THE LAST SHOWGIRL
In “The Last Showgirl”, Pamela Anderson trades in her iconic beach bounces for a Vegas blues-inspired performance as Shelly, a washed-up showgirl who discovers that sequins don’t shine forever. The film is a heartfelt study of the dreams and disappointments of a disillusioned, washed-up Las Vegas sex symbol who is forced to find a way to survive after the glamour and glitter of a superficial town change and its phony show business lure changes along with it.
The story follows Shelly, a veteran stripper who devoted herself to the profession for three decades, realizing too late that she neglected everything else. After the show she worked for, Razzle Dazzle, closes down, Shelly is left jobless, broke, and desperate. The film catalogues her woes without dwelling too heavily on her tears, dramatizing at the same time the continuing affection of an old-flame stage manager, the support of fellow showgirls, and the threats of an unhappy, resentful daughter who feels Shelly was a coward for keeping her professional life a secret for so many years.
The film features a standout performance from Jamie Lee Curtis as Shelly’s friend Annette, who was once a showgirl too, until she saw the writing on the wall and gave up the rhinestones and splits to work as a cocktail waitress. The film is sensitively directed by Gia Coppola and features a worthy screenplay by Kate Gersten that holds interest from start to finish.