Some casting decisions seem almost too perfect.
Hiring former “Baywatch” beauty Pamela Anderson to play an aging showgirl clinging to her sex appeal certainly applies.
Anderson, 57, no longer rules pop culture with her celebrated curves. She’s reinventing herself on her terms, with the upcoming “Naked Gun” remake to this inspired, slice-of-life drama.
“Showgirl” can be hard to watch, what with its blue-collar indignities and the pain of an estranged child. Anderson brings something personal to the story, holding her head high through a series of obstacles that might bring down a lesser soul.
She’s earned this redemption story.
Anderson plays Shelly, a showgirl whose long-running production is on its last legs. It’s a museum piece of sorts, a kitschy collage of beautiful women and lackluster choreography. The show is aimed at bored tourists and lonely men, and in an age of Internet porn it barely draws a crowd.
The gig is all Shelly has known for years, putting a modest roof over her head and allowing her to raise now-adult daughter Hannah (Billie Lourd). She’s proud of the show and her career, but not everyone agrees.
Especially Hannah.
At least Shelly has Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis, terrific) in her corner. She’s a fellow survivor squeaking out a living at a nearby casino. It’s humiliating work, serving drinks in an outfit better suited for a 20-something figure.
It’s a living, but barely. Sometimes it’s not even that.
“The Last Showgirl” has plenty to say, saluting the hustle of these hard-working women in an industry that recoils at the aging process. It reveals cultural cruelties and the benefits from traditional beauty standards.
Shelly wasn’t raising hell against the system when she benefited from it, something implied but never stated.
Director Gia Coppola isn’t raising a fist against reality. She’s documenting it for our inspection. It’s heartbreaking from start to finish, including Shelly’s complicated ties to her former lover (Dave Bautista, proving anew how grounded he can be away from his fellow “Guardians”).
He seems like the answer to some of Shelly’s prayers, but their tortured history keeps getting in the way. Bautista may be a hulking screen presence, but there’s something tender about him that makes the performance stick.
Shelly’s lack of awareness can be galling, but making her perfect wouldn’t serve the character or the story. Her willingness to push past a younger colleague (Kiernan Shipka) in a time of need is a brutal scene that other filmmakers might have pulled their punches on.
Not here, and the story is all the better for it.
Every detail counts.
Director #GiaCoppola shares some of her thoughts, insight, and the creative process behind #TheLastShowgirl. pic.twitter.com/QA38PkWGjC
— Roadside Attractions (@roadsidetweets) January 7, 2025
“The Last Showgirl” is too smart to add a “yasss, queen” third act, unlike the overrated “Babygirl” with Nicole Kidman.
Instead, it’s a series of body blows and uppercuts, and we wonder if Shelly can leave the film still standing. Anderson, while still no A-list talent, proves she deserves meatier fare moving forward.
“The Last Showgirl” all but shouts it.
HiT or Miss: “The Last Showgirl” offers a grim look at beauty, aging and the realities of a life staring down Father Time.
The post ‘The Last Showgirl’ Shares Uncomfortable Truths appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.
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