The Last Showgirl (2024) Dir: Gia Coppola
- Ridley Coote
- 13 hours ago
- 3 min read
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Gia Coppola's glittering indie drama gave audiences rather mixed feelings when it came put last year, albeit most agreed that it boasted a great comeback performance from its lead star Pamela Anderson. I had gone back and forth about watching it for a few months now, but finally decided it was worth checking out, even if I decided that, ultimately, it wasn't for me.
The film was shit on Kodak film, which is always a nice touch, and had a surreal, rather dreamlike look, which felt very reminiscent of a Sean Baker film, albeit somewhat of an inferior imitation, style-wise. With that said, some awkward close-ups aside, this was still a fairly good looking film. It was certainly easy to see the family influence between Gia and Sofia Coppola's visual style.
The film addressed themes along that well-trodden but all-too-poignant path that is women "aging out" of their chosen profession, as well as subjects like times changing, motherhood, misogyny in show business, and about chosen family. The story felt very nostalgic, which I really appreciated. There was a sentimentality that felt so bitter-sweet. In many respects, it was a beautiful film, although not everything worked for me.
The ending was the most clear example of this - it felt pretty anti-climactic. Too much was left unresolved for my liking - I realise that part of the film's point was to explore endings, new beginnings, letting go, among other things, but it would have been nice to have had a more emotionally satisfying finish. Or, at least, it would have been nice to have some sort of emotional crescendo, be it positive or negative. I felt a little emotional, I won't deny that, but it certainly wasn't as much as I hoped or expected, based on the rest of the film.
Pamela Anderson gave a truly beautiful, compelling, and expressive performance, that felt raw, personal, and full of heart. Her sadness and emotions felt authentic, and her versatile facial expressions were so engaging. This was a tour-de-force of an acting display from her. I had anticipated some good quality acting, but I was thrilled by just how much I enjoyed Anderson in this role. It felt like perfect casting.
The supporting cast were a little bit more mixed, in my view. I really liked the understated performance provided by Dave Bautista, who once again proved why he is becoming one of the most dependable male actors working today. Both Brenda Song and Kiernan Shipka played their respective roles with expression and individuality, and each felt very believable, particularly during group scenes.
I wasn't so keen on the acting of Jamie Lee Curtis and Billie Lourd, unfortunately. I think that Curtis had some elements of a really good performance, but equally, some of her character work was a bit odd, and it just didn't quite work for me. Lourd's acting just felt very artificial though - I didn't believe what she was saying, or how she was doing it. None of it worked. I feel like, if someone else had played the part, the relevant story arc would have hit home for me a lot more.
Overall, I ended up enjoying this emotional drama quite a lot. Pamela Anderson deserved all the praise she received for what was an exquisite performance, as she pulled all sorts of poignant and evocative emotions to the fore. Some of the smaller aspects of the film weren't quite so strong, but I found myself whisked away by the fading pageantry of the last showgirl on the strip.
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