- Title: Showgirls
- IMDb: link
Let’s get something straight, Showgirls is a terrible movie. You can argue director Paul Verhoeven and writer Joe Eszterhas‘s 1995 train wreck is a guilty pleasure or falls into the “so good it’s bad” category (neither of which I agree with), but you can’t convince me by any measurable standard that Showgirls could ever be considered a good film. Some argue it’s satire, which it is, but good satire has something to say about its subject while Showgirls only has something to show while expecting a generous tip in its g-string for the trouble.
Elizabeth Berkley stars as stripper Nomi Malone whose dream of becoming Las Vegas showgirl which becomes a reality after meeting the depraved star of the show (Gina Gershon) and her equally-lecherous boyfriend (Kyle MacLachlan). What follows is a poorly written, with equally bad acting, tale of backstage politics, sex, backstabbing, revenge, and a brutal gang rape scene between Nomi’s roommate (Gina Ravera) and a celebrity’s (William Shockley) posse.
Awarded the Razzie for the worst film of its decade, Showgirls is notable only for its NC-17 rating and the amount of skin it’s Saved by the Bell star over it’s two-hour run time. When Berkley isn’t disrobing or showing off her impressive lapdance skills the film flails around (much like the actress in the movie’s infamous pool sex scene). The 15th Anniversary Blu-ray re-release includes the extras from previous editions such as featurettes on stripping and lapdances, short behind-the-scenes looks at the making of the film, trivia, and commentary by David Schmader.
[20th Century Fox, $19.99]
