VividSimon Simply Perfect

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

generationofswine Honestly, I think the disdain here is two-fold, it's certainly an experimental film and Sasha Grey was in porn.In fact, she was sort of the name in porn...I mean, Rolling Stone did a feature article about her.But the thing is, she can act. She's no Brando, but she does a decent enough job to not hate her and actually appreciate some of what she does. Some fine tuning, she might have something going for her...aside from the dubious reputation of Rolling Stones "Dirtiest Woman on Earth" And then "Soderbergh's Experimental Crap" label...kill a guy for trying something new? I get bored putting together little pieces of pottery and checking the crosses to guesstimate a date. Sometimes I long for an ancient bedpan or two just to shakes things up.I'm sure the same goes for Hollywood, and sure, when you try something new its hit or miss...but then I'm getting to the point in my old age where "The Girlfriend Experience" looks more entertaining than another "Oceans" movie and...really, if it strikes out I didn't spend my money to watch the same old film again.In this case he kind of struck out, but it is 2009, its not exactly like you have many choices at the box office these days.Do I want to go see more Aliens and Robots blowing things up, do I want to go see a remake, or do I just want to chill at home and watch "Dog Day Afternoon" again? Oh, wait, Soderbergh's got something that's not exactly like everything else, it's worth a shot.

Ivy The cinematography is intriguing and pleasant for most of the film and it had potential, though there are some flaws with the plot and main character.Perhaps with more character development and longer run time, Sasha Grey could have shown depth, but I found it was an unrealistic representation of high class escort work. Unlike what other reviews say, she would not need to be "less boring" in real life to make $2000/hr, although she would have limited regular clientele (i.e. probably not "the best" at what she does in the area as suggested). Some of her struggles in the film appeared unnatural and more like very mild daily struggles an escort encounters (stalkers? Taxes? Family of client? Clients pushing boundaries? Clients wanting exclusivity? "Friends" in the industry being untrustworthy? Bumping into someone and client hears your real name?).Less important but aside from this, the brand names recited were all pronounced very wrong, which appears even less likely she is actually shopping at those NY stores (kikidm - which is named after an historical figure). If you are familiar with high end lingerie boutiques + escorting you are bound to hear their proper name because you are probably going in person and paying in cash!I expected Grey to be a better fit for this role, as she had worked in the adult industry and and seems like a smart lady. It would have been nice to show some deeper client-escort conversations, or on the other end, some sort of personal emotional experience but neither occurred significantly; she must have something motivating her to continue this work? (Money is not enough after a while to do something you don't really care for, with people you don't fancy, and always interferes with a normal personal life)In summary, they should have consulted several real life escorts (not ones that rely on celebrity status for 2 hour novelty appointments either) and included one or two events that do not fall into the "ideal and unrealistic" sex work life depiction. Also - does not take much to decently pronounce french names...

SunnyLeone01 This is Sasha Grey's debut in mainstream Hollywood. The film is shot like a documentary, which doesn't give Ms Sasha much opportunity to act. However she acts like she would in reality. She is convincing on her part. The film focuses on a Manhattan high level female escort who charges premium level. There is an insight in how she lives her life and the detail of her profession is described briefly throughout the film. We see how she manages her relationship with her boyfriend as well as trying to reinvent her image through a on line website.Steven Soderbergh is the director. He has previously made the ocean's movies and Erin Brokovich. His trademark direction skills are evident in the film. If you are looking for a plot, look elsewhere. This is purely made like a television documentary. There are no scenes of a sexual nature but pervasive language is at a higher level. The film contains many scenes that include just dialogue. As a story is non existent, this will not suit to some people's preference. In general it is just an excuse for Ms Grey to showcase her acting abilities as well as Soderbergh trying to make a extra income to fund future projects.This is interesting to see if you are curious to know what the background of a female escort is like. So to appreciate this film one would have to understand it's purpose.

glenjordanspangler The StoryChelsea/Christine (Grey) tries to balance her relationship with her boyfriend (Santos) with her ambitions to grow her business as a high-priced call girl in Manhattan. She offers the full "girlfriend experience": she listens to her clients talk about themselves, eats with them at the restaurants of their choice, sees whatever movies they want to see and then has sex with them. She convinces herself that it's a mutually respectful business arrangement, and makes major life decisions based upon "compatible" birthdays.In trying to shoot it documentary-style, Soderbergh makes The Girlfriend Experience look like a student film. In casting a recently-retired porn star (Grey), he centers the film around someone who is guarded and seemingly out of touch with her own emotions, as Chelsea would be, but who would need more acting experience, training and, perhaps, time away from her old business in order to show us what we really want to see: the dramatic falling-away of Chelsea's facade, revealing Christine. I was glad, though, that Soderbergh did not exploit Grey as he might have: aside from a brief flash of nudity we see only her acting. There is no porn here, soft-core or otherwise.Why you should see itIn spite of the movie's flaws and limits, it is an interesting character study, and you'd like Grey to continue to make films whose titles you can say in mixed company.Why you shouldn't see itYou're too young. Move on or I'll tell your parents!--from my review at www.1man365movies.com