I guess most of us know Pamela Anderson as either a Playboy pinup or as one of the Baywatch babes. Not a lot of depth, just a lot of sex appeal. In The Last Showgirl, she’s still that girl, but this time she’s invested her energy strutting her stuff on the stages of Vegas, but the time has come for her to admit that she’s too long in the tooth to keep competing with the younger models. And it isn’t an easy thing for her to come to terms with. Anderson plays Shelley, a 57-year-old showgirl at a place called Le Razzle Dazzle that is on its last legs. She’s the oldest dancer there and plays mom to most of the other dancers. When she’s made up in her costume and makeup she’s still a looker, but keeping up with the costume changes is getting more difficult and she can read the writing on the wall.
Shelley’s best friend is cocktail waitress Annette, played full tilt by Jamie Lee Curtis, who loves her job, even if she does drink and gamble away all her tips and might just end up on the street one day soon. And then there’s Shelley’s college age daughter, who she doesn’t see much and resents her for putting her job first, despite it being what she sees as a crappy job in the first place. Shelley has always seen dancing as her passion, her art, and is devastated when she hears that the club will be closing down. Her future is suddenly so uncertain.
The film is bathed in sadness. Women of a certain age are not exactly embraced in the Vegas culture. And you don’t see a great future for Shelley or Annette. But the reason to see the film is Anderson’s performance. She’s really wonderful. You believe she loves what she does even if you can’t understand why she would. And that she feels that she was a good mother. You feel for her. The script is a bit weak, but you can’t stop watching Shelley. You want her to be okay. And you want Anderson to get some awards season love. I think she will.
Premiering December 13 In Los Angeles. Opening wide January 10, 2025.