The Girlfriend Experience (Steven Soderbergh, 2009)

[Antoine Doinel]

The DVD and BluRay date has again been changed to September 29th. The film will arrive in an unrated cut only, with a commentary by Soderbergh and Sasha Grey which I'm sure will make the heads of some forum members explode.

[PfR73]

The way I understood the release news was that an alternate cut would be included, but not to the exclusion of the theatrical cut, like how Soderbergh's alternate cut of Keane was included on that disc.

[bearcuborg]

I can't imagine any cut saving this dull movie. Even though the following movie is only remotely related, I recommend Night Trips by Paul Thomas; it remains the only adult film I have ever seen that qualifies as art.

[Antoine Doinel]

The way I understood the release news was that an alternate cut would be included, but not to the exclusion of the theatrical cut, like how Soderbergh's alternate cut of Keane was included on that disc.

You're right. I misread the DVD details -- it will have both cuts.

[AttitudeAJM]

Just watched this movie and found it rather underwhelming. The disjointed nature of the film pulled what little drama there was out of it. Grey's acting was on par with Norah Jones' in My Blueberry Nights. She seemed to suck the life out of scenes where there was a sliver of tension. For the most part, it seemed like an economic rant from someone who is standing on solid monetary ground. The characters seem to sacrifice morality (or normalcy in regards to relationships) for money and act as if they are facing poverty, yet live in what I consider the lap of luxury.

(slight spoiler in this paragraph)
The film began to unravel from a character standpoint when Grey's character admits to not wanting her parents money. I found it hard to sympathize with a character who placed herself in a scenario strictly because of what I like to call "rich pride."

Overall the movie felt like an editing experiment and probably should have been left on a shelf somewhere until it could be made watchable.

[Phil]

Looking for characters to "sympathize" with here - in what essentially amounts to a flat investigation via the framework of high class prostitution of how the wealthy deal with the ramifications of a crisis they played a big part in setting in motion (I don't think it's entirely successful in that regard, as I don't know how much it really has to say) - seems to be missing the point in a pretty severely obtuse manner.

Edit - I guess it's also worth mentioning that aside from not necessarily buying this as being as intellectually insightful as it would need to be to be wholly effective, the hilariously awkward Big Emotional Scene of

Spoiler

Grey crying after she's stood up

does make it seem like there should suddenly be an emotional attachment/core at play here, when nothing up to that point does in the least - is even actively opposed to it. I don't think that's the angle you were getting at the idea of "sympathy" from, but either way.

[thirtyframesasecond]

I saw a free preview of this yesterday. It seems less a film about prostitution than a film about the current economic crisis and the uncertain future in the run up to the Presidential election. Of course the prostitution as metaphor for capitalism is as old as they get. I think someone said before in the thread that Soderbergh had Ms Grey watch Godard's two prostitution films - interesting that she also toyed with Anna Karina as a stage name. Chelsea/Christine's blank, vacant, vapid characterisation is either brilliant acting or just Ms Grey being herself. I suspect the latter. I found it an interesting experiment. It was well shot if nothing else, even if it lacked substance. I don't think it really said anything of note.

[Tark]

Chelsea/Christine's blank, vacant, vapid characterisation is either brilliant acting or just Ms Grey being herself. I suspect the latter.

Either way, it's brilliant. I hope it's the latter, though. Even better.

[jbeall]

Sasha Grey doffs her clothing for PETA. (Um, NSFW.)

[domino harvey]

Pretty sure she eats meat

["membrillo"]

Pretty sure she eats meat

Yep. I seent it

[barryconvex]

Chelsea/Christine's blank, vacant, vapid characterisation is either brilliant acting or just Ms Grey being herself. I suspect the latter.

just discovered this thread and wanted to add that i thought grey's non-performance was ingenious-the cinematic equivalent of leonard cohen's non-singing style. one has to play to one's strengths and i applaud SS for letting grey go in that direction. whether or not it was the only direction she could go in wasn't something i felt was relevant when watching it.