Written by Kate Gersten
Directed by Gia Coppola
Shelly: "I mean, Las Vegas used to treat us like movie stars. The costumes, the sets. We were ambassadors for style and grace."
It wasnt just Demi Moore having something of a career renaissance last year, was it? While this movie didn't quite break into the Oscar race, it did manage to prove that Pamela Anderson had it in her to be a potential award contender.
Taking on the role of showgirl Shelly Gardner, you've got the former Baywatch actor giving one of the most underrated performances during award season. The role was written for her in mind and it's a challenge that she delivered on quite well.
Shelly's a woman nearing 60 years old and she's got little to show for herself. The Le Razzle Dazzle troupe she's performed in since the 1980s are about to be shut down and she doesn't appear to have much savings or life skills to do anything else. Not to mention her resentment towards her younger dancers who see her as a mother figure reared it's head on many an occasion here.
The younger dancers being Mary Anne (Brenda Song) and Jodie (Kiernan Shipka), both of whom are less bothered by the closing down of Le Razzle Dazzle. In fact, both of them are auditioning for more modern shows and when Shelly tried to do the same, she was given a brutal reality check by a director (Jason Schwartzmann) that further isolated her.
As for her other relationships, Shelly prioritising her career put her at odds with her estranged daughter, Hannah (Billie Lourd). The latter in particular was very scathing about Shelly's line of work while manager Eddie (Dave Bautista) didn't seem too sympathetic towards Shelly's breakdown but was rather hypocritical about how she raised Hannah, given that he didn't help on that front.
The only support they Shelly had in the movie was from best friend and irresponsible cocktail waitress, Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis). Annette's the only one who's sympathetic towards Shelly but she's also a chaotic messy who ended up needing Shelly's help more than Shelly needed her. The film did end on a rather ambiguous but interesting note with Shelly's delusions blurring reality.
- The movie's based on writer Kate Gersten's Body Of Work, which took inspiration from the Jubilee! shows before their closure in 2016.
- We should be thanking Pamela's son, Brandon for her taking on the movie as her agent foolishly turned it down at first.
- Standout music: Miley Cyrus's Beautiful That Way.
- Chronology: I'm assuming 2024 Las Vegas for Shelly. Hannah lives in Arizona where Shelly was planning to move to. Shelly's 57, the same age as Pamela Anderson.
The Last Showgirl might have missed out on the big one to be nomated for but it's an undeniably great showcase for Pamela Anderson. She's given a great script and gave a great performance, playing the sympathetic if not frustrating Shelly. I hope this will lead to other casting directors giving her more serious roles going forward.
Rating: 8 out of 10
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