The Last Showgirl

Grade: B-

The main character in The Last Showgirl (Shelly) is living a Carol Channing type professional life. She has been with the same Las Vegas burlesque show for more than 30 years. It’s called Razzle Dazzle, and it’s been around since the 80s. She is the last original cast member still with the show. The two dancers with whom she shares a dressing room could be her daughters. She is very good in the production, and at this point in the run, is the most passionate about it, and would be the most brokenhearted if it ever ended. It’s all she has known for almost 4 decades. Pamela Anderson is best known for her work on a beach lifeguard TV show that was very popular 30 years ago, but is quite dated now – so for a couple of reasons, it’s fitting that she stars here as Shelly.

Gia Coppola – niece of Sofia, and granddaughter of Francis Ford – directs the film with a talky, naturalistic, borderline improv feel. There isn’t much of a score. Visually, whatever is on the sides and background – basically, anything we’re not supposed to be focusing on – is blurry. It was 10 minutes in that I had the thought that something more needs to happen. A plot point. A conflict. Anything. This will be a very unpleasant viewing experience if it continues as just a day-in-the-life slice-of-life chat fest.

More does happen. Shelly and her dressing room companions Mary-Anne and Jodie are enjoying an impromptu get-together at Shelly’s house – when Eddie, the show’s longtime stage manager, crashes the party with some unfortunate news. Razzle Dazzle is closing in two weeks. It was very popular 38 years ago, but quite dated now. A hot new circus show will take over in the venue. The two young women are sad it has to end, but excited about what might be next for them, including the opportunity to go out on auditions. Shelly is devastated. This has been her life, and without this, can she still prove her usefulness and relevance? When’s the last time the show, not to mention her, was relevant? Has she just been frozen in time all along, aging along with this increasingly archaic production?

Shelly has been with Razzle Dazzle longer than her now-22-year-old daughter Hannah has been alive. The show was a major source of the rift between Hannah and Shelly, as Hannah feels that her mom chose it over her. They have long been estranged, but recently, Hannah has been tentatively reaching out. Who knows – maybe one day it will lead to Hannah calling her “mom” again instead of “Shelly.”

The ensemble is effective together and individually, from 57-year-old Anderson’s strong leading work, to the supporting characters, down to Coppola relative Jason Schwartzman’s memorable single scene. Mary-Anne and Jodie are played by Brenda Song (The Social Network) and Kiernan Shipka (Twisters, Longlegs, Red One, Sweethearts, Totally Killer). Shipka is one of my favorite performers in the business right now, and she’s great here, having more than one big showcase moment. Carrie Fisher’s daughter Billie Lourd (Ticket to Paradise, Star Wars: Episodes 7-9) brings a lot to Hannah. Dave Bautista is wonderful as Eddie, and is involved with a scene where a huge piece of information is revealed that will make you completely rethink a previous scene. I certainly replayed it in my head, knowing what I just learned. My favorite performance comes from Jamie Lee Curtis as the dark, over-tanned Annette, who used to be with Razzle Dazzle, but is now a cocktail waitress who sometimes dances by the slot machines.

Thinking back on the movie, my memory of it is better than the experience I had while watching it. Maybe I’m just a rewatch away from a higher grade, but this is my gut’s first impression. It takes a little while to arrive, but The Last Showgirl eventually blooms into something fairly interesting, with a healthy amount to say about the human condition. By the end, there’s enough there to overcome some meandering moments and annoying camera work.

Grade: B-