The Girlfriend Experience

2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
Set in the weeks leading up to the 2008 presidential election, THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE is five days in the life of Chelsea (adult film star Sasha Grey in her mainstream film debut), an ultra high-end Manhattan call girl who offers more than sex to her clients, but companionship and conversation ... - "the girlfriend experience." Chelsea thinks she has her life totally under control--she feels her future is secure because she runs her own business her own way, makes $2000 an hour, and has a devoted boyfriend (Chris Santos) who accepts her lifestyle. But when you're in the business of meeting people, you never know who you're going to meet...The twentieth film from Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh (TRAFFIC, OCEAN'S ELEVEN), THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE is a sexy, gorgeously shot time capsule from the not-too-distant past.
  • Starring: Sasha Grey, Chris Santos
  • Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
  • Runtime: 1 hour 18 minutes
  • Release year: 2009
  • Studio: Magnolia
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Product Details
Synopsis: Set in the weeks leading up to the 2008 presidential election, THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE is five days in the life of Chelsea (adult film star Sasha Grey in her mainstream film debut), an ultra high-end Manhattan call girl who offers more than sex to her clients, but companionship and conversation - "the girlfriend experience." Chelsea thinks she has her life totally under control--she feels her future is secure because she runs her own business her own way, makes $2000 an hour, and has a devoted boyfriend (Chris Santos) who accepts her lifestyle. But when you're in the business of meeting people, you never know who you're going to meet...The twentieth film from Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh (TRAFFIC, OCEAN'S ELEVEN), THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE is a sexy, gorgeously shot time capsule from the not-too-distant past.
Starring: Sasha Grey, Chris Santos
Supporting actors: Peter Zizzo, Timothy J. Cox, Timothy Davis, Jeff Grossman, Ted Jessup, Kimberly Magness, Ken Myers, Bridget Storm, Brooke Aldrich, George Aloi, Quarles Antoine, Danny Boushebel, Karen Collazzo, Daniel Fainman, Adelmo Guidarelli, Edward M. Kelahan, Tanda Mercer, Ian Christopher Noel, Clifford Rivera, Alyson Rogers
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 1 hour 18 minutes
Captions and Subtitles: Details
Release year: 2009
Studio: Magnolia
MPAA Rating: Rated R for sexual content, nudity and language
ASIN: B00284GCEE (Rental) and B002PYJBMW (Purchase)
Rights & Requirements
Rental rights: 48 hour viewing period Details
Purchase rights: Stream instantly and download to 2 locations. Details
Format: Amazon Instant Video (streaming online video and digital download)

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Theatrical Release Information
  • US Theatrical Release Date: May 22, 2009
  • MPAA: Rated R for sexual content, nudity and language
  • Production Company: Magnolia Pictures, 2929 Productions, Extension 765, HDNet Films
  • Filming Locations: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | New York City, New York, USA

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
62 of 68 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Top Shelf Soderbergh May 21, 2009
Format:Amazon Instant Video
If you like Soderbergh's more challenging, smaller scale, experimental work, you'll find a lot to love about The Girlfriend Experience. If you're just showing up for porn star Sasha Grey, save yourself the 10 bucks unless you really want to see the girl act. She actually delivers a natural, credible performance as an escort who isn't nearly as sophisticated as she thinks she is.

Told in a fractured, back and forth manner, the narrative is slight and challenging, but the jumbled chronology galvanizes your focus on what's happening. This isn't just the story of a call girl, it's really about loneliness, disconnectedness and the commodification of everything in the modern world, including love.

Soderbergh is often a detached filmmaker, but this is one of his most emotionally resonant pictures since Solaris. The feeling is subtle, but it's there.

This is also one of the most beautifully photographed films of the year.
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64 of 75 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars can't buy me love May 22, 2009
Format:DVD
The need to love and be loved, to know and be known, suggests director Steven Soderbergh (Bubble), is so deeply and powerfully embedded in human nature that we will do almost anything to get it. We will even pay for it, whether to a therapist, to a personal trainer like Chris, or to a $2,000 an hour "escort" girl like Chelsea who provides sex, of course, but mainly therapy to very wealthy but deeply lonely men. Mainly they talk to Chelsea, about all the things you'd talk about in a "real" relationship. She pretends to offer that and they believe they receive it, and woe to both parties when they drop their guard and transgress business boundaries to reveal themselves to each other as real human beings rather than as partners in a transaction. Since human love is one of the few things you can't buy, Chelsea and her clients seek something they can't get and forfeit their closest approximations in what they already have.
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22 of 26 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Illusions for Sale June 24, 2009
Format:DVD
The sole intent of a business is to provide a commodity for the consumer. A young escort named Chelsea (Sasha Grey) is herself a commodity for rich men who, for all intents and purposes, want the same basic thing: Companionship. Some want to go to the movies. Many want to wine and dine her at pricey restaurants. Sex can be involved, but according to what we're shown, Chelsea's clients are much more interested in airing their financial grievances and persuading her to vote in specific ways during the 2008 Presidential campaign. They also seem quite fascinated with the idea of discovering the "real" Chelsea, which is probably why they often ask her so many questions about what she does for a living. But is it possible to "know" her? As she says, "If they wanted to know the real me, they wouldn't be paying." For an escort, it's not about reality, but about creating the illusion of reality.

Steven Soderbergh's "The Girlfriend Experience" operates on complex but relatable notions of humanity, specifically how money can be such a motivating factor. Neither Chelsea nor her clients delude themselves into believing that theirs is a lasting relationship. Indeed, her cool attitude and monotone voice make it clear that it's all about making a transaction and nothing more. She claims to be an escort in a committed relationship, but judging by the way she regards her boyfriend of a year and a half, Chris (Chris Santos), the idea is open for debate; Chris is a personal trainer, and like Chelsea, he wants to be successful at what he does. Do they love each other? Who knows? They live together, but there's never a moment of passion or even basic friendliness. Even when they argue, there's no conviction in what they say to one another.

There may, in fact, be only one client she's willing to pursue at a more personal level. He's not like the others. He actually listens. He's miles apart from the operator of an escort reviewing website, who was willing to write her a good review in exchange for sex. Chris doesn't exactly fit into this scenario, which is ironic since he's her actual boyfriend while her clients are merely paying to pretend to be her boyfriend. They pay for a Girlfriend Experience while Chris gets it for free. Then again, maybe he doesn't; he's offered the chance to join a group of friends for a guys-only weekend in Las Vegas, and considering his relationship with Chelsea, it's easy to understand why he decides to go.

What this movie does so well is reveal character without making it obvious. It's not so much in the dialogue but in the actions and subtle mannerisms. Chelsea, thin and tall with long dark hair, is both beautiful and irresistibly mysterious. She's dedicated and competitive, and we occasionally watch her take notes about her latest date--what she wore, who the clients were, what they did, what they said, etc. More to the point, she knows how to make herself seem interesting to the opposite sex, and she's darn good at making them feel important. She will listen to them talk, and she will respond when appropriate. She will do these things because providing a Girlfriend Experience is her job.

The challenge for the audience is to discover this while working through the film's experimental style. Scenes are played out of sequence. The structure doesn't have a traditional beginning, middle, and end. The dialogue seems almost entirely adlibbed, which is to say that there are a lot of interruptions and moments of hesitation. It was shot with a RedOne camera, which gives the whole thing the look and feel of a documentary. And yet, once the pieces fall into place, we realize that it's been telling us a deceptively simple story, not one of love or happiness but of basic human nature. We go through life knowing we're good at something, and at a certain point, we must provide our services with the rest of the world for a fee. Sasha Grey is the perfect actress to convey this message, given her background in pornography, another business that makes money by creating illusions.

Movies in general are about creating illusions, just as much as they are about providing them to audiences. "The Girlfriend Experience" understands this, which is why I was able to buy into the illusion. It's an unconventional but highly intriguing slice of life about people, not merely a story about characters. We're being asked to watch, and I don't mean we have to keep our eyes on the screen--we really have to watch everything that's going on, from the way shots are set up to what the shots are supposed to reveal. We have to pay close attention to what everyone is saying, not merely because it's important but also because what they say sounds as natural as actual conversing. We have to invest in Chelsea despite the fact that she presents only what her clients want her present. Like the men in her life, we try to discover the "real" her while knowing all too well that such a thing isn't possible. The pleasure of her company isn't personal. It's strictly business.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it now enjoy
This movie is excellent movie enjoy but you need a strong stomic to watch so be a wear of the movie it is very sexuality not for kids at all do not bring kids only adults you need... Read more
Published 16 days ago by yechiel
1.0 out of 5 stars what happened??????
Man I this movie s*cks out loud!...I'm trying to think of HOW to write a review on this movie but i'm finding it impossible. I mean I don't know what happened with... Read more
Published 18 days ago by ig11
3.0 out of 5 stars Depressing movie about a high-eve call girl
Depressing. Another movie about hookers only this numbed out call girl adds on extras like kissing and awkward conversation - hence "the girlfriend experience."
Published 1 month ago by Marsha G. Armstrong
4.0 out of 5 stars What a "dream" girl, call Sasha and make a date.
Sasha Grey is a porno star (she won an award for her performances).

Her customers are long-term. They view her as a girlfriend and not a prostitute. Read more
Published 3 months ago by David
5.0 out of 5 stars Well Done
Sasha Grey does a superb job of playing this part. The story is told in that unique Soderberg type of way and the cinematography is brilliant.
Published 5 months ago by D. Edleman
1.0 out of 5 stars The Girlfriend Experience (2009)
This movie is boring and you don't see much of the girlfriend in it. The DVD case seems misleading because the movie was about different guys telling the girl about how bad the... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Dude
4.0 out of 5 stars There doesn't seem to be much of a middle ground....4* for what this...
I debated as to whether I should offer my review for several reasons:

1.) I rarely review movies unless I have some personal connection (I.E. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Joseph Kohout Jr.
1.0 out of 5 stars 4 STARS???!!
I loooove Sasha Grey but was very disappointed with this movie overall. Her acting wasn't the best & I expected more. Its not the worst movie but it did NOT deserve 4 stars. Read more
Published 14 months ago by CutieP_22
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Humanisation
This film was a beautiful portrayal of a girl and her boyfriend living in times of belt-tightening. The call-girl lifestyle was given a very frank look. Read more
Published 14 months ago by J. Joseph
4.0 out of 5 stars Mindset is key
When you watch this film... Mindset is key. It has potential to be awkward or uncomfortable if you make it that way. Keep an open mind, and it is a good experience. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Ashley L. Moree
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