The Girlfriend Experience (**1/2)

THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE

Steven Soderbergh's ode to the professional escort, circa October 2008. The Girlfriend Experience stars Sasha Grey as Chelsea, a New York City working girl for higher class clientele, most of whom spend their time with her complaining about the economy and dreading Obama beating McCain in the election. Shot in warm and cool natural light, Soderbergh employs a frustratingly fragmented narrative to show glimpses into the tight-lipped Chelsea's professional life and heavily armored personal life. The result is a cold, ultimately uninvolving experience. Ten minutes of one of Sasha Grey's hundreds of other films is much, much more bang for the buck.