Showgirls (1995)

A young drifter, named Nomi, arrives in Las Vegas to become a dancer and soon sets about clawing and pushing her way to become the top of the Vegas showgirls.

Director:

Paul Verhoeven (as Jan Jansen)

Writer:

Joe Eszterhas

Stars:

Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon

10 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elizabeth Berkley	...	Nomi Malone
Kyle MacLachlan	...	Zack Carey
Gina Gershon	...	Cristal Connors
Glenn Plummer	...	James Smith
Robert Davi	...	Al Torres
Alan Rachins	...	Tony Moss
Gina Ravera	...	Molly Abrams
Lin Tucci	...	Henrietta 'Mama' Bazoom
Greg Travis	...	Phil Newkirk
Al Ruscio	...	Mr. Karlman
Patrick Bristow	...	Marty Jacobsen
William Shockley	...	Andrew Carver
Michelle Johnston	...	Gay Carpenter
Dewey Weber	...	Jeff
Rena Riffel	...	Penny / Hope

Storyline

Nomi Malone, a mysterious young girl with the ambition to dance embarks on a journey to Las Vegas to become a showgirl in a high-class hotel show. There she meets Molly, a seamstress at the Stardust Hotel and the two quickly become good friends. She gets a job as a lap dancer at the seedy Cheetah Club but after a chance meeting with Cristal Connors, the star of Goddess, the current show at the hotel where Molly works, Nomi manages to secure an audition for a spot on the chorus line.However she soon realises that fame comes with a price as her friendships, her morals and her soul are put to the test as she works her way up the ladder and eventually becomes the star of the show, stealing Cristal's part. She begins to wonder if all of her work was for nothing and if she can reclaim her life back before it is too late.

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Plot Keywords:

stripper | cult film | striptease | lap dancing | showgirl | 

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Taglines:

Leave Your Inhibitions At The Door

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated NC-17 for nudity and erotic sexuality throughout, and for some graphic language and sexual violence

Details

Country:

France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Les Girls de Las Vegas

Filming Locations:

Carson City, Nevada, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

£729,483 (UK) (19 January 1996)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco Pictures, Chargeurs, United Artists

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min 131 min (NC-17)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In a 2013 interview, Paul Verhoeven explained his motives for doing the movie. He did not like Joe Eszterhas's initial script, and passed on the project in favor of doing "Crusade", based on a screenplay by Walon Green and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, that project fell through when Carolco Pictures could not afford to finance both "Crusade" and Cutthroat Island (1995). Since 10 million dollar had already been spent on "Crusade", and Eszterhas already received 4 million dollar for his Showgirls screenplay, Verhoeven felt morally obligated to do Showgirls as a personal favor to Mario Kassar to save Carolco from bankruptcy. Eszterhas' screenplay was extensively re-written with All About Eve (1950) as the main source of inspiration. Verhoeven intended it to be an over-the-top morality tale, populated with only amoral characters (except for the character of Molly (Gina Ravera), with Las Vegas as a metaphor for hypocrisy and extortion. However, the satirical intentions were not picked up by the critics, who regarded the movie as a simplistic portrayal of American culture, and the box office failure of both this movie and 'Cutthroat Island' made the bankruptcy of Carolco inevitable.

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Goofs

When Nomi strips for the first time, she is wearing a laced-up shoe. When she storms off the stage, she is wearing a Mary Jane type of shoe.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jeff: Hop in, pard!
Nomi Malone: Where are you going?
Jeff: Vegas! Come on! This is your lucky day!

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Connections

Referenced in IMDb's 20th Anniversary Star of the Day: Eli Roth (2010)

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Soundtracks

319
Written, Performed, Produced and Arranged by Prince

User Reviews

Campy beyond the wildest dreams of drag queens!

Along with "Valley of the Dolls", "Reefer Madness," and "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls," "Showgirls" belongs in the pantheon of bad film. But don't take that wrong. This film is so bad, that it's fabulous.

From the deer in the headlights performance of Elizabeth Berkley, to the so far over the top that you need a telescope to look down at it dialogue, this film is a camp masterpiece. Never before have so many cliches and ridiculous scenarios been gathered in one film.

The plot? A simple girl with big dreams travels to the big city to become A STAR! She struggles against the odds, only to achieve her BIG BREAK! She rejects it all when she realizes that fame is hollow and disallusioning. Sounds like every show biz movie every made except in this version, the big dream is to be a topless showgirl, the big break involves literally breaking the competition's leg and fame involves wearing three sets of false eyelashes and sparkles as clothing. The movie dislikes women so much that there is no female character in the whole of it that isn't either wildly catty or completely witless. Men in this film don't fare much better, but no male is subjected to a gang rape as the lone sympathetic female character is.

If I remember correctly, Joe Esterhaus was paid a ridiculous amount of money for the screenplay for this film. As penance for creating this abomination, he should be required to wander the earth, giving money to anyone who sat through it.

Nonetheless, I recommend this film as a laugh riot for the sheer lunacy of it.