The Last Showgirl Review

Viva Las Anderson!

One of my favorite quotes by the late great critic Roger Ebert is, "For me, the movies are like a machine that generates empathy… It helps us to identify with the people who are sharing this journey with us". Gia Coppola's The Last Showgirl is extraordinary, starring Pamela Anderson in the titular title. It is a film with a deep love for the arts and compassion for those lost to time in a crumbling city that rapidly forgets them. Pamala Anderson's raw and hopeful performance conveys such beauty and grace that it's hard not to get choked up about this. It is a wonderfully shot and empathetic film with a memorable supporting cast that helps lift this to new heights. It feels rushed and messy sometimes, but there's an underlying heart to all of it. This is Gia Coppola's best work yet, and I've never been so excited to see what she has next.

The film delves into the life of Shelly (Pamela Anderson), a showgirl who has graced the stages of Las Vegas for three decades. When her show is abruptly canceled, she is forced to confront her future in an industry that often discards women as they age. The film prompts us to ponder the value of our past choices and our sacrifices. Did it all matter, and did we make the right sacrifices?

Pamela Anderson shocked me in this performance. It begins as something so bubbly and tender, but throughout the film, you can feel this veil of sadness or maybe frustration hanging over her. She puts on such a good facade, covering up her genuine emotions until she entirely boils over and explodes on screen. There's such delicate care put into this performance that is clearly taken out of parts of her real life and what it must mean to be an aging star. You can feel the frustrations and struggles feel so real for Anderson in this character that it is heartbreaking in certain moments, but in the end, you are so touched by this special performance. The love she has for the work and the work put into the arts is what counts and is special. Some might find that cliche or cringy, but Coppola nails it.

The rest of this star-studded cast also rock! Jamie Lee Curtis plays a former showgirl, now Vegas cocktail waitress, who's a complete mess. Her performance is rather manic, and those familiar with her performance on The Bear will see apparent similarities to that character, but I think it works way better here. This character in The Last Showgirl has been given real time to shine and show off their rich history of fucking up and their relationship with alcohol and an industry that's tossing her aside. MY GUY Dave Bautista stars in this as the show's manager, and he is just an empathy machine, man. He always had that commanding presence with his stature, but as an actor, such gravitas and compassion are steaming off him. It's exceptional. Brenda Song and Kiernan Shipka played younger showgirls aside from Anderson and were really into their experiences as up-and-coming women in the business of Vegas. The two work so well with Anderson, boosting up and giving more nuance to a character by seeing these two have the world still in front of them. All these characters come together as a big fuck upped dysfunctional family that I could have spent several more hours with. The movie feels short.

Coppola's direction is a massive step up from her previous outing. It looks phenomenal with dynamic lighting and balances the intimate moments of personal reflection with bombastic fights and argument scenes. She does an excellent job of dropping us directly into this world and helping us understand the financial and personal issues at stake here. The grandeur of the moment and looming Vegas are ever so present as it's slowly becoming more of a Disney World attraction than Vegas's golden years. This almost feels like an excellent sequel to Scorsese's Casino, as we intimately see that transition into the new Vegas. It can feel a bit messy, if not choppy, at times, and that might be due to a rushed film development; I'm unsure. Also, it was my screening at the Philly Film Fest, but the first 5 minutes of the film were blurry. It's probably a technical issue, but I wanted to note that!

The Last Showgirl hits the jackpot! Coppola's love letter to the arts and the art of just doing the work is what matters is inspiring. Anderson's reflective and powerhouse performance left me in awe and also uplifted. Throw in an excellent cast with great direction; your heart will be fluttering when it’s all over.

Final Score: 8.5/10

Written by Kevin J. Pettit