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The Last Showgirl (2024)
This is a small movie about a deep subject: a woman’s defiant struggle to face the realities of both her age and loss of the steady job she has had as a showgirl in a long running Las Vegas extravagant stage production that is suddenly slated for closure. It’s fundamentally a women’s picture that showcases some first rate acting, chiefly by it’s star, Pamela Anderson, and co-star Jamie Lee Curtis.
Shelly Gardner (Anderson) is an aging showgirl who has fervently performed her part for 3 decades in a lavish revue at a major Vegas casino. She loves and completely inhabits her role as a performance artist, so much so that as the years go by it never occurs to her that it would eventually come to an end. But in fact the extravaganza has gradually become passe and out of fashion in comparison to the newer style of shows at other venues.
So when the cast is notified by its producer that the show will finally be canceled in two week’s time, Shelly is presented with the reality of what she can do with her life-- of what employment choices could be open to her. Her fading beauty and loss of dancing skills combine to severely limit the chances of getting hired for other stage shows. The story is predominantly about her quandary, and her relationship with her daughter, an old friend, and a previous lover.
If there ever was a part written that was filled by the perfect choice, it was the role of Shelly Gardner for Pamela Anderson. In fact playwright and eventual screenwriter Kate Gersten, on whose play Body of Work was developed into The Last Showgirl, stated that the project had earlier been shelved because they simply could not find the right actress for the crucial key role. When Anderson eventually was given the script to read, she was immediately struck by how much she related to the character. She had not done many serious dramatic roles over the course of her career, having begun as a regular in Playboy magazine, making hersoon rather typecast as a sex symbol ala Jayne Mansfield or Marilyn Monroe.
If there ever was a part written that was filled by the perfect choice, it was the role of Shelly Gardner for Pamela Anderson. In fact playwright and eventual screenwriter Kate Gersten, on whose play Body of Work was developed into The Last Showgirl, stated that the project had earlier been shelved because they simply could not find the right actress for the crucial key role. When Anderson eventually was given the script to read, she was immediately struck by how much she related to the character. She had not done many serious dramatic roles over the course of her career, having begun as a regular in Playboy magazine, making hersoon rather typecast as a sex symbol ala Jayne Mansfield or Marilyn Monroe.
But here she let out all the stops in delivering an obviously heartfelt range of emotions, while subtly portraying Shelly’s childlike naivete that she would stay in her bubble forever-- that her well familiar life in the show would never end. When her long term employment abruptly came to a close, its as if she had to wake up to a new reality, and to try in desperation to stay in the business that she had entered as a young woman 30 years before, whereas now as an older woman she found herself no longer equipped for its demands.
Her friend Annette (Curtis) had earlier been released as a showgirl owing to her age. She had found employment as a casino cocktail waitress, having faced the fact that she had few options. But even in that job she had been reduced to unpopular shifts in favor of younger more attractive girls. It took courage for Curtis to take on a role that accentuated the character’s unattractiveness, much like Bette Davis did in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?. Curtis as Annette was so natural that she was completely believable in the part.
Mention must be made of the part of Eddie, the producer of the long running revue, played with a soft understated demeanor by Dave Bautista-- a hulk of a man who had been for years in real life a world wrestling champion and tough guy. His masterful portrayal of a sympathetic but realistic stage producer will guarantee him future complex roles.
The only slight deficit in the picture was in its last act writing. After all the activity and emotional ups and downs in the story the viewer would have benefited from a more definitive, a more explanatory ending. We know what happens, and it’s gratifying enough, but a more spelled out finish would have perfected the film.
It’s remarkable that with a slim budget of less than $2 million that the producer Robert Schwartzman and director Gia Coppola were able to lay out a film about a large casino revue (based upon the historic long running show Jubilee! at Bally’s Las Vegas). Upon reflection we realize that we never actually saw any production numbers or expansive representation of the stage show itself. Yet the viewers see that in their minds. The filming confines itself mostly to interiors and tight exterior shots, which enabled the budget to be kept at a minimum.
It’s remarkable that with a slim budget of less than $2 million that the producer Robert Schwartzman and director Gia Coppola were able to lay out a film about a large casino revue (based upon the historic long running show Jubilee! at Bally’s Las Vegas). Upon reflection we realize that we never actually saw any production numbers or expansive representation of the stage show itself. Yet the viewers see that in their minds. The filming confines itself mostly to interiors and tight exterior shots, which enabled the budget to be kept at a minimum.
But it is the award caliber of acting that is the big draw to this thoroughly enjoyable movie. Dropped into a slate of big budgeted splashy films, this little but poignant story is gratifying to experience.
Doc’s rating: 9/10
Doc’s rating: 9/10
