
The Last Showgirl
Studio: Utopia Media
Director: Gia Coppola
Jan 12, 2025
Web Exclusive
Gia Coppola comes from a storied acting and directing dynasty. Though her father, Gian-Carlo Coppola, died at the tragically young age of 22 six months before she was born, she has had at least two distinguished directors in her family to look up to: namely, her grandfather, Francis Ford, and her aunt, Sofia. She has previously directed Palo Alto, an adaptation of actor James Franco’s novel of the same name, and Mainstream, a comedy/drama about YouTube influencers in West Hollywood that starred Andrew Garfield and Maya Hawke. She continues her exploration of the more thankless and unsung side of performance and show business in The Last Showgirl, her third feature.
The film centers on Shelly Gardner (Pamela Anderson of Baywatch fame), a 57-year-old showgirl performing in a semi-successful revue for 37 years when it is suddenly canceled with minimal warning. Discombobulated by this turn of events, she has to seek out alternative means of earning a living but has to contend with having a lack of transferable experience from her current employment, as well as the experience it does provide only applying to a profession in which age and gender-based discrimination is rife. Thankfully, Shelly has her revue’s benevolent producer, Eddie (Dave Bautista), as well as her best friend, former showgirl Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis, hot on the heels of her powerhouse performance in FX’s The Bear), to turn to for emotional support.
The Last Showgirl has an undeniably interesting premise at its core, and age discrimination in the job market is a theme that has great relevance to a society that is both aging and (largely) non-reproducing. It is a shame, therefore, that the film is not more than passably entertaining and engaging. Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) sharp photography reflects the seediness and sleaze of the subject matter well, and Anderson, Bautista, Curtis, et al all turn in strong, believable performances. However, Coppola’s pacing of the material frequently feels slower than is appropriate. Indeed, whilst the film is only 85 minutes long, it feels like it goes on for an awful lot longer than this.
I have not seen Palo Alto or Mainstream, so I cannot comment as to whether The Last Showgirl represents a step forward or a step back in terms of Coppola’s oeuvre, but she is very talented in terms of establishing and developing an atmosphere, as well as drawing impressive performances out of her actors. She just needs to do quite a bit of work on how she corrals the various elements of the filmmaking process together to tell a compelling story. Fans of the featured actors will have plenty to enjoy, however, and the film is always interesting to look at. A near-unrecognizable Jason Schwartzman also has an attention-grabbing cameo as a sleazy, sexist revue casting director who needs to learn a few lessons about how to oversee a mutually respectful workplace
Author rating: 5/10
Average reader rating: 10/10
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