By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
Overrated and overhyped are the first words that come to mind after watching this trainwreck of a film. “The Last Showgirl” features the return of Pamela Anderson to a starring role since 1996’s “Barb Wire,” and is directed by a member of the Coppola family. Strong messaging and good ideals are not enough to salvage the hastily thrown together production and overacting.
After three decades of working as a showgirl on the Vegas strip, Shelly (Pamela Anderson) is confronted with an unknown future as her Razzle Dazzle show comes to an end. Having spent nearly her entire adult life performing, her fear of not being able to land another gig because of her age is palpable. Her best friend and former showgirl turned cocktail waitress, Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis), tries to help her navigate these uncertain times but her gruff negativity and self-destructiveness only complicate matters.
On top of it all, Shelly’s adult daughter Hannah (Billie Lourd) is about to graduate college and has wanted nothing to do with her mother. She feels Shelly chose a performer’s life over parenting, instilling a sense of neglect and disdain for her chosen profession. Can Shelly find her way through these uncertain times and become the mother she never was, or is it too late for the aging dancer?
“The Last Showgirl” took only 18 days to film, and it shows. Gia Coppola, granddaughter of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, directs this drama and her haste with filming shows up in a number of negative ways. First and foremost, the quality of cinematography is compromised with several camera shots that are not even in focus. There are also moments she switches to handheld shots, which would be fine if the camera operator had more of a steady hand. The shaky camera movements and out of focus sequences coupled with overly severe closeups result in an amateurish, home movie kind of production.
The haste also shows up in the layout of the story as the film jumps from one awkward dialogue scene to the next without clear purpose. Coppola tries to break up the monotony with random shots of the main character standing in a vacant parking lot, or kicking rocks by an overpass, or simply staring at an ordinary gas station to capture the edginess of Vegas, but only adds to the pointlessness of the film. The inclusion of a romantic subplot only emphasizes the awkwardness and serves no point other than to give Dave Bautista a reason for being in the movie. Coppola presents valid ideals like agism of women in the Vegas performance industry and the impact on the mother/daughter dynamic, but she presents them in such a generalized way that their truth is lost in the flat delivery.
Yes, it’s been nearly 30 years since Pamela Anderson starred in a movie, but that does not automatically make this an award caliber performance like many in the press would have everyone believe. She is still that same overacting performer with that mousy naivete in her voice that is like nails on a chalkboard. She’s not horrible in this role but she is certainly not good as she oversells her lines with demonstrative gestures that belie the believability in her performance. Pamela being nominated for a Golden Globe for this performance may provide feel good vibes, but it takes that nomination away from other actresses who truly deserve the recognition like Cristiana Dell’Anna from “Cabrini.”
Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) supplies her veteran presence in a supporting role, but her ego screams through the screen about as loud as her spray tan. This is someone who clearly enjoys hearing herself talk and that comes across heavily in this role. Her constantly negative diatribe is exhausting and squashes the energy of every scene in which she partakes, turning her character into more of a caricature.
Strong messaging and Pamela Anderson’s return to the limelight has successfully put beer goggles on many critics, but don’t be fooled. “The Last Showgirl” is a self-important, sloppy, and downright boring film that lacks depth and resolution. It feels more like a rushed project for film school than a professionally made production.
This movie earns:
