The Girlfriend Experience (2009)

A drama set in the days leading up to the 2008 Presidential election, and centered on a high-end Manhattan call girl meeting the challenges of her boyfriend, her clients, and her work.

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writers:

David Levien, Brian Koppelman

Stars:

Sasha Grey, Chris Santos, Philip Eytan

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sasha Grey	...	Chelsea / Christine
Chris Santos	...	Chris
Philip Eytan	...	Phillip
Colby Trane	...	Waiter (as T. Colby Trane)
Peter Zizzo	...	Zizzo
Ron Stein	...	Vegas Buddy #1
Marshall Gilman	...	Vegas Buddy #2
Michael Roberts	...	Vegas Buddy #3
Vincent Dellacera	...	Chelsea's Driver
Jim Kempner	...	Art Gallery Owner
David Levien	...	David
Mark Jacobson	...	Interviewer
Alan Milstein	...	Pete
Sukhdev Singh	...	Chris & Chelsea's Super
Ted Jessup	...	Chatty 'John'

Storyline

Chelsea (Sasha Grey) is a high-priced $2,000-an-hour call girl in Manhattan, offering a 'girlfriend experience': she'll dress with the client in mind, go to dinner and a movie, listen attentively to talk about work and finances, and she'll provide sex. It's October, 2008: a presidential election nears and the economy is in free fall. She has a boyfriend, Chris (Chris Santos), who's a personal trainer. We are shown five non-consecutive days in Chelsea's life. She's working on her Web page, talking to image consultants, and being interviewed by a reporter. She asks clients when their birthdays are and uses that for an astrological prediction. She's drawn to a new client, a writer from L.A. Should she break her rules for him? What if it risks her relationship with Chris? Should she invest in gold?

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Plot Keywords:

presidential election | female nudity | reference to barack obama | porn actor in mainstream movie | call girl | 

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Taglines:

See it with someone you ****

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, nudity and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Steven Soderbergh first heard about Sasha Grey when he read an article in Los Angeles magazine about her.

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Quotes

Chelsea: This David and I clicked. There was something there. And I told him that...
Chelsea's Girlfriend: You told him that?
Chelsea: I told him that I was going out of town for the weekend. And he didn't like that at all, and what really set it off was when he insulted me about my... you know. All about my personology books. I had a feeling he didn't support me in my belief. And I found out last night for sure.
Chelsea's Girlfriend: So he found out last night that he doesn't like your astrology?
Chelsea: It's not astrology. Are you goint to do this to me too?
Chelsea's Girlfriend: It kind...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

After the end credits, there's a brief scene of Chelsea washing a client's hair as he sits in a bathtub and talks about John McCain.

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Connections

References McHale's Navy (1962)

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Soundtracks

Freak Show
Written and Performed by Shakerleg
Courtesy of Bleeding Hands Music

User Reviews

Interesting slice-of-life but light on CHARACTER!

While it comes across a bit flat, it will certainly be an eye opener for those who are unaware of the daily business of an escort. Would have liked to have seen more in-depth analysis of Sasha Grey's character's history/background. Who is she? Where did she come from? What was her upbringing like? The movie ignores these details which are usually important for a character study.

I know that this film is getting some heat from Hooker communities as well for it's misrepresentation of certain "Johns"... (http://www.naughtyreviews.com/forum/hobbyist-hangout/girlfriend- experience-and-escort-review)

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

8 July 2009 (France)

Also Known As:

GfE

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,700,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$162,965, 24 May 2009

Gross USA:

$695,840

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,060,941

Company Credits

Production Co:

Magnolia Pictures, 2929 Productions, Extension 765

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1