FILM/ REVIEW
THE LAST SHOWGIRL
Rated R
88 Minutes
Released January 10th
The Last Showgirl was adapted by television Writer Kate Gersten from her own play, Body of Work. The play was founded on Gersten’s research from watching the Las Vegas review, Jubilee! shortly before it closed in 2016. Director Gia Coppola was drawn to the material and had Pamela Anderson in mind for the lead role, “Shelly.” She opted for an intimate style and modest budget so that she could keep creative control of her concept, and the shoot was completed in Las Vegas in 18 days on 16mm cameras for under $2 million. We get to know the showgirl, Shelly, scene by scene as a real person. Coppola wisely chose the talented Autumn Durald Arkapaw as cinematographer, who had worked with her on Palo Alto (2103).
Arkapaw was able to capture with sensitivity the raw emotion of the characters. Intimate conversations create the world of the showgirls, with the jagged edges of different generations sometimes grating against one another, often caught on a handheld camera that moves gracefully over faces and records the tiniest hints of expression. The lighting diffuses sharp edges to give that glow of stage presence in the performers. The extraordinary soundtrack was in the hands of Andrew Wyatt, who wrote the score for Barbie. The music is a huge part of the message of this story and of the reveal of the characters. It helps create the style of the film, never overpowering the performances. The final song, written by Wyatt and Miley Cyrus and sung by Cyrus, is haunting. Some of the costumes were from the actual Jubilee! review and were designed by Peter Menifee and Bob Mackie.
Coppola’s superb realization of the film would not have worked without solid performances by the entire ensemble. From Anderson to Jamie Lee Curtis to Dave Bautista to Billie Lourd. Anderson’s Las Vegas showgirl has performed in the same review for three decades and the show is about to close. Anderson’s agent had turned down the script and not shown it to her, but a friend of Coppola’s got it into her hands. On reading it, Anderson noted, “You don’t see parts like this when you’re working in your bathing suit. I was so drawn to the character; I heard her voice in my head.”
She certainly had the personal experience to inform her role, as her character in Baywatch was the Malibu version of a Las Vegas showgirl. Jamie Lee Curtis steals her scenes as the epitome of an ex-showgirl, brassy and touching at the same time, who in her own mind is never going to give up the grandeur of being on stage. Dave Bautista gives one of his most sensitive performances ever. He had told Coppola that he wanted to do more dramatic roles, and he aces this one. Billie Lourd is perfect as Shelly’s very normal, slightly sad but confident estranged daughter. The emptiness between them is an insurmountable chasm, but a small glow of warmth is beginning.
The Last Showgirl may seem on the surface to be a simply made film about a subject relatively inconsequential to most. But this is a beautifully shot, intimate look at a social anomaly, whose personality and life are shaped from a past era, and who has the courage and strength to keep her iconic image intact in the face of a changing society. It’s an in-depth look at a vivid personality who exists on her own terms. As the last of her kind, she is lonely. Despite criticism from those around her, she holds her own in a profession that she pursues out of pride in her artistry rather than for recognition by others.
The film earned two Golden Globe nominations, Anderson for Best Actress in a Motion Picture and for Best Original Song. Anderson and Curtis are both nominated for SAG Awards for their roles. Anderson’s Shelly is losing the foundation of her daily life, which will resonate with anyone whose life has been directly affected by the fires, yet the hope that she has shines through – she just can’t put a clear visual on it yet.
Kathryn Whitney Boole has spent most of her life in the entertainment industry, which has been the backdrop for remarkable adventures with extraordinary people. She is a Talent Manager with Studio Talent Group in Santa Monica. kboole@gmail.com
