Porn Star Wows in Straight 'Experience'

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posted: 74 DAYS AGO
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filed under: Gut Reactions, Movie News, Sex That's SFW
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When adult film star Sasha Grey, who makes a living having sex, was cast to play someone who has sex for a living in 'The Girlfriend Experience,' it was seen by many in the biz as both a gamble and a gimmick by director Steven Soderbergh.
To many influential movie critics around the country, though, she's no fluke. Grey's deadpan delivery as a pricey prostitute in Manhattan who promises clients a "girlfriend experience" -- dates, good conversation with added chemistry and, in the end, sex -- has been getting mostly positive reviews.
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Sasha Grey Snapshots

    In this film publicity image released by Magnolia Pictures, Sasha Grey is shown in a scene from Steven Soderbergh's film, "The Girlfriend Experience." (AP Photo/Tribeca Film Festival) ** NO SALES **

    AP

    In this film publicity image released by Magnolia Pictures, Sasha Grey is shown in a scene from Steven Soderbergh's film, "The Girlfriend Experience." (AP Photo/Tribeca Film Festival) ** NO SALES **

    AP

    NEW YORK - APRIL 29: (L-R) Director Steven Soderbergh, actress Sasha Grey, actor Chris Santos and Caryn James of The New York Times speak at the screening and panel discussion of "The Girlfriend Experience" during the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival at SVA Theater on April 29, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival) *** Local Caption *** Sasha Grey;Steven Soderbergh;Chris Santos;Caryn James

    Getty Images for Tribeca Film Fe

    NEW YORK - APRIL 29: (L-R) Director Steven Soderbergh, actress Sasha Grey, actor Chris Santos and Caryn James of The New York Times speak at the screening and panel discussion of "The Girlfriend Experience" during the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival at SVA Theater on April 29, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival) *** Local Caption *** Sasha Grey;Steven Soderbergh;Chris Santos;Caryn James

    Getty Images for Tribeca Film Fe

    NEW YORK - APRIL 29: (L-R) Director Steven Soderbergh, actress Sasha Grey, actor Chris Santos and Caryn James of The New York Times speak at the screening and panel discussion of "The Girlfriend Experience" during the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival at SVA Theater on April 29, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival) *** Local Caption *** Sasha Grey;Steven Soderbergh;Chris Santos;Caryn James

    Getty Images for Tribeca Film Fe

    NEW YORK - APRIL 29: (L-R) Director Steven Soderbergh, actress Sasha Grey, actor Chris Santos and Caryn James of The New York Times speak at the screening and panel discussion of "The Girlfriend Experience" during the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival at SVA Theater on April 29, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival) *** Local Caption *** Sasha Grey;Steven Soderbergh;Chris Santos;Caryn James

    Getty Images for Tribeca Film Fe

    NEW YORK - APRIL 29: (L-R) Director Steven Soderbergh, actress Sasha Grey, and actor Chris Santos speak at the screening and panel discussion of "The Girlfriend Experience" during the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival at SVA Theater on April 29, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival) *** Local Caption *** Sasha Grey;Steven Soderbergh;Chris Santos

    Getty Images for Tribeca Film Fe

    NEW YORK - APRIL 29: (L-R) Director Steven Soderbergh, actress Sasha Grey, actor Chris Santos and Caryn James of The New York Times speak at the screening and panel discussion of "The Girlfriend Experience" during the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival at SVA Theater on April 29, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival) *** Local Caption *** Sasha Grey;Steven Soderbergh;Chris Santos;Caryn James

    Getty Images for Tribeca Film Fe

    NEW YORK - APRIL 29: Director Steven Soderbergh (L) and actress Sasha Grey speak at the screening and panel discussion of "The Girlfriend Experience" during the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival at SVA Theater on April 29, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival) *** Local Caption *** Sasha Grey;Steven Soderbergh

    Getty Images for Tribeca Film Fe

    NEW YORK - APRIL 29: Director Steven Soderbergh (L) and actress Sasha Grey speak at the screening and panel discussion of "The Girlfriend Experience" during the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival at SVA Theater on April 29, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival) *** Local Caption *** Sasha Grey;Steven Soderbergh

    Getty Images for Tribeca Film Fe

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"The smartest thing director Steven Soderbergh did in the making of 'The Girlfriend Experience' was to cast Sasha Grey," beamed the San Francisco Chronicle.
This is a bit of a coup for the 21-year-old star of over 150 pornos since 2006. Few titles can be printed here, but one can only imagine what 'Soloerotica 10' and 'Black Power 3' were all about. Since wrapping 'Girlfriend' last year, she's starred in several additional adult films.
Check Out a Smattering of Reviews:
Roger Ebert: "Grey wasn't hired because of her willingness to have sex on screen; there's no explicit sex in the movie and only fleeting nudity. I suspect Soderbergh cast her because of her mercenary approach to sex -- and her acting talent, which may not be ready for Steppenwolf but is right for this film."
Village Voice: "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."
San Francisco Chronicle: "The smartest thing director Steven Soderbergh did in the making of The Girlfriend Experience was to cast Sasha Grey ... Grey is very likable, if only because she seems so vulnerable."
LA Times: "Whether Grey, in her first 'straight' gig, has character chops or not feels inconsequential when her affectless delivery becomes a referenced joke toward the end."
Entertainment Weekly: "[Grey is] a real-life adult-video star who is not so much a natural actress as a natural-born placid, affect-less Barbie doll (imagine Eliot Spitzer consort Ashley Dupré with a touch of Demi Moore)."
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2009-05-22 09:06:52
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