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The Girlfriend ExperienceMovie Reviews

Poster art for "The Girlfriend Experience."
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Metascore®66 out of 100 | Generally favorable reviews

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    This film is true about human nature. It is not universal, but within its particular focus, it is unrelenting. Read full review

  • 100
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    The Girlfriend Experience is one of Steven Soderbergh's bite-size, semi-improvised, shot-on-DV doodles (like Bubble or Full Frontal), and it's the best one he's made. Read full review

  • 83
    The Onion (A.V. Club) | Scott Tobias

    The thinking behind Grey's casting, with its obvious sex-industry connections, lends the film a degree of verisimilitude, but it really pays off in a cameo by film critic Glenn Kenny, who brings a hilariously sleazy theatricality to the role of an "escort critic" who expects graft for his reviews. Read full review

  • 75
    ReelViews | James Berardinelli

    Voyeurism is a favorite pursuit of Americans, and The Girlfriend Experience works in large part because it indulges that pastime. The fascination with the film is that it offers an arm's-length opportunity to peer through a peephole into a lifestyle that will be exotic and alluring to most in the audience. Read full review

  • 70
    Village Voice | J. Hoberman

    Grey isn't the first porn actress to go straight, but she may be the first to allegorize her own situation--projecting an on-screen self-confidence that’s indistinguishable from pathos. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Ronnie Scheib

    Fascinating study of free enterprise in free fall. While it may disappoint thrill-seekers, "Girlfriend" should still delight Soderbergh fans and niche auds. Read full review

  • 70
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    When the turmoil of the last 12 months has receded and the 10th-anniversary deluxe collectors edition comes around, this strange, numb cinematic experience may seem fresh, shocking and poignant rather than merely and depressingly true. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    It's hampered by a listless quality and a one-note performance by porn-star-turned-actress Sasha Grey. Read full review

  • 60
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    The effect is impressionistic and provocative, with the emphasis falling differently on scenes because of our knowledge or lack thereof. Read full review

  • 50
    Los Angeles Times | Robert Abele

    A compelling monotony, but one that's never quite pleasure, never quite pain and, therefore, never quite an experience. Read full review

Avg. Fan Rating:
Average Rating = 2.9 out of 5