This film began streaming on MUBI less than a couple of months after its UK cinema release. Contemporary mainstream American cinema now tends to pass me by but this had some good reviews and I decided to give it a go. I’ve never seen Pamela Anderson in anything before though I remember many of the news stories about her. Here she leads a strong cast in the third feature by Gia Coppola, the youngest of the growing Coppola clan to become an established director. This seems like something of a family affair as a film produced by Robert Schwartzman, featuring a cameo by Jason Schwartzman and adapted by Kate Gersten from her own play – all members of the wider Coppola clan by birth or marriage. In some ways I think this film is a throwback to some of the grittier 1970s films in its focus on an ageing showgirl in Las Vegas.

Shelly sans make-up outside the casino

Pamela Anderson is Shelly, the last surviving member of the original ‘Razzle Dazzle’ troupe – a French style casino show of dancers in sequins and feathers seemingly heading for the end of the line. She’s been in the show for thirty years and some of the younger women, for whom the show is just another job, see her as something of a mother figure. But Shelly does have a daughter who is now about to graduate from college and will appear later in the narrative. In the same casino is Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis, threatening to steal the show) who was once a showgirl but now works as a cocktail waitress. The narrative opens and closes with a painful audition for a new show in which Shelly receives some harsh treatment by a producer and finally reveals her age as 57. The narrative proper is then a single long flashback.

Annette with rather terrifying make-up

Thinking about it now, there is really nothing ‘new’ about The Last Showgirl so its attraction is more about the performances and Coppola’s decisions about how to present her narrative. In many ways this is a ‘woman’s picture’. Its dual focus is on Shelly’s job – she is committed to what she does in the troupe, refusing to accept that it is ‘just a job’ or that it might be a demeaning job, dependent on presenting her body for the male gaze – and her relationship with her daughter. There are only two significant men in the film, one the producer auditioning for a new show and Eddie who more or less runs the show for the casino. Whereas the producer (Jason Schwartzman) is brutal but realistic, Eddie (Dave Bautista) attempts to be supportive but perhaps doesn’t really understand what is at stake for Shelly. Shelly’s daughter Hannah (Billie Lourd) refers to the Razzle Dazzle show as a ‘nudie show’ which is accurate to a certain extent but doesn’t reflect the skilled performance that her mother puts into her work. We don’t actually see much of the show, instead most of time we remain in dressing room and follow the dancers only to the point when they step out onto the stage. There is little presentation of sexual activity in the film though a demonstration of a routine in a club that one of the women has performed for an audition is overtly sexual. In the UK the film has been classified ’15’ which seems reasonable but I am surprised by the US classification of ‘R’ (requiring under 17s to be accompanied by an adult).

Hannah with the Egyptian figures in the harsh light of morning

Cinematography is by Autumn Durald Arkapaw who I note has her work on Sinners (US 2025) in UK cinemas as I write. She offers an intimate hand-held style of backstage interactions between the showgirls contrasted with longer shots placing Shelly in the desolate streetscapes of Las Vegas. One shot in particular with the Egyptian statues of what I assume is a reference to Caesar’s Palace made me think of the often quoted comparisons of Las Vegas and Blackpool in the UK. I don’t know if Las Vegas is really in decline but it has the same kind of tawdry glamour. The visual image is accompanied by Andrew Wyatt’s score (he also composed for Barbie (US 2023). The soundtrack also includes the song ‘Shadows of the Night’ sung by Pat Benatar (as Shelly’s audition music) and a standout moment when Jamie Lee Curtis dances alone to Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’.

Brenda Song (left) Pamela Anderson and Kiernan Shipka on their way to the set . . .

I enjoyed the film which runs at just 88 minutes and I was impressed by Pamela Anderson’s performance. I was equally impressed but rather taken aback by Jamie Lee Curtis who was no doubt having a lot of fun with her presentation of Annette. I should also mention Brenda Song and Kiernan Shipka who play the younger members of the troupe most closely associated with Shelly. I think Billie Lourd has a difficult role as Hannah. It isn’t clear how old Hannah is supposed to be or what kind of institution she is ‘graduating’ from. The implication is that Shelley ‘gave up’ Hannah for adoption (?) as a baby. Billie Lourd was born in 1992 which I guess would fit if Shelly gave up Hannah when she had been with the troupe only a couple of years and was unable to look after her daughter. Perhaps this side of the story could have been expanded/clarified? But putting this aside, The Last Showgirl is a recommended watch and it’s good to see a modest film for grown-ups budgeted at just $1.8 million coming out of American cinema. Here’s the US trailer: