Don't Believe 'The Last Showgirl' Hype

01/06/2025 03:05 PM

Gia Coppola's "The Last Showgirl" is a tribute to old Las Vegasentertainers who made a living as the top-billed acts, their names shining in neon.

Specifically, it’s Las Vegas post-Benjamin Siegal, during the Wayne Newton/Tom Jones era. Pop stars singing oldies in a shiny suit, surrounded by dancers adorning glitter and feathers (for starters) and pushing the envelope of grown-up entertainment were the big acts of their day.

Of course, an aspect of this has survived, though much of today's Vegas entertainment offerings are larger-than-life events (Cirque Du Solei! Celine Dion! That giant orb!!), less the kind of sleazy stage show attended by gangsters.

This distinction between vintage and new Vegas is made early in Coppola's film, in which one of those creaky old acts, ostensibly a show with erotic dancing and peek-a-boo nudity, is about to close.

The cast of the long-in-the-tooth production are mortified, from the behind-the-scenes showrunner (Dave Bautista), Annette, the seen-it-all former big deal dancer (Jamie Lee Curtis), a variety of young talents who know the show is a dead end and the dancer who remained the face of the show and treats it as her shining showcase.

This character is Shelly, played by Pamela Anderson.

The former "Baywatch" star's leading turn is the prime reason why Coppola's likable but slight drama is getting an awards-season push. Anderson may relate to Shelly's being used for her looks and becoming popular for her sexuality, as well as the way women in the entertainment industry are largely treated.

Yet – and I don't mean to be unkind but I'm not going to sugarcoat it – Anderson may feel this character deeply but that doesn't mean she should or could play it. To be even more blunt: Anderson has moments here that reveal a willingness to be vulnerable and stretch, but she's still not an actress.

I wanted to root for Anderson and her highly-touted comeback, but she can't carry this. The good news is that she's surrounded by co-stars who can.

Curtis is excellent, which is no surprise at this point. Billie Lourd is wonderful at evoking the lifetime of disappointment, bitterness and fading hope of Shelly's daughter. Their scenes together are some of Anderson's and the film's best.

"The Last Showgirl" gives us yet another soulful, surprising character turn from Bautista. Co-star Kiernan Shipka has some of the best moments as a member of the troupe. As for Anderson, she has some effective moments here but also some embarrassing ones.

This oddly feels like a part of a new film subgenre, starting with "The Wrestler" (2009) and "The Whale" (2023). The projects star former movie stars cast as washouts in unflattering close-ups. The main characters have angry, disappointed daughters, suffer at least one public humiliation, attempt to regain their former selves and past glories and reflect on the self-destructive journeys that led them to their present misery.

"The Last Showgirl" is a more upbeat film than the prior two but, even with stellar co-stars, it stalls.

The notion of Las Vegas getting rid of dated shows but still maintaining its tackiness is worth exploring. So is the definition of fame that a showgirl would feel by having her face on a flyer for 30 years.

Weird but true: the similar "Dancing at the Blue Iguana" (2000) is a superior work but so is, in its own way, "Showgirls" (1995). The latter, in addition to oodles of camp value, is also ruthless in its depiction of the life of a Las Vegas dancer.

The moments Anderson shares with Lourd demonstrate that she's willing to take a chance. Anderson's performance in this isn't on par with Mae West's mega-embarrassment, "Sextette" (1978) but declaring this as her arrival as an actress is just hype.

I hope Anderson stays in the indie world and seeks out more roles that resonate with her.

Anderson's prior film roles often used her as a punchline. Her next big film is co-starring with Liam Neeson in a remake of "The Naked Gun." I'm unsure if that will be an easy pick for the worst movie of 2025 or if the movie and Anderson can surprise us.

For now, I can halfheartedly recommend "The Last Showgirl," and close with admitting that, for me, the biggest surprise of the film isn't that the former "Barb Wire" (1996) star is attempting to stretch in a drama, but that I spent most of this review considering the film work of Pamela Anderson.

Perhaps that's something. Maybe she will, indeed, surprise us. For now, there's "The Last Showgirl."

Two and a Half Stars

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