
THE LAST SHOWGIRL
Starring: Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista, Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka, and Billie Lourd
Director: Gia Coppola

NICK

It’s clear The Last Showgirl was a labour of love for all involved, but for Pamela Anderson, in particular. Never accused of being a tremendous actress, she's great in a role that feels as if it was tailor-made for her. It's likely the best way to cap off her unique career too. She's also joined by a great supporting cast, so the acting is not the problem here. The issue is the story structure. Everything is a bit messy, and a few of the supporting characters could have used more fleshing out. Also, for a story about finality, the end should've landed better.

ADRIANO

The Last Showgirl just misses the mark for me. The performances are one of the obvious reasons you watch this movie, and they deliver. Pamela Anderson does something unlike anything you've ever seen from her, while Dave Bautista continues to show his range in a silent, nuanced role. Kiernan Shipka and Jamie Lee Curtis also are excellent. And admittedly, the movie is well shot and well paced, too; however, its story of re-discovering your purpose in the world felt pretty underdeveloped. It’s too rushed for its own good, ending up being ineffective. It might resonate with some, but I wanted more.

QUENTIN

As cliché as the story is, recalling The Wrestler and Crazy Heart, The Last Showgirl is generally effective because of the ensemble cast and fresh take of seeing this familiar tale told from a woman’s perspective. Pamela Anderson, though a bit uneven, still gives the best performance of her career as a character that perhaps she understands better than anyone else could, and she’s elevated by terrific supporting turns from Dave Bautista and Jamie Lee Curtis. Sure, some plot points could have been fleshed out much more, and I didn’t care for the multitude of literally out-of-focus camera shots, but Showgirl is more successful than not.

PRESTON

I grew up in the Phoenix area, and I would often join my truck-driving father on his weekly runs to Las Vegas. We would get a steak & eggs breakfast for $3.99 and circumnavigate the less glamorous areas of “The Strip.” The Last Showgirl perfectly captures the essence of the real backdrop of life in Vegas and those imperfectly fond memories. The gritty hand-held camerawork, lighting, and blurred edges inject just the right amount of grime to the glitz. The acting is terrific and I, for one, appreciate its minimalistic messaging and to-the-point storytelling.

KATIE

The Last Showgirl is a fleeting, poignant story of regret, nostalgia, and the impossible standards women are forced to grapple with. Pamela Anderson’s raw, honest performance as Shelly is extremely moving, and her character’s righteous anger at how women are discarded once deemed too old or not attractive enough is enhanced by Anderson’s real-life persona. She excels not only at exuding Shelly’s anger, but also her eccentricity and sense of hope, and the dreamy, soft-focus style combined with the unsteady handheld camerawork perfectly captures her nuanced character. The rest of the cast, particularly Dave Bautista (Eddie), is also fantastic, but ultimately this is Anderson’s film.

PAIGE

The Last Showgirl is a vulnerable film that allows Pamela Anderson to shine in her strongest performance to date. It's an intriguing character study that explores ageism in Vegas, but the overall film left me feeling a bit underwhelmed as it never quite measures up to Anderson's performance. The film relies more on montages and vibes than its actual story, so a lot of things feel underdeveloped by the time the closing credits roll since the script never delves deeply enough into its concepts or characters.
This film was reviewed by Nick, Adriano, and Quentin as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and 2024 Zurich Film Festival respectively.