Review of Girlfriend Experience (2008) by Carlos Z — 04 Nov 2009

Reading through the iMDB comments on this film, I'm truly stunned by how many people completely missed the point... that this is a film about the economy. Soderbergh doesn't exactly make it obscure, characters are constantly referencing the economic crisis, the importance of the election, investments, business, and assorted financial transactions (it's kind of similar to Eyes Wide Shut in this way).

Granted, the ideas could have been better developed, but at least give the man credit for making more than just a "slice of hooker life" movie. I thought it was really interesting on both counts, but then again I also really liked Bubble and no one else did, so what do I know? Like Bubble, this one features a lot of improvised dialogue from non-professionals (except, in a sense, porn star Sasha Grey in the lead) and the results feel quite authentic.

The fragmented timeline didn't confuse me at all and I was pretty engaged throughout. Very few of my favorite films are by Soderbergh, but he almost always satisfies.