DAVID BIANCULLI

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THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE
April 10, 2016  | By David Bianculli

Starz!, 8:00 p.m. ET

 

SERIES PREMIERE: Steven Soderbergh made a film called The Girlfriend Experience in 2009, and now is executive producer of this new series, which borrows the title, the basic subject and mood, and little else. The same sort of trick was attempted, and pulled off spectacularly well, with the TV itieration of Fargo, so there’s a precedent – but expecting that level of success may be unreasonably optimistic. At any rate, Riley Keough, Elvis Presley’s granddaughter, plays Christine – a different character from, but one with the same name as, the New York escort played in the movie by adult-movie actress Sasha Grey. And there are two writer-directors for the series, who share duties: Amy Seimetz and Lodge Kerrigan. Their backgrounds suggest this TV series may be proudly unconventional: He directed such dour character studies as 2004’s Keane, and she was the star of one of the most haunting films in recent years, 2013’s Upstream Color. For a full review, see David Hinckley’s All Along the Watchtower.

 
 
 
 
 
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