The Last Showgirl, Review
Breast! Rhinestones! Joy!
Blame the UK distribution as to why I’m late to The Last Showgirl party, but here I am, ready to champion it until my last breath. To all the naysayers out there who didn’t understand the plot, or found it boring, or did not like Pamela Anderson’s performance, fools, the lot of you are fools. I know we’re entitled to our own opinions, but theirs are wrong. There is only one correct word to describe this film and that is beautiful.
The Last Showgirl centres around the final two weeks of the only traditional Las Vegas showgirl act still standing and how its oldest dancer, Shelly (Anderson) copes with the death of her dream job. It’s slice of life, we drop into Shelly and her friends and colleagues lives and then we drop out. Contrary to the critics’ beliefs, we don’t need context or fully developed plot lines or character arcs, we’re just popping into two weeks of these peoples’ lives. It’s show, don’t tell storytelling, and it’s a gorgeous effort.
This is Gia Coppola’s, granddaughter of Francis Ford, niece of Sofia, second cousin of Jason Schwartzman and Nicolas Cage, directorial debut, and she has definitely inherited her family’s cinema gene. Filmed in a warm and fuzzy 16mm, the film feels like stepping into the photographs of the Folies Bergere at Hotel Tropicana, 1961 - the pinks, oranges, baby blues, rhinestones, maribou feathers, it’s girly glamour at its finest. Showgirls under the female gaze, if you will. I hate to make comparisons, but Gia is following in her Auntie Sofia’s footsteps when it comes to capturing this girly glamour. A lone female dancing like no one’s watching usually plagues American independent cinema with manic pixie dreamgirl energy, but Gia makes her solo dance scenes natural. Shelly dancing in her living room, and somewhere on the Las Vegas strip, as well as her orange best friend Annette’s (Jamie Lee Curtis) random dance to Bonnie Tyler mid-Casino shift, are just showcasing their creativity, their dreams, and by extension, themselves. It’s their passion, it’s who they are and it’s a joy to watch.
I know I said that I hate comparisons, but I could not help but see Marilyn Monroe during Pamela Anderson’s performance. This isn’t mimicry or Anderson playing the role as a Monroe character, there’s just some noticeable similarities with their breathy voices, giddiness, a tinge of sadness that creeps in, comedic timing, and how they’ve been cruelly mistreated by the Industry. Pammy sparkles in this role, and it’s not just the rhinestones, her Shelly is a dreamer, a creative soul, a dancer who ignores the naysayers, and believes people should follow their passions. Don’t let her pastels and innocent voice fool you though, she has a tongue almost as sharp as Norma Desmond’s, and has made some questionable choices in life. But behind these there are the complexities of women in show-business, especially when it comes to age and motherhood, and the sacrifices women have to make. I think Anderson’s performance is best described in Sheila O’Malley’s review: “It’s not a comeback. It’s a beginning.”
The supporting cast are also fantastic: Brenda Song and Kiernan Shipka are Anderson’s co-dancers with varying enthusiasm for their chosen profession, Billie Lourd is a quiet yet strong presence, Dave Bautista is surprisingly soft and with a wonderful head of hair, and there is a cameo of one of the Coppola clan, but I shan’t spoil it. It’s Jamie Lee Curtis who is the scene stealer, with her fake tangerine tan and frosted lips, she brings the funniest quips, as well as showing the side of Vegas that smells of cigarettes and desperation. I’ve seen people say they felt these characters were underdeveloped, but I disagree. They all felt very real, it’s just that their personal plots are not fulfilled and tied with a bow by the end of the film. Which is the point of slice of life…
The Last Showgirl is a beautifully shot and acted film, with some of the most gorgeous cinematography I’ve seen in a little while. I don’t know if it was the beauty of the costumes or Pammy’s performance, but that final dance almost had me in tears. The colours are soft yet bright, just like Pamela Anderson’s performance, and Gia Coppola’s directorial debut. I’m excited to see what they both do respectively next, and hope that they continue to work with each other as well, I can see a nice cinematic partnership blossoming.
