Showgirls (Paul Verhoeven, 1995)

Alright, I like some of the movies of fellow dutchman Paul Verhoeven. Basic Instinct has been a personal favourite for years now and I believe his Total Recall and Starship Troopers are hilarious. In 1995 (great movie year!) he made Showgirls, the erotic tale of a girl who wants to make it in Vegas. The critics were brutal: 14% fresh on rottentomatoes.com  and a 4.3 average on Imdb. In my memory this film was not that bad, now that I saw it a second time I see that I was wrong. Showgirls is not just ‘not bad’, it is great!

Nomi Malone (Elizabeth Berkley) is a girl like many others: young, beautiful and she wants to make a career in showbiz. She hikes to Vegas and starts working as a stripper. Through her friend, who is assisting the big star in the Stardust Hotel dance show, she gets in contact with people who recognize her dancing talent and see her as a great potential. She is invited for an audition (which results in a great scene, credits go to the ruthless Alan Richins, who reminded me of one of the many talent show jurors we see too much on television nowadays). Nomi gets hired and soon the rivalry and sexual encounters starts. She works her way up, but at what cost?

Okay ladies, I'm Tony Moss. I produce this show. Some of you have probably heard that I'm a prick - I am a prick. I got one interest here, and that's the show. I don't care whether you live or die. I want to see you dance and I want to see you smile. I can't use you if you can't smile, I can't use you if you can't show, I can't use you if you can't sell.

What Verhoeven did with this film is making it a satire in every possible way. Through the tough Nomi he shows us what it takes to make it in showbiz city and how superficial and numb one has to become to get there. This is illustrated by for instance the character James (Glenn Plummer) who is persistent to make a good dancer of Nomi. There is a striking scene in the film where Nomi, already a big star at this point, visits a show of James where he performs his real genuine dancing act. His act is shred to pieces by the discontent audience, they don’t want to see art, they want nudity! This last notion is one Verhoeven incorporated in his entire film, great satire I would say.

Another hilarious scene is where one of the dancers has her kids back in the dressing room. As her colleague is abusing her verbally one of the kids starts to cry, not over the violent tone, not over all the nude people around that might make her uncomfortable, no, she heard the F-word. The kid must be traumatized.

I can imagine why people see Showgirls as a bad movie. Its story and acting is over the top, but the director wants to tell us more with this than one might think. I believe that besides the satire within the film Verhoeven is using the protagonist and the world she is in as a metaphor for America and modern society. Completely superficial, commercial and merciless if it comes to working your way up to the top. The Jesus reference (present in almost every Verhoeven film) is illustrative: in flickering neon “Jesus is coming, soon”.

8.5/10