REVIEW: Pamela Anderson is powerful in ‘The Last Showgirl’

Another generation of the Coppola family is making waves in the film industry with a strong drama.

This time around, it’s the granddaughter of Francis Ford Coppola garnering attention with her new film “The Last Showgirl.” Starring in the feature is Pamela Anderson as Shelly, a Las Vegas resident who has worked successfully for the last 30 years as a showgirl in a major casino. The film picks up with her life and work ongoing as normal.

Her daily routine is upended, though, when she learns her show has been cancelled, and will only have a few performances left. Now with an uncertain future, Shelly is forced to reflect on her past and reckon with what’s next.

As one watches “The Last Showgirl,” it becomes quite clear that Coppola has been largely inspired by her aunt Sofia. The films from Sofia Coppola often have an almost dream-like aesthetic, they’re very character-driven, they center on the lives of women and explore feminine roles in society.

That’s exactly what the director of “Last Showgirl” brings to the table. It’s a movie that  delves into not only the fear that can come with job loss, but also losing a part of yourself because you can not only do what you love, all from a woman’s perspective.

Shelly is a woman who appreciated her time as a showgirl in Las Vegas. As she describes it, they were ambassadors for the Entertainment Capital of the World. In a way, she feels she’s been part of Americana, but more importantly, her performances fulfilled her, she saw a dignity in it. It’s not just that she has to get another job, it’s that she has to replace that fulfillment.

Not only that, though, Shelly also has to come to terms with the fact that staying in the industry will be more difficult at her age. This is shown by contrasting her prospects with that of her younger co-workers Jodi and Mary-Anne, who both have more opportunities lined up..

All of this makes for compelling drama, especially as a viewer learns more about who Shelly is, and how she’s tried to stay positive despite family relationships becoming strained over the years. One just wishes the movie had been longer to dig in deeper to the lives of these characters.

That’s not to say the film feels incomplete, but there’s a sense it could have tacked on maybe another 15 minutes to drive more points home. It would have given time for Coppola and writer Kate Gersten to bolster and develop more of the what’s unfolding on screen.

With that said, the movie does still work thanks to the lead. Pamela Anderson knocks it out of the park as a woman trying to hold on to her current life while also wanting to make amends for previous errors. The mix of vulnerability, optimism and concern Anderson shows is impressive.

Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka, Dave Bautista, Jamie Lee Curtis and Billie Lourd round out the cast nicely, too. They give good performances and it’s nice that all of those characters have memorable personalities.

“The Last Showgirl” offers a moving cinematic experience with a with a great performance from Pamela Anderson who could very well use this to have a career resurgence. The supporting cast is good as well and it’s nice that they have their own challenges to deal with. It’s worth seeing, even with some cinematography issues and a need for more fleshing out. 3.75 out of 5.

Author: Matthew Liedke

Journalist and film critic in Minnesota. Graduate of Rainy River College and Minnesota State University in Moorhead. Outside of movies I also enjoy sports, craft beers and the occasional video game. View all posts by Matthew Liedke