The Last Showgirl

 

    Written by Kate Gersten, based on her book and directed by Gia Coppola, this new drama is a revelation for it's lead actress, Pamela Anderson. Devoid of any makeup and acting on pure emotion, Ms. Anderson delivers one of the best performances of the year.

     Shelly (Ms. Anderson) has been a showgirl in Las Vegas for over 30 years. She is still going strong at fifty seven but when she learns that her iconic show will shortly be playing it's last performance, her world is turned upside down.

      The film co-stars Jamie Lee Curtis as Annette, Shelly's best friend and a former showgirl, now an aging cocktail waitress in a casino. Dave Bautista plays Eddie, the producer of Shelly's show and a former boyfriend. Brenda Song and Kiernan Shipka are showgirl colleagues. Billie Lourd plays Hannah, Shelly's estranged daughter Jason Schwartzman has a cameo as a nameless director auditioning dancers. Ms. Curtis is clearly having a great time and yet plays her role with an underlying sadness. It's refreshing to see Mr. Bautista in a straight dramatic role where he doesn't shoot or punch anyone.

       While all the acting is excellent, Ms. Anderson is simply amazing. It's unfortunate that the script is not stronger as the material doesn't hold up to the acting. While it's a thin story, it does make a tragically true point about the afterlife of aging showgirls.

       Ms. Coppola brings out the best in Ms. Anderson but her constant use of extreme closeups could have been dialed back a bit. That criticism aside, see it for Pamela Anderson's triumph.