There exist a certain number of film makers out there whose every film draws fans like bees to honey. Unfortunately a more apt metaphor at times would be flies to…well you know. It doesn’t make a difference what they churn out; they are hailed as the best and brightest there is. But for some reason the films they choose to make as their own personal films never seem to be greeted as well with the majority of the world as they are by the die hard fans and hoity toity press. Such is the case with THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE.
Director Steven Soderbergh has been responsible for such films as ERIN BROKOVICH, OCEAN’S ELEVEN/TWELVE/THIRTEEN and THE LIMEY. But he’s noted among the elite as a director of artistic films and those are the ones they choose to hail while paying service to the more popular films. I read somewhere that this film was one Soderbergh wanted to make and that he was fond of. He should listen to producers who want him to make more commercial products.
THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE is the story of a young couple in New York. Chelsea (porn star Sasha Grey) is a high priced call girl who wants to invest her money in something long term. Chris (Chris Santos) is her boyfriend, a personal trainer looking to make bigger money and a stake in a gym. Both of them are looking to make more money or a way to make the money they do make go further.
Chelsea isn’t your typical $2,000 a night call girl though (is there a typical $2,000 a night call girl?). Chelsea does whatever the client wants in a different way, providing them with a temporary closeness most don’t get. She knows things about them, she talks about things that interest them, she makes sure they are involved in things that interest them, in short making herself a girlfriend. As the title says, she provides the girlfriend experience.
This gets her close to people who can offer her advice that she can use later on. Advice in money matters, clothing, locations and more. She uses this information to help her and her boyfriend move further up the ladder.
Okay, all this being said it sounds like this could be an interesting movie. Unfortunately it is far from it. The pacing of the film is slower than syrup left in the snow for several days. There is no linear timeline to this film and it doesn’t work. That being said, no movie must move in a linear fashion to be good (see 500 DAYS OF SUMMER) but in something like this it would help. Or perhaps not. Even the pieces put together here seem boring.
Everyone talks as if they’re having a casual conversation no matter what they talk about. Sex, business opportunities, new jobs, money, all in the most monotone of voices to be recorded. And everyone walks through life in this film the same way, as if they aren’t all that interested.
The film seems as if someone just happened to have a camera on hand when people were talking about various items. Great for a documentary or when you have an interesting subject, but tedious when it comes to this film.
Blurbs on the cover to this DVD show praise from well known critics as well as for Sasha Grey’s performance. I saw more acting from the somnambulist in the silent CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI than was evident here. I hope she does make more mainstream movies, I hope she does turn out to be a great actress. But based on this film I don’t see it.
As for the critics who praise this film, their desire to promote films of artistic merit as opposed to entertainment value or escapism is obvious. There are great movies whose artistic merit is obvious while at the same time being entertaining. What’s sad here is that we are told how wonderful the film is when it is actually one of the most boring things I’ve ever witnessed.
If you are a die hard porn fan who must own everything Sasha Grey does, then buy this movie. If you find this in a used rack for a price less than a bottle of Sominex, by all means buy it. It’s guaranteed to make you fall asleep sooner than the pills will.
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