The Last Showgirl is sort of like a blend of The Wrestler and Showgirls. Pamela Anderson stars as an aging Vegas showgirl who receives word that the show she’s been a part of for so many years is coming to a close. She uses the occasion to try to reconnect with her estranged daughter (Billie Lourd) and must eventually come to grips with her not-so promising future.
Director Gia (Palo Alto) Coppola aims to give the audience an intimate portrait of an older woman at a turning point in her life. She favors handheld camerawork and uses a lot of over-the-shoulder shots that lend the film a documentary feel. The frank and claustrophobic backstage scenes also help take any kind of glamour you may associate with the occupation out of the equation.
With her foul mouth and weathered, sun-damaged skin, Jamie Lee Curtis is a hoot as Anderson’s haggard looking best friend. Even though Anderson got tons of glowing notices for her work here (and rightfully so), Curtis threatens to steal the movie out from under her at nearly every turn. The hilarious/pathetic highlight is when she gets up in the middle of the casino and does an impromptu dance to “Total Eclipse of the Heart”. She also gets some great lines like, “I’m not irresponsible. I’m thinking about opening up an IRA!” Dave Bautista is also quite good as the soft-spoken gentle giant backstage manager of the show, as is Kiernan Shipka as a young dancer who sees Anderson as a maternal figure. Lourd gives a fine performance as well as her actual daughter, and Jason Schwartzman is great in a cameo as a sleazy director.
Anderson is the heart of the movie. This is easily her best performance, and proof she could be entering a new stage of her career. It’s always nice to see someone the industry has more or less written off making a comeback like this and she deserves any accolades she gets.
The movie itself is a little thin in spots. Since it’s more of a slice of life kind of thing, it’s fairly easy to overlook. It’s slight, but well-observed. However, the performances are so good that it holds everything together.
No comments:
Post a Comment