By Sofia Lambis, News Investigations Editor
What happens when the thing you’ve dedicated your life to falls apart? Gia Coppola’s upcoming film The Last Showgirl follows Shelly Gardner (Pamela Anderson), a Las Vegas dancer for the long running show Le Razzle Dazzle. Epigram was kindly invited to an early screening at Watershed.
When the show that’s been the centre of her life for 30 years announces its closure, Shelly is forced to confront just how much she’s sacrificed for it and the industry’s perceptions of her as a middle-aged woman. Struggling to reconcile her relationship with her estranged daughter and faced with carving a new path, fifty-something Shelly must navigate the end of the show that’s defined her working life.
Ex-showgirl Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis), a devoted casino worker who vows never to retire, is joined by Shelly’s young colleagues Marie-Anne and Jodie (Brenda Song and Kiernan Shipka), forming an eclectic group of allies. Shelly’s friendships are a key focus of the film. The group’s conversations are filled with laughter, tears and wisecracks. Filmed with handheld cameras to give the discussions an intimate feel, it's like you’re sharing the moment with them.
Refreshingly, The Last Showgirl steers away from the overworn trope of jealousy between women. Although their relationships undergo challenges, Shelly never resents her friends for their youth, and they don’t dismiss her for her age. Instead they form an almost familial closeness, one that contrasts with Shelly’s strained relationship with her own daughter.
Exploring visibility in show business, The Last Showgirl exposes the reality of being a middle-aged woman in an industry obsessed with youth and beauty. Unlike her younger colleagues, Shelly’s job at Le Razzle Dazzle isn't just a way to earn money, it’s her vocation, an integral part of her identity. It’s her way of feeling seen. Shelly constantly recalls the show’s costumes, believing that, in the face of dwindling audiences that these spectacular, glittery outfits are why people want to attend the shows. Her own costume, adorned in rhinestones with a pair of fabric wings (that she keeps breaking) are a point of pride. Illustrating the euphoria of costumed performance versus the pain of becoming invisible, the film addresses the objectification of young women and the disregard for older women. With her younger self still the poster’s covergirl, the current Shelly is ruthlessly dismissed at auditions for her age and talent. Jamie Lee Curtis’ spontaneous dance to ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ in the middle of her shift, a performance that goes completely unnoticed, makes for a more comedic example.
The soft-spoken Shelly is a complex character. At times we feel for her, or want to leap to her defence. Other times we’re frustrated at her treatment of others (I’m still sad she didn’t let Kiernan Shipka into her house). Pamela Anderson is a brilliant lead, expertly navigating Shelly’s emotions and relationships. Anderson herself was a model and rose to fame on the TV show Baywatch. Now experiencing a career resurgence, her performance in The Last Showgirl has earned her nominations for a Golden Globe as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award.
For a film that showcases the social impact of aging for women, ironically, much of the press around Anderson in The Last Showgirl has focused on her appearance. Her entrance to the Screen Actors Guild award wearing no makeup spawned the headline ‘Pamela Anderson, 57, shocks fans by looking exhausted’, which was certainly interesting to read after watching the film. An emotional glimpse into relationships, aging and identity, The Last Showgirl is a must-see.
Originally premiering at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival, The Last Showgirl is coming to the UK on the 28th February. You can get your tickets here, with £5 tickets available for people aged 24 and under.
What did you think of The Last Showgirl?
