In the 2022 HBO docuseries The Last Movie Stars, Ethan Hawke talks about the role he risked playing the great Joanne Woodward, and who would have played The Three Faces of Eve if the role had been lost. ‘ star could have won a second Oscar. The difference was that she played a failed starlet who relied on burlesque to survive. The film, an adaptation of William Inge’s play “The Lost of a Rose,” was a role for the late Marilyn Monroe, so Woodward stepped in and did all his method acting. Sadly, the studio lost faith, recut the movie, and gave it a lame new title, “The Stripper.”
In another world, “The Last Showgirl” might have been such a vehicle for leading lady Pamela Anderson. Walking the tightrope between objectification and empowerment, the project lands in the midst of a philanthropic reappraisal of Anderson’s career, during which a memoir, a Netflix doc, and countless think pieces This led some people to wonder if they had underestimated the sex symbol. Based on the evidence seen here, they were not. Anderson is a star, but her acting range is limited and she contributes little in a thin role. That conclusion was further emphasized by Jamie Lee Curtis playing a slightly older, but still fiery cocktail waitress who is a force of nature to support.
Indeed, there is something poignant and vulnerable about Anderson’s decision to play a despicable Las Vegas dancer. Shelley joined the “Razzle Dazzle” revue in 1987 (two years before “Baywatch” debuted on television) and described the traditional duties required of parents to realize their dreams of performing in the Strip. I sacrificed everything. More than 30 years later, she still struggles to keep up with the younger girls, treating them like adopted daughters. Jody (Kiernan Shipka) and Marianne (Brenda Song) are flexible enough to take on other jobs, but Shelley is forced to leave the stage manager and old flame Eddie (played by an unusually gentle Dave Bautista, Chris Kristofferson (who is doing his best) gets knocked on the side when he hears that the show is about this show. We are currently closed.
Directed by Gia Coppola, The Last Showgirl begins with Shelley’s first audition in a while. It’s painful to watch. She’s rusty, and the recruiting guy (played by another member of the Coppola family) has harsh feedback. At the film’s Toronto Film Festival premiere, Shelley’s clichéd response, “I’m 57 and beautiful, you son of a bitch,” drew applause, and the audience realized that it was Anderson, not Shelley, who gave such self-reliance. I heard you speak the words. Her affirmation may have been correct, but there was something not only unprofessional, but pathetic about the way she expressed it. Does Shelley not know how auditions (or her industry) work?
“The Last Showgirl” is more realistic and reveals that Shelley has standards. She could have been a rocket, but she chose Las Vegas over a chorus line. She won’t be an escort on the side, and she won’t be putting on the raunchy adult shows that Las Vegas audiences are demanding these days. Shelly tells her daughter (Billie Lourd) that her customs have their roots in France, as though she is deceiving herself. Director Coppola held back until the end the footage from the “Razzle Dazzle” show in which Shelley and his troupe don sequined bodice and feathered headgear and groom themselves like a bunch of peacocks, and instead I promised you a behind-the-scenes look at these gods.
But without that magical spotlight, they can look ordinary, or even endearingly lame at times. No one wants to see their fantasy objects buying groceries or checking their checkbooks. Lest that seem sexist, know that the same goes for race car drivers, soldiers, and superheroes. “The Last Showgirl” seeks to restore the dignity of women and remind them that they are real people with dreams and disappointments. But a little more dimension would go a long way. The lack of detail means you can read the role any way you want, but Anderson’s hesitant performance drains the character of any charisma she’s supposed to have.
That’s especially true in the scenes shared with Curtis, who plays gregarious best friend Annette, as if she were the MVP of a Christopher Guest movie. While Anderson does the WYSIWYG thing with no make-up, Kabuki-obsessed Curtis complements her shy, whispery co-star with silver eyeshadow and a trowel of sunscreen that’s more fluorescent orange than Donald Trump. . There’s nothing quite like the sight of Curtis gyrating to “Total Eclipse of the Heart” on a casino floor, but the movie doesn’t know what to do with this spectacular trustfall exercise.
Although Anderson often feels like a supporting character in her own films, her involvement definitely felt like a coup d’état to Coppola. Coppola is treating her casting like he did Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. The film very clearly sets out the example that screenwriter Kate Gersten had in mind, right down to the title character’s fumbling attempts to repair his relationship with his estranged daughter. I can’t help but compare the two. While “The Wrestler” depicted life-or-death stakes, “The Last Showgirl” is all about how Shelly will cope when “Razzle Dazzle” comes to an end. That may be enough for someone who has dedicated their entire career to one company or job, only to be put out to pasture.
Las Vegas is the perfect place to explore the washed-up remnants of the American dream, much like the Misfits did with Reno. But that movie had a soul-piercing script and also starred Marilyn. “The Last Showgirls” has access to Las Vegas, but resists the clichés given by Paul Verhoeven in his polarizing film “Showgirls.” Director Autumn Durard Alcapeau observes with a floating wide-angle camera, letting the city and the recently demolished Tropicana Casino blur into the background (sometimes even the characters are out of focus). The final pass in post particularly emphasizes the pinks and magentas, giving the entire film a distinct, washed-out glow vibe. Still, when Anderson disappears into the tree world in the movie, you know something is wrong.
