Review of The Girlfriend Experience (2009) by Walter M — 05 Jul 2009

Alvy Singer: Here, you look like a very happy couple, um, are you?

Woman: Yeah.

Alvy Singer: Yeah? So, how do you account for it?

Woman: Uh, I'm very shallow and empty and have no ideas and nothing interesting to say.

Man: And I'm exactly the same way.

Alvy Singer: I see. Wow. That's very interesting. So you've managed to work out something.

- from "Annie Hall"(1977).

I do suppose that just about anybody could make a movie about an escort that is either erotic, exploitative or political but it takes a talented director such as Steven Soderbergh to make a movie about one as exceedingly dull as "The Girlfriend Experience." To start, even a movie set during a financial crisis does not have to come across like The Wall Street Journal being dryly read aloud at a time when Chelsea(Sasha Grey), nee Christine, gets conflicting financial advice from her various clients. Nowhere is there anything about how a recession may affect her business or how it affects the businesss of her live-in boyfriend Chris(Chris Santos), a personal trainer. Equal time is given to both which I suppose is a subtle way of not passing judgment against Chelsea's chosen profession but whose life and job interests you more? They are also both on the make which it is implied is the only way to afford their apartment in midtown Manhattan. What's surprising about their relationship is that Chris knows about his girlfriend's job which I guess is very, very understanding. Sasha Grey's affectless performance gives little idea as to the differences between Christine and Chelsea and in fact the character does come off as something of a twit. The only other possible reason for Grey to be cast would be to inject eroticism into this life of an escort but there is surprisingly very little to go around.(However, Glenn Kenny makes full use of his talents from his day job.) Anyway, the superbly cheeky "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" is far superior in not only the fun department but also its insights into the title character's personal and professional lives while not disregarding the pratfalls and dangers of the profession.