December 2009
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The Girlfriend Experience (15)
Posted 29th November 2009

My experience of watching Soderbergh’s latest experimental foray was a mixed one. I’m still not really sure what it was all about...

Ostensibly it’s about the day-to-day life of a high-end Manhattan call girl (played in surprising movie star fashion by sexy and obviously-talented real-life porn star Sasha Grey) and how she is simultaneously struggling to expand her “business” whilst maintaining a successful “normal” relationship at the same time. But the film is also populated by sooooo many scenes of businessman sitting around talking about the economy and the forthcoming (its set in 2008) Presidential election that it’s obvious this is part (if not all) of Soderbergh’s actual critiquing agenda and Chelsea’s story is merely the framework.

Shot in a semi-cinéma vérité style with a “dear diary” type VO from Chelsea to augment, there’s not actually an awful lot that really happens to be honest. Chelsea goes on several “dates” with rich businessmen who wine-and-dine her while discussing movies and books and then get to have their wicked way (unseen). She meets people to discuss her planned boutique and whether her history as an escort will affect its success. She meets lifestyle coaches and IT guru’s to help her expand her business. She has a sordid, clandestine meeting with a man that wants to take her and a whole gaggle of other girls to Dubai, but he has to sleep with them to rate them all first. All the while her story is intercut (out of linear order) with her personal trainer boyfriend trying to procure a more permanent position and his trip away to Vegas with the Wall Street-type business boys that employ his sporadic services.

Of course it might just be that it’s all intellectually above me. See there are no explosions or giant robot aliens or shiny spaceships to oogle at. Nor is there any nudity or sexy scenes surprisingly considering the subject matter. So I’m afraid this isn’t the glossy, dumb movie featuring graphic sex starring a porn star you were looking for pervs. You’ve come to the wrong place. Did you not read the small print? This. Is. A. Steven. Soderbergh. Movie. He doesn’t do that kinda thing. Well, except for the navel-gazing Ocean’s films anyway...

Instead what you do get are frank discussions on the inner workings of the business world and the political arena, interesting relationship dynamics between two people that “whore” their services for money and an insight into the unknown escort world. The latter of which you can imagine that this is probably pretty close to what it might actually be like (more so than the Billie Piper-starring Secret Diary of a Call Girl anyway). Especially the seedy stuff.

So I think what I’m trying to say is that the enjoyment you might gain in watching The Girlfriend Experience depends greatly on your expectations of what you are going to see and your propensity for watching people sitting around talking biz-niz. I’ll be honest, it made my mind wander for large swathes. But, you know, I think I got the surface level commentary at least: men ordering expensive champagne with an even more expensive companion on the other side of the table, all the while complaining about the economic downturn. It’s an ironical comment on the current political and economic state and how we might have got there isn’t it?

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