Starring Pamela Anderson, The Last Showgirl is about Shelly a showgirl who has been working in one show for three decades. She has eked out a living and sacrificed her relationship with her child to stay under the bright lights of this Vegas show, Le Razzle Dazzle. Everything is ticking along until one day over dinner her producer and longtime friend Eddie reveals to her and some of the other girls that the show is coming to an end. With this sudden revelation, Shelly doesn’t know what to do and so she begins to take stock of her life, and what the potential future may hold.
The Last Showgirl is a meditative piece that is held together by the performances of its cast led by a fantastic Pamela Anderson. Shelly is someone who chose her path, her passion and even though it has been three decades she still seems like that naive twenty-something. She enjoys the attention, she loves the bright lights and she doesn’t see anything else outside for herself. This all comes crashing down on her with the announcement that the Revue is shutting its doors. Shelly doesn’t know what to do and begins to wander the Vegas strip, contemplating her life and what it means. She also reaches out to her estranged daughter Hannah, who sees Shelly as more of an acquaintance than a mother.
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Anderson isn’t alone though, Dave Bautista brings a fascinating grounded element to balance Shelly’s naivety. He’s a man trying to hold everything together without getting too involved and as the story progresses you see this as quite the fault in his character. Jamie Lee Curtis brings a performance that is so cringe-inducing that it feels all too real. Her character Annette is a woman who doesn’t know when to stop and it causes her a lot of problems.
Director Gia Coppola crafts a grounded story, at times the film feels like you’re watching someone’s life story being recorded for our viewing pleasure. At times the backgrounds are out of focus, and camera angles are all over the place, but it adds to the chaos of Shelly’s life. There are also moments throughout the film that give us a more ethereal look into Shelly. These interludes have a song over them and have Shelly wandering across the Vegas strip. It’s an excellent showcase of her walking through her past and as the audience you see how everything is in disarray, being rebuilt for something new and how the past beauty is gone.
The Last Showgirl is a tremendous film. A bittersweet tale about the trappings of following your dreams and where they may take you. I highly recommend this film.
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