'The Girlfriend Experience' Is One Not Worth Having

Rumor has it that Steven Soderbergh is a big deal. Heard of the "Che" two-parter with Benicio Del Toro? He directed that. Or the "Ocean's" series with Clooney & Co.? He directed that. Tack on "Traffic" and "Erin Brockovich" and you've got a resume that would impress … wait, who is he impressing again? He's Steven Soderbergh.

You'd think that his latest project, "The Girlfriend Experience," would continue in this upwards-spiraling, increasingly experimental path. The new flick is certainly experimental, but it's not exactly a resume-builder. It's more of an embarrassing side project that you show a few friends but keep hidden from your employers.

It's best to know what the film is about before seeing it, which means we're already off to a shaky start. Chelsea (Sasha Grey) is an escort who sexes up her clients right, but also lets them tote her around like a needy girlfriend, a trustworthy companion or a dependable shoulder to cry on. She's also in a committed relationship with Chris (Chris Santos), who actually knows about and is okay with her profession.

Maybe it's not that hard to understand. Except for the fact that Soderbergh employs a sneaky film technique called "reverse chronology," found in such filmic clusterfucks (a compliment, no less) as Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" and Christopher Nolan's "Memento." But "The Girlfriend Experience" isn't even close to those masterpieces. It's about a hooker. Its subject matter could be interesting, and even quite insightful, but the script is devoid of believable human interactions. Soderbergh injected the whiff of a plot he was given with cinematographic Botox, plumping a skeletal story with fake emotion.

It doesn't really help that the actors are not talented. Their characters have real problems, but the emotional struggle is manifested in superficial, whiny banter in Santos' case and empty, passionless drones in Grey's case. Granted, she's playing someone who is essentially used as a sex product. But when her "struggle" promptly comes along at the one-hour turning point-she gets emotionally attached to a client, of course-she shows almost no sadness in her face. A tear, perhaps? A vocal quiver? Nada. Fortunately that handy 60-minute mark clues us in on her major life changes, even if she doesn't bother to alert us herself.

However, this is a new direction for Grey, whose career highlights include "Throat: A Cautionary Tale," "Slam It! In a Young Whore" and "Sasha Grey's Anatomy," among 159 other similarly amusing titles listed on IMDb. I'm not sure whether to respect her for trying a serious role or pity her for … trying a serious role. She just doesn't deliver lines well. She's stunning, to be sure, but the porn star in her has swallowed her ability to emote real chemistry with another actor. With words, I mean.

Santos has another kind of mess on his hands. Trying to figure out the mind of a guy who dates an escort, and has been doing so for over a year, is extremely difficult. It's hard to say who has the talent to deliver that complex a character. It's definitely not Santos.

The ironic part about "The Girlfriend Experience" is that it's actually quite visually stimulating. For a movie about a hooker, there is almost no sex, which is probably pretty disappointing to most people. But Soderbergh salvages this banal movie with academic, beautiful camera work that it doesn't even deserve. One scene is filmed through its reflection in a window; another has a foggy, grainy feel to it. But let it be known: unnatural angles, clever editing and an occasionally distorted camera lens do not a good movie make.

Tags: THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE, SASHA GREY, STEVEN SODERBERGH