'The Girlfriend Experience' review

Sasha Grey (Credit: Magnolia)

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Chelsea (porn star Sasha Grey, making her mainstream film debut) is a high-end Manhattan escort. For $2,000 an hour you get not only her, but the ultimate "girlfriend experience": an intoxicating combo of sex and tender companionship. She's like a hot shrink that you can boink and then buy a Merlot afterward. Surprisingly, Chelsea manages to maintain a committed relationship with an ambitious personal trainer (Chris Santos) until a new client comes along to upend her life. All the while she's trying to take her "business" to the next level.

The buzz: Grey's presence will be enough for some (although if they expect anything like what she's done previously, they'll be disappointed). But non-porn fans may be more intrigued by director Steven Soderbergh. The Oscar winner tested moviegoers' attention span with his four-hour opus "Che" last year, and now does a complete 180 with a deconstructed, low-budget project, which employed non-professional actors for a 16 day shoot using a digital camera and natural lighting.

The verdict: The film, which follows Chelsea for five days and takes place right before the 2008 elections, has a catchy and timely hook, presenting Chelsea Inc. as a business that needs to grow. She meets with experts—financial types, a Web developer, a Dubai "junket" promoter—to find ways to boost her stock amid an looming recession. Her body is, in a sense, her own business plan, and the film revels in the commodification of a woman savvy enough to exploit a consumerist culture hungry for luxe services and a compassionate ear. "I'd rather see a shrink, but it seems a lot more fun to see you," one of her happy clients tells her. Still, given the film's overall acting pedigree, don't expect any dramatic heft. Beautiful as she is, Grey reads as droll and disinterested, which leads to a connection that's more coolly voyeuristic than emotionally involving.

Did you know? In well-publicized appearance on "The Tyra Banks Show," Grey admitted to sexual fetishes like wanting to get punched in the stomach, among other candid revelations, which left Banks both flustered and needing to "regroup" before a commercial.

["The Girlfriend Experience" is available On Demand from select cable companies beginning April 30, and is set for a limited theatrical release starting May 22.]

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