THE STORY – Shelley has been a Las Vegas showgirl for over 30 years, the feather and crystal–adorned centrepiece of Sin City’s last remaining traditional floor show. The stage and the women she shares it with are her loving, bickering, sequin-clad family. When the stage manager Eddie announces the show will close permanently in two weeks, Shelley and her co-workers must make decisions for their future. But the future looks different when you are 50 rather than 20, and your sole job skill is dancing.
THE CAST – Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista, Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka & Billie Lourd
THE TEAM – Gia Coppola (Director) & Kate Gersten (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 85 Minutes
Gia Coppola delivers her most dazzling film yet with “The Last Showgirl,” an unflinching gem about multiple generations of women whose artistic pursuits intersect. Coppola looks beyond the glittering face of Las Vegas and focuses on its grittier backdrop, a strip infused with the harsh realities of lost dreams. Her precise direction reaches every faded corner of this world, where a family of showgirls, resilient in the face of constant defeat, dance on. Each showgirl has a slightly different tune, from the stress of financial burden to the lack of support from loved ones, that draws them to the stage. The film’s protagonist, Shelly (Pamela Anderson), has been singing her tune for years: she is a dreamer above all else. But her strength to keep pushing forward as a Vegas dancer reaches a crossroads when she is forced to reexamine her place in the industry and answer the dreaded question: “Now what?” Shelly feels like a character written precisely for Pamela Anderson, who is given the opportunity of a lifetime and shines. “The Last Showgirl” not only meets its protagonist at a crossroads but also the star who plays her, resulting in Anderson reaching an exciting new stage in the industry with a film that celebrates the artistry of under-appreciated talent.
Le Razzle Dazzle is the last show of its kind on the Las Vegas strip. Showgirls of different generations sparkle in rhinestone and feathered costumes. The girls are a tight-knit family, united by the shared tumultuous journey of pursuing their dreams. But the glitzy stage lights that bathe them are on the verge of fading forever. While the show is special for its classic reputation of lasting long in a fleeting city, casino producers want to shut it down in favor of something new. Le Razzle Dazzle’s producer, Eddie (Dave Bautista), announces this imminent cancellation to the girls, and no one is more heartbroken than Shelly (Anderson), who has dazzled as the many faces of this show for decades. Her image still appears on all the press material, which speaks to her incredible staying power. But with the show closing, the industry expects Shelly to disappear as she is deemed “too old” for the stage. The emotional weight of this decision is palpable, and Shelly fights to continue taking the lead in her own life.
Anderson gives a vulnerable, spirited performance that never loses its sparkle. She understands her character, from Shelly’s steadfast principles to her intense frustrations with an increasingly ageist and sexist industry. Among the film’s best moments involve her passionately standing up for her ambitions. Being “bathed in the stage light night after night” makes Shelly feel good and empowered. She is tired of feeling bad about her work, and one can feel the exhaustion reverberating from Anderson in those moments where Shelly gets backed into a corner for fighting for herself. Anderson brings joyous energy to the role, and her flightiness raises questions about what her past experiences must have been like.
Screenwriter Kate Gersten writes the character in a loving and compassionate light while also embracing the complexities of a parent trying to balance career aspirations with motherhood. When Shelly’s daughter Hannah (Billie Lourd) appears out of the blue, one can gather the cues of an estranged relationship. Shelly’s excitement is met with Hannah’s cautious politeness, and their interactions grow more worrisome. After seeing one of the Razzle Dazzle performances, Hannah confronts her mother backstage to question whether this show was worth missing bedtimes for. The story gives more insight into Shelly’s impact and presence through other characters, making Shelly’s internal conflicts feel slightly under-explored. Wonderful as it is to watch Anderson light up the screen, the film misses some opportunities to dig deeper into the nuances of her character’s perspective.
The writing shines brighter when depicting the showgirls as a family. Shelly radiates as a maternal figure for the younger performers, Marianne (Brenda Song) and Jodie (Kiernan Shipka). Song and Shipka have impressive standout moments that shed light on where their characters’ journeys are. Marianne in particular is a compelling mix of funny one-liners and deep poignancy. She feels defeated and finds it difficult to face optimism, which makes her interactions with Shelly quite intense for the most part. The film works wonders in showing how women on different personal journeys collide for better or worse. The showgirls’ camaraderie, their shared experiences, and the warmth of their bond add a resonating layer to the story.
Exploring the showgirl family provides standout moments for a stellar supporting cast, which includes Jamie Lee Curtis as the spray-tanned casino cocktail waitress Annette. Her bold personality gets some of the biggest laughs, though Curtis also deftly conveys moments of the character’s bleak reality. Also, Dave Bautista further shows his terrific range as Eddie, the long-standing show producer who has seen the ups and downs from backstage. He radiates sensitivity and encouragement for the dancers every step of the way.
Coppola’s gentle direction is an excellent match for this story. Her intimate framing of characters immerses you in their world. Dancing encompasses so much of who Shelly is; when she is not performing, she doesn’t know what to do or where to be. This is shown exceptionally well when the camera stumbles through daytime Las Vegas with her, capturing the uncertainty around what’s next for her. Whereas the backstage scenes have a more tight-knit energy and capture every little sparkle of the dancers. Gorgeous music also heightens the emotions of each scene. Andrew Wyatt, who previously composed Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie“ alongside Mark Ronson, creates a sweeping score that fits the dreamy tone perfectly.
The visual language of “The Last Showgirl“ also makes the story feel effectively anachronistic. It’s filmed in a loving, romantic haze with blurred edges and grainy cinematography. The visuals evoke the same feeling as decades-old promotional material used for a current show, which is the case for Le Razzle Dazzle. Apart from one montage scene in the final act, Coppola does not reveal what the performances of this show look like to its Vegas audience. We get the razzle-dazzle vibe through scattered interactions behind the scenes. This is the beating heart of “The Last Showgirl;“ what makes the film impactful is not the dance itself but the passionate work that goes into it.
