In the days leading up to the 2008 presidential election, a high-end Manhattanescort meets the challenges of her boyfriend, her clients, and her work. Chelsea specializes in offering girlfriend experiences. She finds that lately her clients are spending less and less on her services, and are troubled by the financial crisis, a topic they raise frequently in her company. She is also interviewed by a journalist, who quizzes her about her work and personal life. She goes from client to client performing her services.
, the film has a 67% approval rating on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes based on 139 reviews with an average rating of 6.39/10. The website's critics consensus states: "Steven Soderbergh's latest lo-fi production is strikingly crafted but emotionally vague". Roger Ebert rated the film four out of four stars, saying "This film is true about human nature. It clearly sees needs and desires. It is not universal, but within its particular focus, it is unrelenting." On the opposite end of the spectrum, Kyle Smith of the New York Post awarded the film 1 star out of 4, saying "Time for another of Steven Soderbergh's 'experimental,' i.e., half-assed, films." David Edelstein of New York Magazine complained that, "Most of the dialogue is listless, and no matter how much Soderbergh snips and stitches, the movie is a corpse with twitching limbs." Luke Davies, critic for The Monthly, wrote that the film is "disposable and pretentious" and "is shot sombrely and austerely, in a style that might be described as 'vacuous chic'" and concluded that "as a film in which a porn star's presence is a fundamental marketing hook, it is masturbation."
Television series
In June 2014, Starz committed to a 13-episode order for a new television series, based on the film, with Soderbergh and Philip Fleishman as executive producers. Lodge Kerrigan and Amy Seimetz co-wrote and directed all 13 episodes. Sasha Grey and her character were not included though the main character uses the same name. Riley Keough stars as the new lead, described by Soderbergh as "a new character on a new trajectory". Well-received lead actress from Season 1, Riley Keough, did not return in Season 2 of The Girlfriend Experience. Instead the show featured two new stories focusing on two different sets of characters. Season 3 of The Girlfriend Experience was announced in July by Starz. Season 3 will be Executive Produced by Philip Fleishman and Steven Soderbergh and will feature Julia Goldani-Telles in the lead.https://deadline.com/2019/07/the-girlfriend-experience-renewed-season-3-starz-tca-1202654736/ref>
