iv3rdawG
05-24-2009, 12:13 PM
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1926/thegirlfriendexperience.jpg
Unlike his last film, Che, Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience doesn't run for 265 minutes, but instead a short 78. The Girlfriend Experience is set in the days leading up to the 2008 Presidential election, and centered on a high-end Manhattan call girl (Sasha Grey) meeting the challenges of her boyfriend (Chris Santos), her clients, and her work. Going into the film you'll recognize hardly any of the actors. Sasha Grey, the lead, is an adult film actress and likely the most high profile actor in the movie. The one thing I didn't particularly enjoy about The Girlfriend Experience is that it had the feeling that it could end at any moment, even though it had plot holes to fill (well, for the audience at least). It even happens at the end.
Seen through the film, Grey shows that she does have the potential to break into mainstream film, and this is a great starting point for her. She brings (along with the rest of the cast) a sense of realness that doesn't come along with bigger films. With the camera being set behind certain objects and not always having the actors in frame, Soderbergh's shooting style in the movie gives a sense of voyeurism. You and the audience sitting in the theater listening to uncomfortable conversations by a girlfriend and boyfriend. Though I'm not sure Soderbergh reached what he was trying to achieve, the movie did get something right in showing us what Sasha Grey is able to do in mainstream acting. Being present at a Q&A with her, it's clear that she holds herself well in front of audiences even if she's there or not (on the screen). Sure acting might be more difficult for her in later films since she might not be playing a character as "real" as Chelsea, but she clearly still has the acting ability.
7/10
Unlike his last film, Che, Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience doesn't run for 265 minutes, but instead a short 78. The Girlfriend Experience is set in the days leading up to the 2008 Presidential election, and centered on a high-end Manhattan call girl (Sasha Grey) meeting the challenges of her boyfriend (Chris Santos), her clients, and her work. Going into the film you'll recognize hardly any of the actors. Sasha Grey, the lead, is an adult film actress and likely the most high profile actor in the movie. The one thing I didn't particularly enjoy about The Girlfriend Experience is that it had the feeling that it could end at any moment, even though it had plot holes to fill (well, for the audience at least). It even happens at the end.
Seen through the film, Grey shows that she does have the potential to break into mainstream film, and this is a great starting point for her. She brings (along with the rest of the cast) a sense of realness that doesn't come along with bigger films. With the camera being set behind certain objects and not always having the actors in frame, Soderbergh's shooting style in the movie gives a sense of voyeurism. You and the audience sitting in the theater listening to uncomfortable conversations by a girlfriend and boyfriend. Though I'm not sure Soderbergh reached what he was trying to achieve, the movie did get something right in showing us what Sasha Grey is able to do in mainstream acting. Being present at a Q&A with her, it's clear that she holds herself well in front of audiences even if she's there or not (on the screen). Sure acting might be more difficult for her in later films since she might not be playing a character as "real" as Chelsea, but she clearly still has the acting ability.
7/10