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The Last Showgirl stars the one and only Pamela Anderson as Shelley, who’s completely fallen off the radar for many of us, given that it’s been almost three decades since she finished playing CJ Parker in Baywatch, until 1997 – save for the awful 2017 movie, and in this film, her star is also on the wane.
She stars as an aging Ziegfeld Follies-style dancer in a casino’s revue show that’s been running for about 30 years, since the ’80s, putting the time this is set at approximately ten years ago – even though the specific year is never stated.
However, her shows are the last of its type, with it now being considered old hat and, as such, Eddie (Dave Bautista – Dune Part Two), who does all the backstage organising and the lighting, tells them the show is closing in 2 weeks, as the casino is bringing in a burlesque circus that’s very “Ooh la la!”, even though the dancers, including Mary-Anne (Brenda Song – Running Point) and Jodie (Kiernan Shipka – Red One), can see the writing’s been on the wall for some time, as the ticket sales have been dwindling, leading to Shelley auditioning for other shows.
Also taking in a visit from her estranged daughter, Hannah (Billie Lourd – Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker), showing how they’re very awkward around each other, to the point where she calls her mum by her first name, rather than ‘Mum’, the major problem is that Shelley knows that at 57, her best years are behind her, and The Last Showgirl is all about trying to stay relevant in your later years, as one does find out as you get older.
That problem also strikes for Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis – Borderlands), a cocktail waitress who has been in the job longer than she’d like, but has no retirement pension plan or alternative employment options to follow. So, beyond this, what is there?
Despite being set in the 2010s, director Gia Coppola has decided to shoot this on 16mm film, meaning the image is often far more blurry than it ought to be. For some reason, the sound is also bad, and I wish I’d seen this with subtitles. It’s like when Christopher Nolan purposely screws his sound up in some of his movie scenes, and the only time you can hear them properly is when the home version comes out with those subtitles!
I know – for once – it wasn’t a fault of the cinema, as the BBFC logo before the film was pin-sharp, so this is a choice that has been made.
There’s also a notable dance to Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse Of The Heart, a song that’s stood the test of time over the past 42 years.
Interestingly, behind the scenes, Pamela Anderson has no make-up on for interviews in real life, these days. However, in a film and a TV studio, she must be using the ‘no make-up’ make-up, so it just LOOKS like she has no make-up on, to avoid the studio lights bouncing off her forehead.
Overall, The Last Showgirl is interesting, has a story that’s worth a watch, but it’s not going to be the first choice for a night out at the cinema, and with a short running time of just 88 minutes, it can wait until it comes out on streaming, especially where you can put the subtitles on!
As for Ms Anderson’s career, I’m curious to see where she goes next, but I can’t say I’m looking forward to reheating the long-dead Naked Gun franchise, with Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr. Everyone who was onscreen in the original movies is long dead, and it sounds like when Hollywood tried to make a fourth Men In Black movie, with Thor and Valkyrie, which was terrible, even if Tessa Thompson did rock the trouser suit.
NOTE: There is no mid- or post-credits scene.
The film features a post-credits scene and something else as detailed in my video below…
The Last Showgirl is in cinemas now, and is available to pre-order on Blu-ray and DVD, ahead of its release date TBA.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 88 minutes
Release date: February 28th 2025
Studio: Utopia
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 (Anamorphic Panavision, 16mm (Kodak Vision3 500T 7219))
Cinema: Cineworld Didsbury
Rating: 6/10
Director: Gia Coppola
Producers: Gia Coppola, Natalie Farrey
Screenplay: Kate Gersten
Music: Andrew Wyatt
Cast:
Shelley: Pamela Anderson
Mary-Anne: Brenda Song
Jodie: Kiernan Shipka
Eddie: Dave Bautista
Annette: Jamie Lee Curtis
Hannah: Billie Lourd
Geo: Linda Montana
Poker Bro: John Clofine
Anthony: Giovani L DiCandilo
Audition Director: Jason Schwartzman
Female Plate Spinner: Gypsy Wood
Check-In Girl: Symone Bradley
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.