Not as tantalizing as one could expect it to be, given the subject matter and the fact it stars a pornstar as the call girl.

It is 77 minutes long and the movie itself knows it doesn't have a lot to tell (i wont get into much detail to avoid spoilers) and doesn't out-stay it's welcome.

To compensate it's lack of robust story, it has a non-linear timeline, without guides or visual queues to make you realize you came back in time which, in all honesty, i liked because it assumes the viewer is intelligent and attentive and doesn't hold his hand at every turn.

It uses very little dynamic, cinematic techniques, making you feel at times you are watching a documentary (it IS directed by Soderbergh...) or a live feed of a reality show which accomplishes, in my mind, the goal of the film: to show that, ironically, the life of a call-girl is as much devoid of fulfillment and excitement and as much in need of escapism and conventional stability as the people who seek a call-girl to escape their mundane lives.

She's as bored and lonely and looking a meaningful relationship as her clients. Every single one of her client's complaints about their own lives translate perfectly to her own life. And i think that's why the third act ending is more powerful than it can at first sight seem: [spoiler] she is reject by a client that has everything she wants: a regular family life, with kids, companionship, and stronger than the siren's call [/spoiler]

Maybe this movie wasn't a hit because it didn't have as many excitement or glamour as it the title would suggest. Maybe that's because, as the director seems to want to show by telling her story in so little time and with so little shots, the actual call-girl's life doesn't have many of both as well

Honestly, I think the disdain here is two-fold, it's certainly an experimental film and Sasha Grey was in porn.

In fact, she was sort of the name in porn...I mean, Rolling Stone did a feature article about her.

But the thing is, she can act. She's no Brando, but she does a decent enough job to not hate her and actually appreciate some of what she does. Some fine tuning, she might have something going for her...aside from the dubious reputation of Rolling Stones "Dirtiest Woman on Earth" And then "Soderbergh's Experimental Crap" label...kill a guy for trying something new? I get bored putting together little pieces of pottery and checking the crosses to guesstimate a date. Sometimes I long for an ancient bedpan or two just to shakes things up.

I'm sure the same goes for Hollywood, and sure, when you try something new its hit or miss...but then I'm getting to the point in my old age where "The Girlfriend Experience" looks more entertaining than another "Oceans" movie and...really, if it strikes out I didn't spend my money to watch the same old film again.

In this case he kind of struck out, but it is 2009, its not exactly like you have many choices at the box office these days.

Do I want to go see more Aliens and Robots blowing things up, do I want to go see a remake, or do I just want to chill at home and watch "Dog Day Afternoon" again? Oh, wait, Soderbergh's got something that's not exactly like everything else, it's worth a shot.