Showgirls . Weekly Alibi . 07-17-96

Showgirls

DIRECTED BY: Paul Verhoeven

REVIEWED: 07-17-96

Another stripper movie! Elizabeth Berkley plays Nomi Malone, who hitchhikes to Las Vegas in hopes of becoming a big-time dancer. She loses all her belongings and goes to work at a nudie bar called Cheetah's, where crater-faced Robert Davi yells, "You'd better give me a blowjob!" at the girls. Her pal Molly does costumes for a big Vegas show and invites Nomi to hang out backstage, where she meets Gina Gershon, bitch-goddess of the dance world. Gina takes boyfriend Kyle MacLachlan to Cheetah's and buys him a lap dance from Nomi. Afterwards, Gina gets Nomi an audition for the big show, and--surprise!--Nomi gets the job. Things meander along from there, with talk of eating dog food, a wigged-out sex scene and even a little kick-boxing. Showgirls is not as deliriously bad as I'd been led to believe--but even so, I have to recommend it. It's like watching that "When Animals Bite People" show that was on FOX a while back: It's gruesome, but its evil power is so all-consuming that you can't turn away. Elizabeth Berkley really got a bum rap for this flick--her acting is as good as anyone else involved, and she's most certainly easy on the eyes. However, the entire world blamed her for this movie being the loser it is, instead of pointing the finger at the real culprits--director Paul Verhoeven and writer Joe Eszterhas. What the hell were these guys thinking? Is this thing supposed to be uplifting, somehow? I'm just baffled. (MGM/UA Home Video, 1995)

--Scott Phillips

Capsule Reviews
Showgirls

Other Films by Paul Verhoeven
Starship Troopers

Film Vault Suggested Links
The Scarlet Letter
Exotica
Boogie Nights

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