The concept of saying goodbye when we are not ready applies not only to people but also to times and places. Certainly, that is the case for Shelly (Pamela Anderson: Baywatch series, Barb Wire 1996), a veteran dancer who has spent almost the entirety of her career in the casino stage show The Razzle Dazzle.
Released in theaters nationwide on January 10, 2025, through Roadside Attractions, and directed by Gia Coppola (Palo Alto 2013, Mainstream 2020) from a script by Kate Gersten, The Last Showgirl is an ode to Las Vegas of old and a portrait of a woman who gave up everything to be a part of it—including a proper relationship with her now grown-up daughter.
For decades, Shelly dressed up (or down) in feathers and fishnets and performed onstage every night. She is so much a part of the show that her younger image still adorns the show’s souvenir brochure. She has also become a sort of motherly figure for her fellow dancers Mary-Anne (Brenda Song: The Social Network 2010, Secret Obsession 2019) and Jodie (Kiernan Shipka: Totally Killer 2023, Longlegs 2024). So when the announcement of the show’s imminent closure comes, Shelly is understandably distraught. Can Shelly find her place in Las Vegas when it no longer seems to have a place for her?
Above anything else, The Last Showgirl is a showcase for Anderson. Often typecast, Anderson has not always had the opportunity to show her acting chops. With that in mind, it feels as though Coppola has built the whole film around not only Shelly as a character but Anderson as an actor. In this way, Shelly is an extremely sympathetic and likable character, even though she is far from perfect – something she readily admits herself to.
Elsewhere, Anderson is supported by a strong cast. Song and Shipka are great as Shelly’s colleagues/friends/surrogate daughters, although the two supporting standouts are Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween 1978, Knives Out 2019) as Shelly’s potty-mouthed, cocktail-drinking friend Annette and Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy 2014, Dune 2021) as the Razzle Dazzle’s softly spoken stage manager. Rarely has Curtis been so raunchy or Bautista so tender.
However, whilst The Last Showgirl’s cast and performances are strong, the story itself does not always feel strong enough to support them. The Last Showgirl has some really interesting themes, especially that of being told that you are out of touch with something that you have always felt extremely in touch with. It also explores how society treats older women versus younger women, and overall, the film is thematically rich.. but the story often feels threadbare and takes its slice-of-life approach far too literally.
Like the fictional Razzle Dazzle show, The Last Showgirl is a film in which you come to see Pamela Anderson and stay to see Pamela Anderson. Well worth checking out; Cryptic Rock gives it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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