Skip to main content

The Last Showgirl (2024) | Review


2024 | R | 85 mins | Directed by Gia Coppola

The Last Showgirl follows Shelly (Pamela Anderson), a seasoned showgirl who loves nothing more than getting to perform in her Vegas show. She has been in the show for 30 years and has loved every minute of it. When Shelly and her fellow performers are informed that the show will be closing after 30 years, she must plan for her future and find a new avenue in life. Shelly struggles as this has been her career for so long and now she doesn't know how to move on after such an abrupt, life-changing event.

We've seen this story before, time and time again. An actor or actress who has faded out of the limelight for an extended period, comes back for a role like you've never seen from them before. While this trend does work for some, it also feels like a swing and a miss for others. Unfortunately for Pamela Anderson, this doesn't quite feel like her big comeback. Giving credit where it is due, Anderson is really trying here. There are scenes throughout where she gives it her all and is making the effort to make this work. With that being said, Anderson isn't a strong enough actress to pull off this material. Everyone else in the cast is acting circles around her, despite her best efforts.

Director Gia Coppola makes some interesting decisions behind the camera. Her direction is awkward at times and even though the runtime is only 85 minutes, it feels like there is a lot of dead time that could be utilized to flesh out more of the story or give some more time to some of the side characters. At times throughout, there looks like there is a blur filter on the camera. This effect makes scenes look unnecessarily bad and is more of a distraction than an interesting direction choice. 

As far as what does work, the rest of the cast all give solid performances. Jamie Lee Curtis, Kiernan Shipka and Brenda Song are all great as close friends of Shelly. Billie Lourd plays Shelly's daughter Hannah and there are some good scenes between the two of them. Though his screen time is somewhat limited, Dave Bautista shows once again that he is a more than capable actor. He brings a certain charm to his performance that is a welcome addition.

There is so much potential here and it mostly feels like a missed opportunity. Putting a stronger actress in the lead role that is more capable of handling this material would completely elevate this story. While it's not all bad, the execution is the biggest problem with The Last Showgirl. Some good performances help keep this afloat, but this is mostly a dull and bleak look at an uninteresting character.

Grade: C

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Review

  2026 | PG-13 | 145 mins | Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton It has been five years since the last Spider-Man movie hit theaters. Spider-Man: No Way Home was one of the biggest post pandemic movies and was able to capitalize on bringing together all three live action Spider-Man actors. After taking some time off, Spider-Man is back with a new director and a new look at not just the superhero but Peter Parker himself. Picking up right where the last movie left off, everyone has not only forgotten that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, but everyone also has forgotten Peter Parker altogether. Now, living on his own and mostly keeping to himself Peter tries to live a life without his aunt, his best friend and the love of his life. Continuing with his duties as Spider-Man, he has been collaborating with the local police to help track down any villains that try to destroy the city. He still keeps tabs on Ned and MJ as they are now attending MIT and living their life post-Peter Parker. A new t...
Post a Comment
Full Review »

Swapped (2026) | Review

  2026 | PG | 102 mins. | Directed by Nathan Greno Swapped is the latest in what seems to be a never-ending cycle of animated talking animal movies. With the success of Zootopia 2 last year and recent movies like Hoppers and Animal Farm also getting into the mix, how does Swapped separate itself from the pack? On paper, it looks like just another generic animal movie with a heavy-handed lesson that the characters must learn and then everyone feels good in the end. Thankfully, Swapped stands on its own and separates itself by being creative with its character designs as well as taking big chances in its plot point. Throughout the movie we follow a small woodland creature named Ollie (Michael B. Jordan). When he is younger, he befriends a young bird, called a Javan, that he shows how to eat the food of his species. After doing so the bird invites the rest of her flock to come and try this food, which makes things difficult for Ollie and his family. Ollie's species, called Pookoos, ha...
Post a Comment
Full Review »

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Review

  2026 | PG | 98 mins. | Directed by Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Pierre Leduc After striking out in the 90s with a live action attempt at the character, Universal and Illumination finally struck gold with Mario and his pals in the 2023 smash hit The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The movie went on to gross over $1.3 billion at the box office and was the second highest grossing movie of 2023. It was inevitable based on well the movie did that a sequel would be right around the corner. Now in 2026 The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is hitting theaters with a bigger story and even more characters.  When Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson) is kidnapped by the son of Bowser (Jack Black), Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie), it is up to Mario (Chris Pratt) and the gang to try and save her. Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) set out on their own journey to try and find where she is being kept. Meanwhile, Mario and Luigi (Charlie Day) stay back to help protect the Mushroom Kingd...
Post a Comment
Full Review »

Toy Story 5 | Review

  2026 | PG | 102 mins. | Directed by McKenna Harris and Andrew Stanton For over 30 years the Toy Story  series has remained one of the most consistent franchises. The original movie was the first computer animated film and has gone on to be remembered as one of the greatest animated movies of all time. After spawning three sequels, the franchise has gone on to become a cultural phenomenon. Now with Toy Story 5 , the toys are back once again and this time they are taking on a new foe that is putting their jobs in jeopardy. Buzz, Jessie and the gang have their hands full when their owner, Bonnie, has a problem making friends. While Bonnie still loves playing with toys and likes to be imaginative and creative, the kids in her neighborhood and in her dance class only want to do one thing, play with their tablets. Bonnie and her parents are unsure of how to get other kids to want to play with her so the parents end up getting Bonnie her own tablet so she can hopefully interact wit...
Post a Comment
Full Review »

The Mandalorian and Grogu | Review

  2026 | PG-13 | 132 mins. | Directed by Jon Favreau It's been seven years since the last time a Star Wars movie hit the big screen. After The Rise of Skywalker premiered in 2019 and was met with lukewarm reception, Disney decided to shift their focus for Star Wars. Over the last seven years the franchise has seen several series make their way to Disney+. These series have allowed Disney to expand the universe and create new stories within the world. The first series, and arguably one of the best, to hit Disney+ was The Mandalorian. Fan and critic reception has been mostly positive for the three seasons of the show. After toying with a fourth season, Disney decided to scrap the idea and do a new Mandalorian movie and return Star Wars to the big screen. With The Mandalorian and Grogu , the movie follows Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu on a new adventure. Now working for Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver) and the New Republic, Mando and Grogu are hired by the Hutt family to track d...
Post a Comment
Full Review »