Movie: The Last Showgirl

The Last Showgirl is one of those movies the older you are the more likely the storyline and underlying messages will resonate with you.

Directed by Gia Coppola and written by Kate Gersten, the movie explores the impact of an upcoming closure of a long-running topless rhinestones-and-feathers Las Vegas hotel/casino revue show – Le Razzle Dazzle.

As the title suggests the emphasis is on one of the performers – Shelly (Pamela Anderson) who is its longest-serving cast member having joined the show in the 1980s as one of its stars.

Covering the last two weeks before the final curtain falls, The Last Showgirl spotlights Shelly’s struggles with the closure of a show she loves and considers a form of theatre inspired by classy Parisian shows on the Champs-Élysées.

The movie examines the impact of the closure on her self-worth, her relationship with those around her including stage manager Eddie (Dave Bautista) and her daughter Hannah (Billie Lourd) and her future options. Needless to say the future doesn’t look promising.

While younger members of the show including Jodie (Kiernan Shipka) and Mary-Anne (Brenda Song), who see Shelly as a mother figure, have a good chance of getting roles in the newer Vegas shows, the future is far grimmer for a 57-year-old.  This reality is harshly delivered to Shelly at an audition, one of many emotionally distressing realities she experiences.

The lack of financial support for a woman of her age and in her position is another.  And she is not alone. Shelly’s best friend, former show performer and now cocktail waitress Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis) is also facing similar discrimination and financial uncertainty. More realistic than Shelly about future opportunities, Annette still has her demons thanks to a gambling addiction. Unlike Eddie, neither Shelly nor Annette have such safety nets as a pension or health insurance.

Also causing Shelly great distress is her relationship with Hannah.  Shelly chose her career over Hannah and as a result her daughter was raised as a member of her best friend’s family.

Hannah’s reconnection with Shelly opens up old wounds especially for Hannah who is still bitter her mother chose dancing in a show over her. This is especially so when, after watching one of the final performances, Hannah describes the show as ‘a stupid nudie show’ and ‘lame trash.’

It’s easy to see why Anderson received a Golden Globe nomination for best actress for her role in The Last Showgirl.

She gives a believable performance as a woman who loves her job and just wants to keep doing it. Anderson brings to life Shelly’s many emotions including vulnerability, heartbreak, confusion, pride, anger and love.

She’s ably supported by Curtis and Bautista although with a running time of 85 minutes there’s seemingly not the time to fully develop their characters or other cast members as much as Anderson’s Shelly.

At the same time, within that running time Coppola and Gersten (who based the story on the demise of the showgirl revue Jubilee! which she attended while in Vegas), effectively illustrate the impact of job-related identity, choosing a career over family and the realities of life as we age.

The Last Showgirl screens in cinemas around Australia from February 20.