Review of Girlfriend Experience (2008) by Chosen 7 — 12 May 2010

Decent drama directed by Steven Soderbergh ["Ocean's Eleven", "Traffic", "Erin Brockovich"] about an upscale call-girl [portrayed by popular Porn star Sasha Grey in her first mainstream acting role] who is trying to take her career to the next level while estranging her personal trainer boyfriend.

Sasha Grey delivers a surprisingly decent performance in her first mainstream starring role but it's not that surprising since the character's line of work is somewhat similar to her own, except porn stars don't have any personal and/or physical contact with their clients [people who buy and/or watch porn]. One thing I found interesting about her character is that she's more considerate of the feelings of her clients than she is of her actual boyfriend's feelings.

The documentary-style cinematography as well as some of the chemistry between the characters are reminiscent of Soderbergh's old drama "Sex, Lies, and Videotape", which is why this film feels very real for the most part. I like how the 2008 Presidential election is used as a backdrop, and I found some of the political discussions by some of the characters quite interesting. For the most part though I was waiting for this movie to end because it dragged a bit...If Sasha Grey weren't so nice to look at I probably would have changed the channel before the hour mark; sometimes too much realism can make a film rather boring. Overall it's worth a watch if you're a fan of the Showtime series "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" or if you're simply intrigued by the psychology of women working in the sex industry [but it's not that entertaining].