Review: Pamela Anderson is unforgettable in 'The Last Showgirl'
Pamela Anderson is now a Golden Globe nominee for her performance in her new film "The Last Showgirl," recognition that might have surprised some of her fans at one point but that she is fully deserving of.
Now in theaters, the Gia Coppola-directed film soars on Anderson's quietly devastating performance as Shelly Gardner, a Vegas showgirl who learns her hopelessly outdated beads-and-feathers dance revue has been given the hook after 30 years.
The first scene shows Shelly, in a sparkly cap with her makeup cruelly exposed in harsh audition lighting, trying out for a new job that she's clearly aged out of. Gone are the glory days of the Paris Lido spectacles that brought class to the crass nudie revues Shelly decries.
The defiance and vulnerability that Anderson brings to this moment sets the stage for what's to come.
Director Coppola ("Palo Alto") is the granddaughter of the legendary Francis Ford Coppola and the niece of Sofia Coppola, whose artful nuance in such films as "Lost in Translation" Gia more closely resembles. She's not in that league yet, but "The Last Showgirl" brings her closer.
Working from a script by Kate Gersten, Coppola takes us backstage during the last weeks of Shelly's show, "Le Razzle Dazzle." While Shelly hangs on for dear life, the younger dancers, Mary-Anne (Brenda Song) and Jodie (a terrific Kiernan Shipka) are eager to move on, though they appreciate Shelly's maternal instincts.
Not so Shelly's estranged, college-age daughter Hannah (Billie Lourd), who decides to finally catch her mother's show and uncaringly dismisses it as a cheap, vulgar throwback. Her deeper resentment stems from Shelly's preference for a fantasy career over the reality of motherhood.
Rare solace for Shelly comes from Dave Bautista, who delivers a gentle, beautifully modulated performance as Eddie, the stage manager whose long history with Shelly has resulted in a one-sided devotion she refuses to repay with anything even remotely close to love.
If you're looking for show-stopping bravura, you'll find it in the reliably astonishing Jamie Lee Curtis as Shelly's oldest friend Annette, a former showgirl reduced to waitressing in the casino.
Clutching at a parody of lost youth in overdone lipstick and eye shadow, Annette hits rock bottom by jumping on a table to drunkenly belt out her take on "Total Eclipse of the Heart."
For Shelly, Annette is a nightmare version of everything she might become. But instead of offering personal comfort to Annette, Eddie, her daughter or the young dancers who need nurturing, Shelly retreats into a faded vision of glamor that never really was.
It's a beast of a role that Anderson refuses to sentimentalize or reduce to morbid self-pity. Shelly has made a choice and she's sticking to it, no matter the emotional wreckage. The private Shelly, whispery-voiced and living decidedly un-large, is the price she pays for putting what she believes is her best self on stage.
"The Last Showgirl" is no more than a sketch of a movie, but Anderson in an unmissable and unforgettable portrayal, creates a woman who lives and breathes a fierce independence. And that you'll want to cheer.
