Review of Girlfriend Experience (2008) by John E — 06 Sep 2010

The Girlfriend Experience was a winding tale about a high-end escort trying to market herself in a flailing economy as is her trainer boyfriend, of whom she has been with for more than a year. While following their marketing struggles, it intertwines into the hardships of her profession and the effect it has on their relationship.

Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) puts together a decent picture, though it is subpar from his best work. The final cut from this film leaves it sloppy and seemingly unorganized but you get the true essence of the picture through good dialogue and camera work, though while cheap was very effective in getting the essence of what needed to be on film. This seems to be almost an experimental film that pokes at America's recent economical struggle while weaving it with a story line that draws in he viewer because of its subject matter. However, it does attest to the realism of human nature during these times and in relationships of strain. Soderbergh exploits this well and makes good note of how human relationships can withstand so much but he broken by so little.

There is a split in the script written by duo Brian Koppelman and David Levien (Ocean's Thirteen). On one hand it was a great interpretation of the here and now economic crisis and its effect on our society. All the while on the other side, it tried to have a relationship as its core. It was very sporadic, jumping from one topic to the next and had trouble tying it all in together by the time the credits rolled, though it made a valiant effort to do so and in some cases achieved. The script could have been had more depth to it, instead of leaving the viewer to put the pieces together as it skipped around trying to be something more than it was.

The acting was one of the most disappointing parts of the film. Sasha Grey (porn star) is almost emotionless as she gets the most screen time but has the same face with a few smiles scattered throughout the film. She has excellent camera presence and is a great linguist but was in over her head for character depth and left the viewer unable to connect with her character. The rest of the cast seemed just present in front of the camera and awkward with dialogue as if they were conscious of being filmed, almost a documentary kind of style. As none of these actors are known for any work in film, I suppose it was able to match the abilities of Grey as far from stellar.

This is a good film for those interested in the minute aesthetics of human nature, but for the normal viewer, it would not be a pleasure. There is not enough for the viewer to get attached to the characters that lack the depth needed to make it a film worth watching. While it is a rough sketch at these economic times, a larger budget to hire more professional actors capable of emotional depth would have made a much better film.