Pamela Anderson is making a comeback and a career pivot all in one role. With plenty of glitter and glam, she plays an aging Las Vegas dancer who has two weeks to come to terms with the show closing in Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl. In a way, it’s the perfect part to showcase what we have been missing all these years.
Joining Anderson’s Shelly onstage is Brenda Song as Marianne and Kiernan Shipka as Jodie. Both are significantly younger than Shelly, and each girl has a vastly different opinion about their show, Le Razzle Dazzle. For Marianne, being a dancer is a job, a means to an end. Jodie, the youngest, is genuinely interested in the showgirl lifestyle and doesn’t mind auditioning for seedier acts. Shelly, has been here for nearly three decades, sacrificing her marriage and even moments of her daughter, Hannah’s (Billie Lourd) childhood to do so. While she doesn’t have savings or any retirement, she believes she gave her all to the show for very little in return, only for it to be canceled.
Her best friend Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis) is a blatant and sobering reminder of what her future could be. Having left the show six years prior, she spends her days reminiscing about “the good old days” and cocktail waitressing at some casino. Jaded and bitter, she prepares Shelly for what’s next– the good, bad, and humiliating.
It’s hard not to watch The Last Showgirl and not think about Anderson’s journey to this moment. After years of being held to a certain reputation, she’s been able to shed a bit of the reputation thrust upon her in the 90s. Hulu’s miniseries Pam & Tommy helped with this, as it was made not only without her blessing but against her protests. Her Netflix documentary Pamela: A Love Story, showcased an intelligent and thoughtful woman who loved her family and wanted a quiet life. As an outside viewer, The Last Showgirl feels like a full-circle moment for Anderson, finally telling a story that she is spiritually close to. She is wonderful as Shelly – vibrant and naive, still swimming through oceans of denial of what she has given up. Her chemistry with the women is electric, at times her role serving as both child and mother.
Anderson also elevates the spectacular cast behind her, Keirnan Shipka has a juicy little part in Jody and gets to showcase that arc in all its glory. Jamie Lee Curtis is once again rocking a very particular wig and makeup combo. Another stand out is Dave Bautista as the Le Razzle Dazzle’s stage manager, Eddie, who is a bull during the show and a sweet puppy dog after. This might be Bautista’s best role yet, who has been stretching his dramatic chops after his Marvel run. He knows it’s Anderson’s movie and yet gives her the space to work and plays off her with grace and awe.
There’s a searing melancholy that reverberates under this film. Gia Coppola doesn’t exploit it but instead incorporates Vegas’ ugly underbelly seamlessly into the story. Kate Gersten’s script is slightly wooden in a few places, but Coppola’s visuals more than make for it. Expect a brilliant score and a well-put-together soundtrack, the former composed by Barbie’s Andrew Wyatt. There’s no weak link here. The stage is set for the Pam-aissance and The Last Showgirl proves it.
Roadside Attractions will release The Last Showgirl in select theaters Dec. 14 and everywhere Jan. 10, 2025. A trailer has not been released at the time of publication.
