Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl brilliantly explores what happens when the Vegas stars don’t know what comes next. With top-notch costume design and impeccable performances, The Last Showgirl dives into the themes of nostalgia and ageism.

The Las Vegas casino has taken on a larger-than-life presence in popular culture, with outsiders putting their spins on the city, encouraging others to travel far and wide for a debaucherous weekend they’ll never speak of again. A “hedonistic paradise,” if you will. Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl, follows in the footsteps of films that showcase those who actually live there — joining the ranks of 1991’s Queen of Diamonds and 1995’s Showgirls. 

However, the city has changed a lot since the 90s. Gone are the days of Verhoeven’s neon-soaked spotlight on the cutthroat nature of getting on a Vegas stage. Classic casinos like the Tropicana get outshined by flashier properties or arenas for the recent influx of sports teams until their historic legacies end with a literal implosion. The people that drive the city’s tourism industry are viewed as interchangeable in the name of profit. What happens when they don’t know what comes next? 

Writer Kate Gersten used this question as a launch point for the film’s script, which initially started as a play inspired by the real-life former Vegas show Jubilee. The magnetic lead character, Shelly, played by Pamela Anderson, finds herself at a crossroads — both physically and emotionally — after finding out her time as a showgirl in the fictitious Razzle Dazzle is coming to an end. As Shelly is somewhere in her fifties, she struggles to let go of the youthful stardom and the show’s glamour that she is still convinced exists. 

Although the showgirl era has been declining for a long time, it has been previously chronicled in the 1971 Sondheim musical Follies. Anderson’s Golden Globe-nominated performance as Shelly feels like a modern evolution of the musical’s “blond, petite” Sally Plummer. The latter character and the other Weismann Girls (inspired by the Ziegfeld Follies) reunite decades later, and the text juggles the same themes of nostalgia and ageism. 

“I used to think a lot about the future; what I’d do or where I’d be or what if this or that dream never happened… I wanted a career once, but the Follies closed and nothing happened and you know what? I was fine.” 

There is something about The Last Showgirl that is immensely heartbreaking. As Offscreen Central’s editor-in-chief Kenzie Vanunu pointed out on social media, the film serves as a testament to parenthood, which in turn, led me to reassess my personal thoughts on it all and have a little bit more sympathy for Shelly. 

Billie Lourd, who plays Shelly’s college-aged daughter, Hannah, has been estranged from her mother for a long time. The two reconnect in the film, but Hannah struggles to embrace Shelly’s childlike delusion that the Razzle Dazzle was this spectacular show, especially one worth choosing over your child. Shelly tried to juggle both, leaving Hannah as a kid in the car with some video games and toys, just so she could still perform and bring income in. 

However, for Shelly, the dancing, the dazzling costumes, and the dynamic between the other women were worth trading it all. Why would you want anything more after being immortalized on a glossy pamphlet?  

During a post-show Q&A in London, Anderson spoke about the relationship between her character and Lourd’s Hannah. It’s difficult to imagine anyone else as Shelly, which seems why Coppola was so persistent on getting the script in Anderson’s hands — after the actress’ former agent initially immediately rejected the part. Given Lourd’s mother was Carrie Fisher, Anderson admitted the fact that it’s a difficult moment to beg your adult children for forgiveness after being sexualized in the public eye. 

Because of this heartfelt confession, Anderson and Lourd bring so much to their respective roles. A few years back, my own mother and I went together to see the former in Chicago as a graduation present. Her musical performance shined and propelled her into another stage of life, given she seemingly weaves her personal experiences into both Roxie and Shelly. Sure, some viewers might head into The Last Showgirl with preconceptions about Anderson from the Baywatch days, but she proves all the potential naysayers wrong. She put in the work for this role, drawing internally to carry out the film’s dramatic peak during an audition, and it has paid off immensely. 

Jamie Lee Curtis, Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka, and Dave Bautista round out the cast, delivering equally impeccable performances that draw upon what it’s like to even try surviving in such a transient town. 

Finally, it’s impossible to do a showgirl film without top-notch costumes, and The Last Showgirl excelled at this, courtesy of Coppola’s mother, costume designer Jacqui Getty (The Darjeeling Limited). The glamorous stage outfits were reused from the actual Jubilee! production, making them archival Bob Mackie pieces. The arguable highlight arrived at the ending with Anderson’s dazzling blue ensemble, signaling the final performance of the Razzle Dazzle. 
While the audience doesn’t fully know what Shelly has in store after those cursed stage doors shut for good, you leave the film hoping nothing but the best for her — and that she’s still dancing her heart out, hopefully somewhere far away from Las Vegas.

Grade: A

Oscars Prospects:
Likely: Best Original Song
Should be Considered: Best Lead Actress (Pamela Anderson) Best Costume Design

Where to Watch: In Select Theaters