First off, let me say that Sasha Grey did a competent job with her script. That the script relegated her to the role of attractive cypher wasn't her fault.
The "unstuck in time" presentation calls for an audience who is willing to grapple with the out-of-sequence story presentation, and I think that Hollywood underestimates their audience - when it's done well, it works just fine. That wasn't the problem.
The "shot with a hand-held digital camera" thing can work, though it's getting far too popular - it usually detracts from the movie, and it's a problem here. The editing was crisp, so it was less of an issue than I've seen elsewhere, but it just didn't add anything this time.
The serious problem was story. The vignettes tell a tale - a 'slice of life' for a high-end call girl, with a strong minor interest in the economy, which seems to be the primary topic of conversation for the players. The story didn't quite show anyone beneath their surface, which may have been the point (considering the conversation with the journalist), but it's not a point I wanted to spend a couple of hours watching be made. Mostly, as much as I wanted to, I couldn't find any reason to care about any of these characters.
The unrated, alternate version on the DVD is reputed to be an improvement (though it shows no additional nudity), but I ran into this after I'd seen it - and I'm just not that eager to sit through it again.
For a far better look at the everyday life of a prostitute, check out 'Working Girls' at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092238/ - just as non-titillating, but a lot more engaging.
The "unstuck in time" presentation calls for an audience who is willing to grapple with the out-of-sequence story presentation, and I think that Hollywood underestimates their audience - when it's done well, it works just fine. That wasn't the problem.
The "shot with a hand-held digital camera" thing can work, though it's getting far too popular - it usually detracts from the movie, and it's a problem here. The editing was crisp, so it was less of an issue than I've seen elsewhere, but it just didn't add anything this time.
The serious problem was story. The vignettes tell a tale - a 'slice of life' for a high-end call girl, with a strong minor interest in the economy, which seems to be the primary topic of conversation for the players. The story didn't quite show anyone beneath their surface, which may have been the point (considering the conversation with the journalist), but it's not a point I wanted to spend a couple of hours watching be made. Mostly, as much as I wanted to, I couldn't find any reason to care about any of these characters.
The unrated, alternate version on the DVD is reputed to be an improvement (though it shows no additional nudity), but I ran into this after I'd seen it - and I'm just not that eager to sit through it again.
For a far better look at the everyday life of a prostitute, check out 'Working Girls' at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092238/ - just as non-titillating, but a lot more engaging.