girlfriend experience Tagged Articles at Cinematical

By James Rocchi (original publication date -- 1/21/09 -- Sundance Film Festival

The beige square on the Sundance schedule for today -- "Sneak Preview," 6:15 at the Eccles -- was, over the past few days, filled in with a thousand brushstrokes of rumor and intimation and heard-it-from-a-friend-who-heard-it-from-a-friend whisperings. The first murmuring I heard to make that "Sneak Preview" a must-see was that the presentation was going to be an evening with Steven Soderbergh, a night of clips and conversation -- until that proposition, exciting as it was, was supplanted by another rumor: That the Eccles Sneak was going to be Soderbergh showing The Girlfriend Experience, his new run-and-gun, shot-with-the-4K-Red-digital-camera, adult-actress-in-the-lead-role, largely-improvised drama about the life of a New York escort. The rumors, for once, were true.

Soderbergh introduced the film with, as he put it, "a few caveats" as a "work in progress" projecting a 1080p reduction of the 4K file. In 1989, Soderbergh gave Sundance, and then us, sex, lies and videotape; in 2009, he offers sex, truth, and digital video. Much fuss was made when Soderbergh announced this film, and even more was made when he cast adult actress (the polite euphemism for 'porn star,' and that itself a polite euphemism for 'someone who has sex on-camera for money') Sasha Grey in the lead role as a Manhattan call girl who offers not just rushed release but the more refined "girlfriend experience" -- a suite of services including, as we see in the opener, fine red wine and Marc Jacobs black dresses, soft kisses and small talk, and many more things, an experience that goes far beyond sex. And yet still includes it.

Emmy-nominated Rainn Wilson is heating up in Hollywood, somewhat competing with his Office co-stars Steve Carell, John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer for most movie deals. His latest is Renaissance Men, which he co-wrote with actor Matt Ross (HBO's Big Love) and just sold to Universal. In the comedy, Wilson and Ross will play losers (Wilson claims he can't write about winners) who think they've killed their community theater co-star and so hideout at a Renaissance fair. Wilson describes it as, "a bit like We're No Angels, only funny." He also claims that Renaissance fairs are fascinating because, "everyone has been to one, but no one really knows what makes them tick."

I'll be the first to admit I've never been to a Ren fair, but I did have some friends in high school that were into them -- sometimes they even brought their crossbows to school (fortunately not in the view of teachers). These were the same kids who wouldn't let me play role-playing games because I wouldn't take them seriously enough. So, yeah, I'm all for making a mockery out of the whole thing. Wilson was a D&D player and a Ren fair attendee as a teen, so he has the experience to use as a foundation and the ability to make fun of himself while making fun of those people who are into Ren fair stuff.

Wilson will co-produce with director Jay Roach (Meet the Parents). There is so far no one attached to direct. Roach has a lot of stuff lined up, including producing Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno movie, but unless he goes ahead soon with another Austin Powers sequel or the "comedic Vertigo movie", he should go ahead and helm Renaissance Men. As for Wilson, he's got the comedies Juno, The Rocker, Girlfriend Experience and Bonzai Shadowhands, which he also wrote. Unlike some people, I think Wilson can do more than play Dwight Schrute types -- I loved him as a very un-Dwight-like guy in Baadasssss! -- and can't wait to see how his starring roles turn out. However, I do think Hollywood might want to typecast the guy and I hope the studios don't try and force him to stick with his Office shtick in every movie he's in.