The first thing I think of when I remember seeing this movie? Jamie Lee Curtis, hands down. She steals the show. There is a scene with her dancing at the Rio (she’s a cocktail waitress) and the timing of this scene within the film along with the music and her performance – it is so moving, I am tearing up just thinking about it again. I’ve seen her post that she is proud of this film. And damn right, she should be.
It’s a short movie but packs a lot of thought into it. Pamela Anderson plays an aging showgirl in Vegas. While her voice is grading, it’s appropriate for the role. Her character is flawed in ways that are so frustrating. There’s this sense that if you were to go back in time you could set her on the right path or fix the little things that she broke or set in motion to break down.
In spite of her misgivings, The Last Showgirl is doing what she wants. Still. Thirty years later. Her survival is on the stage. And everyone around her knows it – even her daughter who looks a lot like one of the dancers. And now it’s ending.
Poignant. I never say that word. But I often type it. Interesting.