The Last Showgirl Blu-ray Review
A strong cast salvages “The Last Showgirl.”
Written by Kate Gersten (and based on her own play “Body Of Work”), “The Last Showgirl” is a Las Vegas set drama. Having worked 30 years as a showgirl for a revue called Le Razzle Dazzle, the aging Shelly is devastated to learn the show is set to close and be replaced by a more modern show. Unable to retire, Shelly is unsure of the next chapter in her life. Her personal life is also rather turbulent as she struggles to reconnect with her daughter Hannah, has a rocky dynamic with other showgirls, and has a complicated relationship with the show’s stage manager Eddie.
Best known for the indie hit “Palo Alto,” Gia Coppola returns to directing with a story about change, aging, the cruelties of show biz, and family. There’s a lot of weighty themes here to be sure, but Gersten and Coppola do very little with them as everything feels a bit too cliched and overstated in this ‘end of an era’ tale. The story feels as if it’s in need of something more substantial for the characters to latch onto as the film struggles to fill the runtime. Perhaps that is the point though as Shelly finds herself in a place where she doesn’t know what to do next.
The cast is the real reason “The Last Showgirl” has garnered attention. Pamela Anderson was famously typecast for much of her career, but with “The Last Showgirl” she gets the opportunity to show a more vulnerable and personal side with the character of Shelly. Not only does she show real range here, but she even received awards attention from the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Personally speaking, Jamie Lee Curtis is the real standout here as an aging cocktail waitress and former Le Razzle Dazzle star named Annette. She steals every scene she is in and gives real depth to the character. The rest of the cast is equally excellent with strong turns by Dave Bautista, Billie Lourd, Brenda Song, Jason Schwartzman and Kiernan Shipka.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 2.39:1 1080p. How does it look? It took a long time to get to home video, but a Blu-ray release is here at least. The film has a very stylized and grainy aesthetic, but it is served well by this transfer.
Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? Viewers can expect a predictably sharp 5.1 track.
Extras include a Digital copy, “The Last Showgirl: Unreserved” (a cast/director conversation), and “A Conversation With Pamela Anderson And Jaime Lee Curtis.”
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