Showgirls [VHS]
by Paul Verhoeven
![Showgirls [VHS]](/images/Showgirls-VHS-6303913903-L.jpg)
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VHS Tape Cover Information
Actor: Elizabeth Berkley, Gina Gershon, Glenn Plummer, Kyle MacLachlan, Robert DaviDirector: Paul Verhoeven
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
Running Time: 134 minutes
Release Date: 1997-02-04
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Publisher: MGM (Video & DVD)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
VHS Movie Reviews of Showgirls [VHS]
Movie Review: Bad Movie, But Great Trash
Summary: 4 Stars
It's hard to believe that Dutch director Paul Verhoeven actually had serious intentions when making this film. I can only guess that the Duch must have a very different sense of humor to not "get" the joke with this film. Or Verhoven just simply blindly accepted whatever screenwriter Joe Eszterhas threw at him in light of the success they both had with Basic Instinct. No matter, if you love "so bad, they're good" films, you'll love this. With it's over-emphasis on sex and nudity along with some of the most enept and over-the-top dialogue you've ever heard, you can't help but be entertained.
The story is simple, out-of-town girl (Berkley) comes to Las Vegas to try and get in as a big league showgirl dancer. Only she ends up finding out that the backstage politics are a little more than what she was prepared for. She encounters the pressures to sell herself, backstab and suck-up (almost literally) to get ahead. As stupid and ridiculous as the plot is, it's really not that far off from reality. Back in the 80's, I dated a girl in San Diego that once worked as a showgirl in Vegas and she told me some pretty hairaising stories much like what you see here.
The acting is about as bad as the dialogue, campy, over-the-top and I love it! We see Berkley taking her frustrations out by violently squirting ketchup on her french-fries! I didn't think that was possible, but she can do it! About the only casting that's smart here is Gina Gershon who plays the illustrious and egocentric bisexual Cristal Connors, the "star" of the show, who considers all the other dancers as merely hand-maidens. She plays it like some evil intergalactic queen in a bad sci-fi movie. Of course Gershon is a natural at playing Wicked Wandas with those glaring eyes and crooked diabolical grin. Somehow I think she knew exactly what kind of film this was going to end up being, because she plays it to the hilt.
The film is without a doubt destined to be a cult classic along with Rocky Horror and Beyond the Vally of the Dolls. The DVD here is pretty much the same that came out earlier only without the shot glasses, the "pin the pasties on the showgirl" game etc. An audio commentary with Showgirls fan and documentarian David Schmader is included. Only beef is no deleted scenes, and we know they exist. Calling Criterion please!
So go out and pick this up, watch it and stick it in the movie shelf next to The Defilers, Rocky Horror, Linda Lovelace for President and whatever "good trash" cinema you have have!
Summary of Showgirls [VHS]
Seduction, passion and power struggles unfold when the creators of Basic Instinct, director Paul Verhoeven (Starship Troopers) and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas (Original Sin) blow the lid off the seemingly glamorous world of Las Vegas showdancing to create one of the most controversialand shockingfilms of all time. Nomi Malone (Elizabeth Berkley) has what it takes to make it as a Las Vegas showgirlwhat she doesn't have is a way in. To survive, she accepts the only job available: lap dancing at a seedy club. And when she meets Cristal (Gina Gershon), Vegas'reigning showgirl, Nomi wants everything she hasincluding her boyfriend (Kyle MacLachlan). And as Nomi dives deeper into the world she so desperately desires, a rivalry between the two women heatsup. The battle for the spotlight becomes so fiercely competitive that it drives Nomi to desperate lengthsand devious heightsfor fame in Sin City.When Goldie Hawn recommended Elizabeth Berkley for a small role in First Wives Club, she publicly stated that Berkley deserved the opportunity to redeem herself after starring in the ridiculous Showgirls. That says it all: this sleazy, stupid movie, which mixes soft pornography with the clich?s of backstage dramas, is the kind of project an aspiring actress would have to put well behind her to keep a career going (though costar Gina Gershon certainly benefited from her, uh, exposure in the film). Berkley plays a drifter who hitches a ride to Las Vegas, becomes a lap dancer and then a performer, and discovers--gasp!--there's a whole world of sex and violence involved with these things. Gershon is probably the best element in the film, playing Berkley's bisexual rival for the big spotlight on stage. Joe Eszterhas was well overpaid for writing this howler, and director Paul Verhoeven (Basic Instinct) should have known better than to take it seriously. --Tom Keogh
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