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Porn Stars

The Girlfriend Experience is a crashing bore
Zangari 5019 reads
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I watched this film twice on HDNet--tuned in twenty minutes late for the 7:00 p.m. showing, watched it again at 8:30.  There are many problems with this film, but let's just focus on the cast of characters:

Sasha Grey's Chelsea/Christine is a narcissist who recites the brand names of the dress, underwear, & shoes that she wears to a session.  Who cares?  Her boyfriend Chris is a possessive egomaniac.  The 'journalist' who interviews Chelsea throughout the film might have shed some light on the subject, but he's a bore and comes across as a frustrated john.  THERE'S NOT ONE INTERESTING CHARACTER IN THIS FILM.  

Dear god, what a car wreck, this film is unworthy of the hype that it's been getting.  The filmmakers took the most exotic topic imaginable & made it stilted & lifeless.  Incredible.  I'm going to rent 'Leaving Las Vegas' again just to watch Elisabeth Shue's astounding performance.   Nothing like that in 'The Girlfriend Experience'.   --z

wilco694039 reads

...at 8pm eastern on HDNet and again at 9:15 or thereabouts.

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singleton2111 reads


if Sasha thinks/knows/realizes that perhaps Soderbergh merely used her as PR gimmick for a film he obviously didn't intend to advertize/distribute thru regular channels (possibly cuz of industry pressures/barriers)

i mean, ask yourself, was Sasha really the only person capable of filling that role?

i see Keira Knightley! :-)

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Zangari5020 reads

I watched this film twice on HDNet--tuned in twenty minutes late for the 7:00 p.m. showing, watched it again at 8:30.  There are many problems with this film, but let's just focus on the cast of characters:

Sasha Grey's Chelsea/Christine is a narcissist who recites the brand names of the dress, underwear, & shoes that she wears to a session.  Who cares?  Her boyfriend Chris is a possessive egomaniac.  The 'journalist' who interviews Chelsea throughout the film might have shed some light on the subject, but he's a bore and comes across as a frustrated john.  THERE'S NOT ONE INTERESTING CHARACTER IN THIS FILM.  

Dear god, what a car wreck, this film is unworthy of the hype that it's been getting.  The filmmakers took the most exotic topic imaginable & made it stilted & lifeless.  Incredible.  I'm going to rent 'Leaving Las Vegas' again just to watch Elisabeth Shue's astounding performance.   Nothing like that in 'The Girlfriend Experience'.   --z

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wilco691926 reads

...None of the HDNet movies are any good. They plod along without much of a plot or any interesting characters. It's gotta be a tax write off for billionaire Cuban, and a way to hang with some big names.

Sasha Grey is not all that, IMHO, and those eyebrows were a distraction.

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jeanrobie2769 reads

You have to take this movie on its own terms.  It's not a titillating movie and it's not about sex--despite the fact that its central character is a prostitute.

It's a critique of capitalism and how everything in a capitalistic/materialistic culture turns into a fiscal negotiation--even relationships.  For instance, I thought it was pretty funny that this movie's version of foreplay or "talking dirty" is talking about the financial meltdown.

This movie hasn't been especially hyped--it's obviously one of Soderberg's little low-budget experimental films--and the reviews have all mentioned that there are no scenes of explicit sex so I think the movie will basically find the indy/art house audience its aimed for and not pull in hordes of people wanting to see Sasha Grey do porn.

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crownline202517 reads

I watched this movie last night and does not match the trailer on you tube.  I was thinking that HDnet was running a movie because of the hype.  I don't think that these are the same two movies.

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Zangari8348 reads

Jeanrobie: your points regarding The Girlfriend Experience (it's not about sex, it's not supposed to be titillating) may be true.  But you can make the same argument about Leaving Las Vegas, yet LLV is a much better film.  And the indy/art house audience you're referring to is more discriminating than a mainstream audience.  

The Girlfriend Experience fails because there's no progression in the story line, no tension, and the characters simply aren't interesting.  The only character who seems to have something at stake is Chris, yet his passion for Chelsea is tainted with jealousy & possessiveness.  Since Chris is self-centered, we really don't care about him.  

The other characters in this film, particularly Chelsea, are cold & soulless.   --z

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jeanrobie1791 reads

First of all, Leaving Las Vegas is an incredibly dishonest film.  Whether the subject is prostitution, alcoholism, the film industry, or Las Vegas, every frame of the movie is a lie.  The best movie I've ever seen about prostitution is "Working Girls" from 1986--a very realistic portrayal of a brothel on the Upper East Side.

Art house audiences may be more discriminating (whatever that means) but basically I think they're willing to accept a movie on its own terms without preconceptions.  This allows for more experimental work--mainstream audiences expect all the conventions to be obeyed.  All the characters in GFE are self-centered and unlikeable, they don't change in any real sense, and yes there's not an aggressive storyline--but you have to judge it on its own terms.

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jenheadboy3157 reads

Sure the movie wasn't that great...however I thought Sasha did a pretty decent job acting. As for "she is not all that"? I think she is smokin hot & I can handle the eyebrows no problem!

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