Review of Girlfriend Experience (2008) by Jonny 9 — 05 Dec 2010

Inexcusably dull. One wouldn't believe a movie about sex, money, love and betrayal starring an actual porn star could be boring yet Steven Soderbergh has managed it. Soderbergh could not have achieved this stunning feat without Sasha Grey whose monotone delivery and emotionless, dead-behind-the-eyes countenance makes Ben Stein's economics teacher in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" seem positively ebullient.

The movie tries to hang some emotional interest on the fact that she maintains a non-monetary relationship with personal trainer Chris but Chris' willingness to put up with her escort business simply demonstrates that men will pretty much go along with anything given a pretty-enough face.

Since Chris and Sasha's character Christine / Chelsea's arguments lack any emotional content, Soderbergh fills in the remainder of the movie watch the characters go about various business transactions which have the emotional punch of stopping to pick up the drycleaning on the way to the bank.

Don't bother to stick around to the end, it amounts to even less than the rest of film. One imagines Grey's porn performances can't be much more compelling. Maybe she could pick up some work in zombie films.