Verhoeven Club - Showgirls

Movie Of The Month for June (starting a couple days early again on this one)...


Recently become a new favourite of mine.
I bought the DVD especially for the Verhoeven Club along with a couple others and totally fell in love with Showgirls.


I watched it years ago and figured it as his weakest movie, but, as a fan of PV, and being a little more educated of his work and as a movie fan, this movie smacks of Verhoeven's unforgettable and recognisable style.


I've coined a phrase for this movie, "stylish-trash"
It's not even so-bad-it's-good, or even cult material... it's actually beyond that. For a movie that was panned and garnered a bunch of Razzies, it's actually decent.


Will prep more to write about over the next 4 weeks

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I disagree but I love it anyway.

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Yeah, it's one of the worst pieces of ***** i've ever seen. But it's still by far my favourite Verhoeven film and i do genuinely love it.

I didn't see this til i was 17. Jesus, imagine me seeing this when i was 10 or something and watching Saved By The Bell on the side. The Friends joke: "he only likes her because of her porn" haunts me to this day

The way I see the movie though while watching, is not as a serious take on the subject at hand... it's comical, cheesy, occasionally gory, full of gratuitous nudity, semi-serious of course as well... and like with almost everything PV does it's packed with satire and exploitation.
Exploitation of several subjects too... like with his other movies, he takes something people aren't sure they wanted to see, and he cranks it up to 11, yet doesn't overdo it to the point that it is simply for the sake of it.
Showgirls is like, all the things to do with sex, nudity and violence that PV is famous for lacing throughout his other movies, except Showgirls is all about the sex and nudity, with an undertone of satire.


Best way to think of this film isn't as a satire, or an exploitation movie or whatever... go into this movie remembering it is a Verhoeven Movie.

Slant Magazine has Showgirls as the 14th best film of the 90's -

http://www.slantmagazine.com/feature...-the-1990s/P18

I think Showgirls is godawful, but i find it among the most watchable godawful films. The turning Showgirls into an acknowledged classic movement has less legs than my sole movement of turning Batman Forever into one of the best remembered 90's films.

For anyone who loves Showgirls, I highly recommend the Starz miniseries Flesh and Bone. It's practically Showgirls: The TV Show just replace showgirl with ballerina. Hilariously bad but awesome nonetheless

The movie was really boring and full of bad stuff. Like how the showgirls are followed around by reporters, like they are major celebrities. Does that actually happen in Vegas? It came off as cheesy to me.

Although, I don't get why a lot of people make fun of the pool sex scene. Is it really that bad? Me and my ex use to have sex like that all the time, unless that's abnormal...

the acting of thescene was bad,thats why, felt totally fake

You mean after you doused her in champagne, she rode you for 45 seconds and then had a brief epileptic seizure?

Yes, I think that's abnormal...

I completely agree with this statement. Mommie Dearest is what you would call so-bad-it's-good, that film is awful, but it's one of the most watchable in how over the top and tacky it is. And it's also one of the funniest films ever made.

There's a method to Showgirls madness. I get the sense Paul Verhoeven knew exactly what he was doing here. Almost as if he knew the script was not great, but instead of trying to improve it, he just embraced the hell out of it and used it to his advantage. It's more satirical and self-aware than people give it credit for.

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Recent Viewings (rewatches noted with an *)
Barbarian- (4/5)
Nope- (4.5/5)
Jurassic Park Dominion- 0.5/5
What Josiah Saw- (4.5/5)

This is exactly it.
Exactly.


The movie and director were self aware which is why the film is so enjoyable.
People seem to have missed that.

But is it self-aware? Poe's Law certainly applies.

I think Joe Eszterhas took it rather seriously, and had no idea he was writing a camp classic. Whether or not Verhoeven took it seriously is up for debate, he's made comments that support both arguments.

But I think that regardless of whether or not it happens to be satire or just a hilariously terrible movie, it's immensely entertaining and rewatchable. Isn't that what really matters in the grand scheme?

I think people who genuinely think the movie is a seriously made film, being serious about what it's doing, seriously, all the time, all seriously serious... and just think it's a terrible movie... need to realise that Showgirls is a Verhoeven movie and watch again with tongue firmly in cheek

Despite its bad press, I thought Showgirls was fine. This is my favorite Verhoeven movie.

Thank you! You get it, therefore you are one of the greats.

This has been on my to watch list for a while, I think I might change this tonight. Heard nothing but good things.