The Girlfriend Experience (2009)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writers (WGA):

David Levien (written by) &
Brian Koppelman (written by)

Release Date:

8 July 2009 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

See it with someone you ****

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Client | Manhattan | Call Girl | Presidential Election | Personal Trainer

Cast

Sasha Grey	...	Chelsea / Christine
Chris Santos	...	Chris
Philip Eytan	...	Phillip
T. Colby Trane	...	Waiter
Peter Zizzo	...	Zizzo
Ron Stein	...	Vegas Buddy #1
Marshall Gilman	...	Vegas Buddy #2
Michael Roberts	...	Vegas Buddy #3
Vincent Dellacera	...	Chelsea's Driver
Jim Kempner	...	Art Gallery Owner
David Levien	...	David
Mark Jacobson	...	Interviewer
Alan Milstein	...	Pete
Sukhdev Singh	...	Super
Ted Jessup	...	Chatty 'John'

Also Known As:

GfE (USA) (festival title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content, nudity and language. (also VOD edition)

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

2929 Productions

Trivia:

Steven Soderbergh first heard about Sasha Grey when he read an article in Los Angeles magazine about her.

Quotes:

Chelsea: I met with Phillipe on October 5th and 6th. I wore a Michael Kors dress and shoes with La Perla... I wore a Michael Kors dress and shoes with La Perla lingerie underneath. And diamond stud earrings. We met at 730 at the hotel, and had a drink downstairs...

Movie Connections:

References Bubble (2005/I)

Soundtrack:

Hot Tub

How to make a sophisticated movie with no money

A brilliant little film, economic in its resources and smart in its complex editing. However, this is not destined to be a box office hit. It is the kind of film that Soderbergh does once in a while in-between pop flicks to avoid getting bored.

Sasha Grey delivers some good acting as an ambiguously shallow and ambitious prostitute who tries to survive the post-Obama post-Crisis world of depressed clients and worried boyfriend. Her relationship with her costumers and other professionals who are part of the escort world is built little by little in several out-of-order scenes. Most people will find the movie's timeline confusing, but all you have to do is pay attention to her wardrobe and everything will be fine.

I must also note the soundtrack, that makes use of very interesting unknown music. I specially liked the street drummer.

The images are beautiful enough to make one think "well, not bad for a movie shot on digital". Besides the old-school narrative (in the sense that it belongs more to the Bergman era than to the "Wolverine III" era) this movie looks and feels like the new kind of cinema that cheap digital shooting offers. And I like the way it feels.

IN A NUTSHELL: For Sasha Grey and Soderbergh fans and people who actually care about cinema language. If you like Soderbergh because of "Ocean's Eleven", stay away.