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The Last Showgirl Movie Review

The Last Showgirl is a 2024 drama film directed by Gia Coppola and starring Pamela Anderson. It’s a slightly plotted, but very effective and well acted movie.

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“I have no regrets. None“

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A seasoned showgirl must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run. This is a very strong drama that is about ageism in the entertainment industry. It’s a familiar subject that’s been explored before numerous times, so there is nothing new under the sun here. But the movie is propelled by a powerful central performance that made it worth seeing.

Yes, this is the first time that Pamela Anderson got a really meaty role and she showed the world that she can, in fact, act. She was helped in large part with the material that was pretty much made for her. She gets to draw from her own experiences, resulting in an emotionally resonant, memorable performance.

Jamie Lee Curtis is quite good in a smaller role, but her character did not get much to do. Dave Bautista was fine, but the role was also underwritten. This is pretty much a Shelly Gardner/Pamela Anderson show for better and for worse with others popping in from time to time, but not making much of an impact.

The Last Showgirl is at its worst when it’s just repeating the same point over and over again and going through the motions. It’s a repetitious screenplay, and even though the film is quite short, there are numerous scenes of dancing that felt like padding. With that being said, the dialogue is constantly realistic and strong and its exploration of the brutal reality of getting old in this industry was quite potent. There is this incredible scene set at the audition that was so well written and just so heart-wrenching that made the movie so powerful. I wished that the rest of the film had scenes as impactful as that one.

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