SHOWGIRLS

'''Showgirls''' is a movie directed by Paul Verhoeven and released in 1995 in North America by United Artists. It starred former teen actress Elizabeth Berkley as a drifter who wanders into Las Vegas and climbs the social ladder from stripper to showgirl. The movie was hoped to be a huge success for the film studio, its directors, and stars. Significant controversy and hype about the movie's seemingly gratuitous amounts of sex and nudity preceded the movie's release. In the U.S., the finally released movie was rated NC-17 for "nudity and erotic sexuality throughout, some graphic language and sexual violence." The film was hyped for being the first NC-17 rated film to be given a wide release in mainstream theaters.
'Tagline:' ''Leave your inhibitions at the door. The show is about to begin.''

Contents

Plot

Reaction

Cult status

The V.I.P. Edition

Cast

Stage musical

See also

References

External links

Reviews

Plot

Sexy, mysterious and temperamental Nomi Malone (Berkley) hitchhikes into Las Vegas hoping to make it as a Las Vegas showgirl. She's picked up by a "kind" man, but everything she owns is stolen by the driver. While an upset Nomi is crying and banging her fists on the side of a car, the car's owner, Molly (Gina Ravera), a seamstress, confronts her. After talking and discovering Nomi does not have any family, Molly takes her in, helping to get her a job as a stripper at the seedy Cheetah Club to make ends meet. One night Nomi accompanies Molly backstage at ''Goddess'', the Vegas show at the Stardust where Molly works as the costume seamstress. There, Nomi meets Cristal Conners (Gina Gershon), the irritable, diva-like star of the show. When Molly tells Cristal that Nomi is a dancer as well, Cristal derisively tells Nomi that what she does is akin to prostitution.
The next evening, Cristal and her boyfriend Zach (Kyle MacLachlan), an entertainment manager at the Stardust, visit the Cheetah and pay Nomi $500 for a lap dance. It turns out that Cristal is bisexual and very attracted to Nomi. Nomi does not want to do the private dance, for fear it will prove her to be the prostitute Cristal made her out to be, but is forced to do so by her manager, much to her embarrassment. Nomi later discovers Cristal has arranged for her to have an audition as an ensemble dancer in ''Goddess''. Nomi takes off her clothes and dances in her underwear because the director calls her "Pollyanna", but when she is told to use ice to make her nipples hard for the second part of the audition, she gets upset and leaves, even though she obviously knows that this is an audition for a topless Vegas show.
Nomi gets the job and immediately quits the Cheetah. Although she shows talent, Cristal repeatedly takes malicious swipes at Nomi in a never-ending attempt to portray Nomi as a cheap whore. Soon, Nomi is overwhelmed by her desire for Cristal's status. Nomi flirts with Zach more and more, eventually seducing him for outdoor sex in his swimming pool. He offers her a chance to become Cristal's new understudy, but Cristal continues to sabbotage her. Coupled with increasing hostility from Cristal, Nomi pushes Cristal down a flight of stairs, injuring her badly and sending her to the hospital. With Cristal unable to perform, Nomi ends up getting Cristal's lead in the show.
Things seem to be going well for Nomi; she has finally secured the fame and fortune she initially sought. However, at the opening night party, Molly is brutally raped and beaten by famous musician Andrew Carver and his two security guards. When Nomi confronts Zach about it, she is told that they will give Molly some money to keep quiet; their primary interest is in protecting their high-profile celebrity client, not in seeking justice for Molly. Zach then turns and confronts Nomi with the truth he has just discovered: She is actually a runaway and former prostitute named Polly; her father murdered her mother and then killed himself, and she has been arrested several times for drug possession, prostitution, and assault with a deadly weapon. Finally confronted with her seedy past, and frightened at who she has become and what lies ahead, Nomi flees Las Vegas (but not before attacking and clouting Andrew Carver with her boots), hoping to try her luck in Los Angeles instead. She bids goodbye to a comatose Molly, and also makes amends with Cristal, before departing.
The movie comes full circle when Nomi coincidentally hitches a ride to Los Angeles with the very same guy who robbed her, and attacks him for what he did to her in the beginning.

Reaction

The movie's subject matter was relatively controversial: rape, lesbianism, and interracial relationships were just some of the topics explored. However, the frequent and gratuitous nudity and simulated sex in the movie, and the writing (the screenplay was written by previously successful Joe Eszterhas, who had worked with Paul Verhoeven before, and who reportedly received $1 million for the script), allegedly did not lend itself to what might have been an enthralling film. The 1998 film ''Burn Hollywood Burn'', also written by Eszterhas, contains a reference to ''Showgirls'' as a "terrible" film, and Roger Ebert claims it did indeed receive "some bad reviews, but it wasn't completely terrible."^[1]
The movie was heralded as one of the worst ever made, winning seven 1995 Golden Raspberry Awards or "Razzies" (from a record thirteen nominations). Kyle MacLachlan walked out of the movie's premiere, during which he was allegedly heard exclaiming "I thought this was an art movie." Paul Verhoeven gamely appeared in person at the Razzies ceremony to accept his "award" for Worst Director; ''Showgirls'' would later "win" a record-setting eighth Razzie Award for Worst Picture of the Last Decade in 2000.
Due to ''Showgirls' poor reception, the next year's film about nude dancers, ''Striptease'', had to be distanced from ''Showgirls'' in advertisements;^[2] ''Striptease'' won the next year's Razzie Award for Worst Picture. Rena Riffel who played "Penny/Hope" in Showgirls also was cast in Striptease, playing "Tiffany Glass". Rena is the only actress to claim these two back to back roles in Razzy Award Winning history.
The term "''Showgirls''-bad" has been adopted by film critics and fans to refer to films considered guilty pleasures, or "so-bad-they're-good." ^{[3] [4] [5]}
The movie's reviews did some damage to Berkley's career; she had difficulty finding work for some time but managed to find smaller parts in movies such as ''The First Wives Club'', ''The Real Blonde'' and ''The Curse of the Jade Scorpion'', but her career has rebounded in recent years, largely on television. Gershon managed to survive the scourge of the movie, going on to moderate acting success.

Cult status

Since its release, the movie has achieved cult status. According to activist writer Naomi Klein, ironic enjoyment of the film initially arose among those with the video before MGM capitalized on the idea. MGM noticed the video was performing all right, since "trendy twenty-somethings were throwing ''Showgirls'' irony parties, laughing sardonically at the implausibly poor screenplay and shrieking with horror at the aerobic sexual encounters."^[6]
It is shown at midnight madness theaters alongside movies like ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' and ''The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert''. It is heralded as one of the best "bad movies" of all time, and is somewhat of a camp classic (in the vein of ''Beyond the Valley of the Dolls''). Even though the film was not so successful when first released, it is a very well known film, and over the years it has become increasingly popular. The DVD release to this day is one of MGM's top 10 selling DVDs.
The rights to show the movie on TV were eventually purchased by the VH1 network. However, because of the movie's gratuitous nudity, a peculiar moment in cinema history occurred. An alternative, censored version of the movie was created with black bras and panties digitally added over all frontally nude actresses. In addition, several scenes were removed entirely. Berkley refused to redub her lines, so a noticeably different actress's voice was used in the dubbing.
As revealed on the DVD release, the last shot of the film, a sign stating the miles to Los Angeles, was intended as a 'hint' that there was going to be a sequel, in which Nomi takes on Hollywood. Any such plans were immediately scrapped upon the film's massive failure at the box office.
Recent years have seen a reevaluation of the movie's merits. Critics such as Jonathan Rosenbaum and Charles Taylor, as well as filmmaker Jacques Rivette, have gone on the record defending ''Showgirls'' as a serious satire. Actor Patrick Bristow, who plays choreographer Marty, defended the movie as "not that bad" excepting "that horrible rape scene." This refers to the scene in which Molly is raped, which is considered by some to be one of the most tasteless and offensive depictions of rape in cinematic history (including a moment where one of the actors spits into actress Gina Ravera's mouth). Other critics defend it as a disturbingly realistic portrayal of rape, and therefore justifiably offensive.

The V.I.P. Edition

In 2004, MGM released a special boxed set for ''Showgirls'' called "The V.I.P. Edition." Inside the box are two shot-glasses, special cards from the movie with drinking games on the back, a deck of playing cards, and a nude poster of Berkley with a pair of suction-cup pasties so one can play "pin the pasties on the stripper."
The DVD itself includes several bonus features, including a "how-to" tutorial for giving a lap dance (hosted by real strippers) and a special "trivia track" feature that can be turned on or off. When left on, it adds humorous comments and factoids in the vein of VH1's show ''Pop Up Video'' that relate to the scenes as they play out. It also includes "The Greatest Movie Ever Made: a commentary by David Schmader."

Cast

★ Elizabeth Berkley as Nomi Malone

★ Kyle MacLachlan as Zack Carey

★ Gina Gershon as Cristal Connors

★ Glenn Plummer as James Smith

★ Robert Davi as Al Torres

★ Gina Ravera as Molly Abrams

★ Patrick Bristow as Marty Jacobsen

★ Rena Riffel as Penny/Hope

★ Alan Rachins as Tony Moss

★ Lin Tucci as Henrietta Bazoom

★ Grege Travis as Phil Newkirk

★ Michelle Johnston as Gay Carpenter

★ Al Ruscio as Mr.Karlman

★ Melissa Williams as Julie

★ Melinda Songer as Nicky

★ Matt Battaglia as Bodyguard

Stage musical

On September 21, 2006, it was announced that the film's writer Joe Eszterhas is planning a stage musical version of the film with the producers of the hit Broadway musical ''Urinetown'' to open in Las Vegas [1]. It is said to “celebrate the over-the-top and campy nature of the piece” [2]. Months earlier, actress Gina Gershon expressed a similar desire but instead wanted to revive the movie in an off-Broadway, New York City production - "I might be making a musical of it. I’d write it. I’d want to make it as Off-Broadway, but from my perspective. There’s a really funny way to go about it, it just has to be exactly right" [3].

See also

★ Showgirls (soundtrack)

★ Striptease (film)

References

1. Roger Ebert, "An Alan Smithee Film Burn Hollywood Burn," Chicago Sun-Times, February 27, 1998. Rumors of the some million budget being spent on cocaine for the set ran rampant.
2. Chris Nashawaty, "Demi Goes Undercover: Moore's 'Striptease' Bumps into Trouble." ''Entertainment Weekly'' 04/26/96, URL accessed 16 August 2006.
3. Review of ''Catwoman'' by Pork Tartare
4. Review of ''Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows'' by Exclaim
5. Speculation on ''Basic Instinct 2'' by New York Magazine
6. Naomi Klein, ''No Logo'', Vintage Canada Edition, 2000, p. 79.

External links

★ Official website

★ Showgirls Film Society

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Reviews

★ Review by Janet Maslin at New York Times

★ Recap Attack: Showgirls - satirical plot recap by D. Yueh at AfterEllen.com