Movie Description
Steven Soderbergh is a cerebral filmmaker and, not surprisingly, his characters often live with their emotions compartmentalized. The lead character in THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE is no different. Chelsea (adult-film actress Sasha Gray) is a high-priced escort whose strict set of rules for dealing with clients allows her to maintain a seemingly healthy, honest relationship with her boyfriend Chris (Chris Santos), a personal trainer. But when a new customer invites her on a weekend excursion, she accepts, even though she knows this violates her bond with Chris. All of this transpires during a few weeks in October 2008, when the country is embroiled in both the presidential election, and, more importantly, the sudden economic downturn--Soderbergh consistently underscores that money is the chief concern for Chelsea and Chris, and everyone around them. She negotiates with a web designer to create a site that will build her notoriety, and contends with the extortions of a sleazeball blogger (movie critic Glenn Kenny). Meanwhile Chris tries to convince his boss to make him a partner at the gym, and accepts free trips to Vegas from one of his clients.
THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE is among the best of Soderbergh's "little" films (BUBBLE, SCHIZOPOLIS), ventures where he recharges his artistic batteries and tries out new techniques before jumping back into the world of superstars and big budgets. The casting of porn star Grey gives the director exactly what he wants: a flat, uncharismatic performance that gives the character mystery. Other than money, we're not sure what motivates her, and that's the point: Chelsea doesn't know either. For those inclined to follow Soderbergh down every nook and cranny of his career, THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE is a welcome reminder of how probing he can be about matters of the heart.
| Credits | | Producer: | Gregory Jacobs | | Cast: | Chris Santos, Glenn Kenny, Sasha Grey |
Editorial Reviews
3 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t holds your attention. Once more, Soderbergh demonstrates he's a silky smooth craftsman..."
Box Office - John P. McCarthy (05/06/2009)
"What THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE does -- co-scripted by Brian Koppelman and David Levien but incorporating improv -- does best is capture the way language has ben vitiated by meaningless marketing-speak."
Film Comment - Melissa Anderson (05/01/2009)
"The thinking behind Grey's casting, with its obvious sex-industry connections, lends the film a degree of verisimilitude..." -- Grade: B+
A.V. Club - Scott Tobias (05/21/2009)
4 stars out of 4 -- "This film is true about human nature....It is not universal, but within its particular focus, it is unrelenting."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (05/20/2009)
"THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE has a sleek, tailored look appropriate to its setting, which is the moneyed precincts of Manhattan at the height -- and most likely the end -- of the recent gilded age."
New York Times - A. O. Scott (05/22/2009)
"The film manages a career-spanning panache: Soderbergh taps into the nervy impulses of his earliest endeavor, SEX, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE as well as OCEAN'S ELEVEN."
Washington Post - Jan Stuart (05/22/2009)
3 stars out of 5 -- "What makes THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE a fresh provocation is not the new ways available to build a fantasy but the near-impossibility of negotiating one you can actually believe in."
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers (05/28/2009)
"THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENJCE is a mysterious and arresting look at how the culture of money turns love and desire into something you want to control." -- Grade: A
Entertainment Weekly - Owen Gleiberman (05/29/2009)
"[D]irected with cool, affectless precision by Steven Soderbergh..."
Movieline - S.T. Vanairsdale (05/22/2009)
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