Mixed lighting is a mixed blessing, no matter what camera - somebody please forward that to the 'cinematographer'. And then there's 'sound': I can see that there's not even a name assigned in the IMDb credit's list. No wonder - I wouldn't put my name there. It seems for Soderbergh it's enough to slap some wires onto the actors (but really really deep under some layers of clothe to make it really sound mumbly-jumbly) and voila, we've replaced the sound department. Only question left is, who is coming up with money for productions like that. Really really bad and completely uninspired 'product'.

• paul s

  
  An oddly disjointed affair, as the topic suggests, jumping from place to place, backwards and forwards in time as it revisits scenes to embellish an emotion or drive home a point. At the center of the film is Sasha Grey, an escort (read high end call girl, ala Secret Diary of A… More
  An oddly disjointed affair, as the topic suggests, jumping from place to place, backwards and forwards in time as it revisits scenes to embellish an emotion or drive home a point. At the center of the film is Sasha Grey, an escort (read high end call girl, ala Secret Diary of A Call Girl) who has the requisite emotional detachment required of her profession until, by chance and her own mystical beliefs (some kind of numerology... it's never exactly explained, and unfortunately becomes the nexus point in the film - not a very strong motive for what follows), she finds a John she feels a connection to. This doesn't sit well with her long time boyfriend (gee, what a surprise there!), and ultimately breaks them apart - end of story (and really all you really need to know). Everything else that happens, the despair and almost frantic attempts to regain what was lost in the market crash, is superficial, although I was somewhat amused by all the angles the charactors played, especially the "sex critic" who wanted a freeby in order to write Sasha a good review (all the while promissing her a trip to Dubai, where she would rake in the cash for sheeting shieks (nice alliteration don't you think)). Perhaps some of this material would seem shocking - maybe in 1960, but with the aforementioned "Diary of a Call Girl" showing on Showtime, the call girl angle doesn't add anything - so you end up with a story of an emotionally stunted woman who is unable to enjoy her solid situation with her boyfriend and is willing to throw it all away on a prayer of a weekend fling. Sadly, I think that even she knew it would not end well - giving the film a certain fatalistic, almost existential view that, while marginally interesting, isn't anything revolutionary.

• Gordon A

  
  Icily cold, grim look at high class prostitution which probes at the tired issue of whether call girls can separate work (or business as this drives home) from a private life. Grey is bland, shallow and emotionless so one wonders why anybody, let alone very wealthy successful New… More
  Icily cold, grim look at high class prostitution which probes at the tired issue of whether call girls can separate work (or business as this drives home) from a private life. Grey is bland, shallow and emotionless so one wonders why anybody, let alone very wealthy successful New Yorkers, would pay for her time beyond her looks.

• Carlos M

  
  Soderbergh takes a close look at the private life of an escort played by porn actress Sasha Grey, as she deals with her clients, her work and her boyfriend. Though the story may not appeal to everyone, I myself found it fascinating.

• Dean M

  
  This quite strange full-drama film represents a return to the smaller, more personal film for director Steven Soderbergh in the tradition of his debut feature <i>Sex, Lie and Videotape</i>. Sasha Grey, a real-life porn starlet, is really hot as well as you can see her in a… More
  This quite strange full-drama film represents a return to the smaller, more personal film for director Steven Soderbergh in the tradition of his debut feature <i>Sex, Lie and Videotape</i>. Sasha Grey, a real-life porn starlet, is really hot as well as you can see her in a brief nudity scene (not enough). Soderbergh rests his film's success on the narrow shoulders of Grey, as Christine (aka Chelsea), who proves a capable, if tepid, leading actor in her inaugural "mainstream" effort. She suits her director, as there are no layers of contrivance to her performance.

• Conner R

  
  Very much in the same light as Sex, Lies and Videotape. I was really impressed with the unique shooting style and storytelling format. It was non-linear, but that is the only way I'd want to see it unravel. The acting was great for what Steven Soderbergh was going for, they were… More
  Very much in the same light as Sex, Lies and Videotape. I was really impressed with the unique shooting style and storytelling format. It was non-linear, but that is the only way I'd want to see it unravel. The acting was great for what Steven Soderbergh was going for, they were all very real characters. The clients talking constantly about the economy and the election was priceless, especially since they're in the process of renting an escort for thousands of dollars.

• Drew S

  
  Didn't work for me. It's an interesting stylistic experiment and I appreciated some of the things that Soderbergh was going for (the recurring theme of currency, monetary or physical) but Sasha Grey is utterly charmless. The character of Chelsea calls for surgical, objective… More
  Didn't work for me. It's an interesting stylistic experiment and I appreciated some of the things that Soderbergh was going for (the recurring theme of currency, monetary or physical) but Sasha Grey is utterly charmless. The character of Chelsea calls for surgical, objective distance from the events that surround her; we're supposed to get the idea that she is observing her clients and their fears from a perceptive, intelligent distance. Grey is glassy-eyed. She just seems bored. This is the movie's primary problem, and why I didn't care for it much. The character isn't supposed to be a pawn for Soderbergh - by the end of the film we're supposed to see her as an emotionally functioning, real person, but it's hard to cohere to someone who's spent the last hour with the same stony, inexpressive look on her face. Nothing this role called for, like the ability to project inherent inquisitiveness or an analytical nature, is within Grey's skill set. It's stunt casting gone wrong. Perhaps you'll feel differently, but even if Grey works for you, the movie accomplishes very little. You could skip it without any regrets.

• Tim S

  
  Not as bad as I thought it was going to be (obviously I thought it was going to be terrible). Sasha Grey isn't bad, but the whole problem that I had with the movie was that I didn't know if we were supposed to feel bad for her or if Soderbergh was going for something… More
  Not as bad as I thought it was going to be (obviously I thought it was going to be terrible). Sasha Grey isn't bad, but the whole problem that I had with the movie was that I didn't know if we were supposed to feel bad for her or if Soderbergh was going for something different. The whole thing is all about what most every Hollywood asshole is interested in: I wonder what that call girl's that I just took a shit on life is like after she leaves this Four Seasons through the back door. I love how these guys are still confused about women when the whole thing stems from the fact that the entire environment that they live is basically a joke (a really expensive joke). I will say this, though, the movie looks great, I liked the things said about the economy and how it associated with the film (topical taken to new heights), and I thought the ending was fantastic.

• Nate Z

  
  This may be Stephen Soderbergh’s most accessible throwaway experimental bobble, and yet even a movie about a high class call girl played by real-life porn star Sasha Grey gets tedious. Set amidst the economic meltdown in the fall of 2008, we toggle back and forth between the… More
  This may be Stephen Soderbergh’s most accessible throwaway experimental bobble, and yet even a movie about a high class call girl played by real-life porn star Sasha Grey gets tedious. Set amidst the economic meltdown in the fall of 2008, we toggle back and forth between the professional lives of Chelsea (Grey) and her boyfriend (Chris Santos), a personal trainer. Chelsea’s services are more akin to a date than a quick romp between the sheets. Said “girlfriend experience” includes dinner, talking, a deep knowledge of her client’s interests so she can relate, and perhaps some late night cuddling and maybe, just maybe, sex. There are multiple parallels involving the idea of prostitution, Chris sells himself and his services to his gym clients much like his girlfriend; but where does any of this add up? The movie is told out of order for little benefit and there isn’t so much a climax but a dissolution of plot. The realities of a New York City call girl having a committed relationship can be intriguing; at one point Chelsea says that the clients want her to be herself, but if that were true they wouldn’t be paying her. However, when Chelsea decides to ditch her man of 16 months because her astrology book told her this Hollywood client might be “the one,” the audience loses any sympathy. Once this happened I just checked out. At a mere 77 minutes, too much of the movie is consumed by Chelsea’s life style of high rises, fancy restaurants, limos, and powerful businessmen. It can feel like a big screen episode of MTV’s The Hills of Laguna Beach, following the empty exploits of shallow twits. Grey is flat throughout, and maybe that’s the point to display how disconnected she must be to make sexual encounters just work. Let’s just say that she shows more promise in I Wanna Bang Your Sister (actual title). Nate's Grade: C+

• Michael S

  
  Sasha Grey gives a surprisingly strong performance in a film that is equally surprising and strong. I just wish more time was spent with Grey's character than with the dude playing her boyfriend because he just wasn't that intriguing or interesting.

• William D

  
  The lead actress in Steven Soderbergh's "The Girlfriend Experience" is a 21-year-old porn star. That's a first for a major dramatic film in this country. This may sound like shallow stunt-casting, but I think there's more to it than that. "The… More
  The lead actress in Steven Soderbergh's "The Girlfriend Experience" is a 21-year-old porn star. That's a first for a major dramatic film in this country. This may sound like shallow stunt-casting, but I think there's more to it than that. "The Girlfriend Experience" is a low-budget but gorgeous film shot on video in Manhattan with what appears to have been a very limited crew. It explores aspects of postmodern existence, particularly the commodification of emotional intimacy. The film also experiments with cinematic form in some intriguing ways, letting "real life" bleed into the film. For example: the film was shot last fall, when the no.1 topic in America was the economic downturn. The script was opened up to incorporate this. The characters discuss the economy much the way the actors and crew must have been discussing it during set breaks. Casting a porn star in the lead role functions similarly. Not only does the film raise interesting questions about the commodification of desire and love. The lead actress actually embodies those issues, nicely blurring the lines between character and actor. Sasha Grey (using her porn-star name) gives a mesmerizing performance as Chelsea, a high-class prostitute who offers more than sex to her clients. She goes out to dinner with them, to the cinema, holds their hands, listens to their problems, and even is willing to stay the night and have breakfast in the morning. In short, she provides a girlfriend experience. Chelsea also has a boyfriend, a "real" one -- that is, he does not pay, at least not in an obvious way. The boyfriend, Chris, is a dashing personal trainer. The film spends a lot of time documenting the couple's glamorous life and drinking in their personal beauty. We see Chelsea in sumptuous hotels and restaurants, getting into and out of exquisite clothing. When she writes in her diary each night, she describes what she wore that day, naming the designer of each garment. When not shopping or with a client, Chelsea meets with investment advisors. This woman clearly has a head for business. Money and clothes are not the only things on her mind, however. She also values love, but she has an oddly calculated approach to it. Her feelings for Chris appear to be genuine, but Chelsea keeps her options open. When she becomes infatuated with a handsome client, she openly tells Chris that she's going to spend a weekend with the client (not for pay) to test the waters of having a relationship with him. What's especially odd is that Chelsea considers the client a catch in large part due to his date of birth. She is fixated on some kind of occult science, perhaps numerology. It is never explained, but Chelsea alludes to it several times. The film appears to be saying that in the postmodern age, love is morphing in ways that we cannot quite understand yet. "The Girlfriend Experience" is a tour de force of hand-made, guerrilla filmmaking and it is one of the most interesting films of the year. It is a joy to see Steven Soderbergh returning to form, after "Che" (2008) and "The Good German" (2006), two of the worst films of the decade.

• Jennifer X

  
  Hm, this film is intriguing. Although I love the concept that everybody has something to sell in these increasingly economically stunted times, the ideas seem half-baked and rushed, like Soderbergh was banking on something serendipitously wonderful to shine through, but it never did.… More
  Hm, this film is intriguing. Although I love the concept that everybody has something to sell in these increasingly economically stunted times, the ideas seem half-baked and rushed, like Soderbergh was banking on something serendipitously wonderful to shine through, but it never did. See, I can deal with nothing ever happening but nothing - NOTHING - came to fruition. Also, Sasha Grey isn't a great actress, which is okay for the most part of the movie, but the scenes that require genuine anguish are horribly stilted. But despite everything, I liked the movie. I would watch it again, underdevelopment and all. Sometimes style is all you need.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"See it with someone you ****"</i> A drama set in the days leading up to the 2008 Presidential election, and centered on a high-end Manhattan call girl meeting the challenges of her boyfriend, her clients, and her work. <center><font size=+2… More
  <i>"See it with someone you ****"</i> A drama set in the days leading up to the 2008 Presidential election, and centered on a high-end Manhattan call girl meeting the challenges of her boyfriend, her clients, and her work. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> This film is the stylish portrait of a high-end New York City escort. While the film lacks any true emotional depth, its ironic value lies as a piece of art lies therein. Soderbergh has crafted an aesthetically pleasing picture that is perfectly enjoyable throughout, but as the escort it portrays, lacks any real emotional connection with the viewer and any lasting impact. Grey's acting, however unintentionally on her part, leaves the viewer in a similar position to one of her character's clients; it is almost as if she pretends to be Chelsea rather than actually becoming her, in the same manner that she pretends to be a client's girlfriend.

• Aaron N

  
  Chelsea: One client says I should invest my money in gold. Another entry into director Steven Soderbergh's experimental film catalog. He once again employs a very stylistic approach to his film making, using a low budget, hand held camera work, non actors, and improved dialog to… More
  Chelsea: One client says I should invest my money in gold. Another entry into director Steven Soderbergh's experimental film catalog. He once again employs a very stylistic approach to his film making, using a low budget, hand held camera work, non actors, and improved dialog to get us through the film. In this case, adult film star Sasha Grey has been placed in the lead as a sophisticated escort girl. The plot involves the work of this escort girl, Chelsea, who offers a very sophisticated escort service, where men pay a lot of money to spend time with her, with sex certainly taking place as an option for most (although the film is not about showing us these moments). We mainly get a look at how Chelsea handles the conversations that these men want to engage her in concerning her profession, which she mainly tries to shield off. Chelsea, despite being an escort girl, is also in a devoted relationship with Chris, a man who works as a personal trainer. These two are living together in New York, and the film is set a few days before Obama has been elected president. The economic crisis certainly takes a role in the film, as many of the discussions between the characters has to do with the financial aspects of these characters' professions. Experimental is certainly a key work for this film. Its certainly not the kind that everyone will want to see, with its mixed around narrative, strange but effective editing, and abrupt ending, but I certainly admired the ambition and way the film developed itself over time. Confident soundtrack sue as well. Sasha Grey, who is actually known for being quite the intellectual as well as an adult film star, is fairly good in the film. She's not a great actress, which shows in some key scenes, but the film is intent on focusing around her face for the majority of its 78 minute run time, and she certainly manages to convey what she needs to for the most part. Once again, its an experimental Soderbergh feature that doesn't beg for repeat viewings, but I certainly got out of it what I wanted. Chris: Y'know, I'm not a big T-shirt wearin' kinda guy.

• Stefanie C

  
  a contemporary view of american culture. i loved the documentary feel to the film. casting sasha grey in this role is pure genius. Since she is not an actress but familiar with the camera, she came across as very detached and hollow -- just what this role required. while the film had… More
  a contemporary view of american culture. i loved the documentary feel to the film. casting sasha grey in this role is pure genius. Since she is not an actress but familiar with the camera, she came across as very detached and hollow -- just what this role required. while the film had these merits, the plot itself was dull.

• Michael G

  
  The Girlfriend Experience is another example of Steven Soderbergh doing an excellent job of making a just okay movie.The story of a high-priced Manhattan call girl juggling work and real-life relationships is okay enough and Soderbergh's direction definitely makes the movie,… More
  The Girlfriend Experience is another example of Steven Soderbergh doing an excellent job of making a just okay movie.The story of a high-priced Manhattan call girl juggling work and real-life relationships is okay enough and Soderbergh's direction definitely makes the movie, showing he's as creative as ever. What gets on my nerves is the seemingly endless mention of the economic Armageddon we're currently in the middle of. Just some more reminders I just don't need. The Girlfriend Experience has a couple funny jokes/references in terms of the 2008 election and how it eventually went down (see the scene at the end of the credits) but its nothing you need to see immediately. I'm still not sure what to make of that final scene...

• Julie B

  
  The performance is very distancing, and I'm still arguing about whether that's because Sasha Grey is brilliant, or she can't act at all. Still an interesting flick, it captures the unease around last year's election extremely well. Much more Sex, Lies and… More
  The performance is very distancing, and I'm still arguing about whether that's because Sasha Grey is brilliant, or she can't act at all. Still an interesting flick, it captures the unease around last year's election extremely well. Much more Sex, Lies and Videotape than Ocean's 11.

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