It’s only January, but Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl, starring Pamela Anderson as a Las Vegas performer, is set to be among the most memorable movies of the year. With a brilliantly complex, heartfelt and poignant script from Kate Gersten, the film is unwavering in its layered and authentic exploration of womanhood and motherhood.
“Las Vegas in itself, it’s just such a metaphor for America and discarding of the old and traditions, [replacing them with] consumerist values,” Coppola told reporters during a virtual press conference about what’s at the “heart” of the film. “And how women are sort of commodified by cultures, boundaries and viewpoints of what women should be, and how to be a working, creative mother at the same time.”
The Last Showgirl release date: Jan. 10 in the U.S., Jan .17 in CanadaDirector: Gia CoppolaWriter: Kate GerstenCast: Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kiernan Shipka, Brenda Song, Dave Bautista, Billie LourdRuntime: 89 minutes
This image released by Roadside Attractions shows Pamela Anderson in a scene from “The Last Showgirl.” (Roadside Attractions via AP)
What is ‘The Last Showgirl’ about
Anderson plays Shelly, a Las Vegas showgirl who’s performed at Le Razzle Dazzle for 30 years. In her 50s, Shelly is the oldest performer in the show, alongside her younger colleagues in their 20s, Mary-Anne (Brenda Song) and Jodie (Kiernan Shipka).
But stage manager Eddie (Dave Bautista) breaks the news that the Le Razzle Dazzle is coming to a close, with the show being replaced by a circus performance in two weeks.
While all the performer are devastated about losing their jobs, being a 20-year-old showgirl and a showgirl in her 50s are very different realities. Once seen as beloved icons of Sin City, treated like massive stars, that’s not the case anymore. And what new shows are looking for from the women they hire is much different than what Shelly knows. It becomes very clear to her that her age has made her undesirable in the town she once thrived in.
While Shelly tries to navigate her uncertain future she has the support of her friend Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis), a career cocktail waitress who’s being similar shut out as she’s gotten older and is struggling to pay her bills.
Shelly is also trying to reconnect with her estranged daughter, Hannah (Billie Lourd), who’s about to graduate from college in Arizona. Their relationship has been strained as Hannah saw her mom prioritize her career over being a present parent.
This image released by Roadside Attractions shows Pamela Anderson in a scene from “The Last Showgirl.” (Zoey Grossman/Roadside Attractions via AP)
Unforgettable performance from Pamela Anderson
Anderson’s performance in The Last Showgirl deserves all the praise and celebration it’s getting. She embodies Shelly seamlessly, bringing the audience into the real heartache of how women are seen as disposable. The actor flawlessly navigates the moments when Shelly feels small and almost meek, and when she fiercely breaks out to advocate for herself. Anderson’s performance is unforgettable, profound, monumental and incredibly moving.
As we saw in Pamela, A Love Story, the star has been grossly undervalued in Hollywood, and it’s easy to see parallels between Anderson and her character. That adds to what makes this film feel so satisfying, with Anderson being able to lead a film as a well-developed character in a beautifully crafted story.
But don’t count out the rest of the cast. Much of the magic of The Last Showgirl rests in the dynamics between Shelly and the younger women she has relationships with, in addition to this incredibly endearing friendship with Annette. Kiernan Shipka, Brenda Song, Jamie Lee Curtis, Billie Lourd and Dave Bautista are all exceptional in The Last Showgirl, beautifully embodying the complexity of their relationships with Anderson’s character.
TORONTO, ONTARIO – SEPTEMBER 06: (L-R) Kate Gersten, Billie Lourd, Pamela Anderson, Brenda Song, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kiernan Shipka and Gia Coppola of ‘The Last Showgirl’ pose in the Getty Images Portrait Studio Presented by IMDb and IMDbPro during the Toronto International Film Festival at InterContinental Toronto Centre on September 06, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for IMDb)
Coppola treats all the characters in this film, and the audience, with respect. That may seem like an obvious task for a director, but it’s something far too many don’t achieve. It’s not just about empathy, although that’s a core element, but it’s about really allowing the execution of this story to sit in the complexity and the elements that aren’t entirely clear.
The pressure on women to stay young and youthful to be valued, an impossible task as aging is inevitable, is messy. And how women are forced to survive that pressure isn’t something that can be sorted out and tied up in a bow. It’s evolving, it’s always in flux, and it gets exhausting.
Gersten’s script also beautifully touches on this element of Shelly looking back at her life and the choices she could have made, instead of being a Vegas showgirl, like possibly being a Rockette in New York. And the story allows us to see layer after layer of the mental gymnastics being drawn to the “what if” of life.
Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s cinematography is gorgeously linked to the story, blurry, out of focus, but also mesmerizing and intoxicating, much like Shelly’s life. For much of the film Coppola puts us incredibly close to the character, like we’re right in their face, or over their shoulders, an incredibly intimate viewpoint for the audience.
But most importantly, while Shelly certainly hasn’t always made the best decisions in life, she’s never reduced to just being a helpless victim. The film just exemplifies the reality of survival, especially for women.