there is a lot of discussion going around The Last Showgirl Since its premiere at TIFF in September 2024. A large part of this was due to the return of Pamela Anderson, who has since been nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in the film. The film is a snapshot portrait of life in Las Vegas for these entertainers and what the city does to them after it takes it all away from them. But does the film deserve the hype and your time? Let’s find out.
Directed by Gia Coppola and written by Kate Gersten, The Last Showgirl is a snapshot of what showbiz is like in Las Vegas, especially when it’s time to bring down the curtain on those who made their careers on the stage in Sin City. It stars Pamela Anderson as a showgirl named Shelley who has spent nearly thirty years in the industry as a performer at Le Razzle Dazzle, an old-timey show that feels outdated by Vegas standards. The show began in the ’80s, and Shelley is one of the original cast members; Thus, she is like a mother figure to the rest of the young cast. Then, one day, news comes that the new casino owners have decided to cancel the show and start new ventures, leaving Shelley at a bit of an impasse about what to do next with her life, because that’s There is only life. She is known and loved.
In Vegas’ brutal standards for show business, he is a relic of another time and unsuited and distasteful to current standards of audience entertainment. She criticizes these new shows, calling them vulgar and classless, while also being completely oblivious to the comment that her own show was a similarly stale version of the same thing. For Shelley, Le Razzle Dazzle was the last vestige of the classy shows of Paris, glamorous with elegant costumes and sets. This brings him happiness, but it may also cost him his relationship with his estranged daughter, who criticizes her mother’s career. Similarly, Shelly has no real financial future, as she has no investments, 501k, etc. which is now ending as the show ends.
It seems showbiz is an industry that takes a lot without giving much back, and 57 year old Shelley (like Pamela Anderson really) has nothing left to show. But he is also indifferent about his career. She really loved her work, and thought it was classy, ​​glamorous, and mainly, it made her happy to be a showgirl.The Last ShowgirlDespite some melodrama, this is a “take me as I am” style narrative, where the film is both frustrating and interesting. The filmmakers seem to both be critical of Vegas and the kind of work showgirls have to go through, while also encouraging a message of “do what makes you happy” despite the consequences of that mentality. By the end of the movie, I couldn’t decide whether the message of the movie was a cautionary tale of showbiz life in Vegas or whether it was about chasing your dreams as long as they make you happy, no matter the consequences.
The cast is pretty solid, but I found the performances to be a bit mixed. Pamela Anderson delivers an uneven turn as Shelley, offering both great moments of personal tragedy, but her girlish melancholy sometimes makes it hard to sympathize with or connect with her when considering the challenges that lie ahead. Gives. This is a big issue in the first half of the film, but I found that as the film progressed and more challenges arose, giving Anderson a chance to act, her performance improved. His breakdown after being rejected in an audition was an extraordinary thing.
Dave Bautista, on the other hand, feels like he’s been misunderstood as a backstage technician, quietly humming his lines. This made him feel even more awkward and rude and I was hoping that at some point he would come out of his shell a little and offer some wisdom. But this never happened. Jamie Lee Curtis, on the other hand, steals the show as Annette, a washed-up cocktail waitress and Shelley’s best friend. She has this idle energy that looks upbeat on the surface but is really just covering up the sadness and failures that she is carrying with her. The cast includes Billie Lourd as Hannah, Shelley’s estranged daughter, who feels that her mother has put her worthless job and career before hers.
The Last Showgirl It’s not a perfect film, but it’s an interesting snapshot of the lives of people who are often forgotten in Las Vegas. It’s up to you to decide if this is a cautionary tale, or if it’s about chasing your dreams.
