Film review: ‘THE LAST SHOWGIRL’ by Nick Gardener from ‘Built For Speed’
In 2008, Mickey Rourke made a much-lauded comeback in Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler. That movie explored the traumatic life of a person on the fringes of the entertainment industry (in that case, lower tier pro-wrestling) facing the end of their career. In so doing, it examined identity, masculinity, the industry in which the character worked and seemingly reflected the challenging life of the film’s star. The Last Showgirl, directed by Gia Coppola and starring Pamela Anderson almost seems like a sister film to The Wrestler, this time focusing on the struggles of an ageing Las Vegas dancer. While this film draws effectively on the life and persona of its star, scripting issues leave it an oddly uneven film.
Pamela plays Shelly, a veteran of a Las Vegas ‘feathers and sequins’ dance troupe called Le Razzle Dazzle which looks like a remnant of old Vegas, from the era of Frank and the Ratpack. When the show’s producer Eddie (an extravagantly coiffured Dave Bautista) announces that it’s going to be cancelled, Shelly, who has known nothing else for 38 years, faces an alarmingly uncertain future. It means not only a loss of income but also a loss of identity for Shelly. Her commitment to the show has seen relationships crumble with men and with her estranged daughter Hannah (Billie Lourd) with whom she tries to reconnect.
This is at times a moving study of a decent person trying to cope with a harsh and rapidly changing world but the film doesn’t always work. Some scenes and dialogue feel clunky, a few story threads are left dangling, there’s some padding and repetition with multiple scenes of Shelly wandering around Vegas and the ending is strangely abrupt.
Still, Pamela Anderson impresses as Shelly. Occasionally, it feels as if she’s searching for the right way to play the character but she mostly succeeds in making Shelly sympathetic and at times very affecting, particularly when the reality of her situation hits home. The film is clearly meant to reflect Anderson’s battles with the fickle world of Hollywood and the ruthlessness with which women over a certain age are treated. As a comment on its star’s fortunes, the film makes an interesting companion piece to The Substance and its allusions to Demi Moore’s career although The Last Showgirl is not a searing film like The Substance.
While The Last Showgirl is squarely focused on Pamela Anderson, there’s just enough space for some strong supporting performances including a memorable turn from Jamie Lee Curtis as an ageing cocktail waitress and former showgirl who seems to have gone to the same stylist as Donald Trump.
Director Gia Coppola has attempted to mirror Shelly’s ailing situation through a gritty, downbeat aesthetic employing very grainy, almost distorted cinematography. At times, it gives the film a low budget documentary feel but occasionally looks too murky. Also, with a lot of overlapping rapid-fire dialogue and a reliance on extreme close-ups, the film sometimes feels uncomfortably cluttered.
The Last Showgirl is almost a heartbreaking story of someone on the lower rungs of society scrapping to survive and retain some dignity but despite a strong central performance, it’s just not the powerful drama it needed to be.
Nick’s rating: ***
Genre: Drama.
Classification: M.
Director(s): Gia Coppola.
Release date: 20th Feb 2025.
Running time: 88 mins.
Reviewer: Nick Gardener can be heard on “Built For Speed” every Friday night from 8-10pm on 88.3 Southern FM.
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