Showgirls : The Citizen Kane of Trash

With my Netflix list slowing down these days as I prepare to go back to school for the new semester, I thought I’d review an old classic film that I feel really stands the test of time.

Let me explain what I mean. You see, there are bad movies and then there are movies so bad you have to watch them over and over, carefully analyzing every frame, to truly appreciate the utter disaster they really are. Paul Verhoven’s 1995 masterpiece Showgirls is the most shining example of the ladder.

The film follows a troubled trailer-park-perm wearing bad girl named Nomi (yep, Nomi) in her meteoric rise to stardom as a Las Vegas showgirl. The film chronicles Nomi’s triumph and tragedy as she struggles with sleazy men, her ugly past, and most famously, her rivalry with Cristal, the lead dancer in her show.

For those who haven’t seen it, let me give you an idea of just how things play out. In one of my favorite scenes near the beginning of the film, a distraught Nomi is throwing a tantrum in a parking lot angrily beating the hood of a parked car. Suddenly, a woman runs out and begins screaming that it is her car and ordering Nomi to stop denting it. Nomi shoves the woman and they get into a pseudo fist fight. Nomi then shoves the woman again and runs away, darting into traffic in the process. The woman, for no real reason, decides to pull Nomi aside just in time before a car races by nearly hitting her. They fight for a few more minutes and then, out of nowhere, the woman asks Nomi if she can buy her something to eat. Cut to: 6 weeks later as Nomi and the woman she once beat up in a parking lot are now living happily together in a trailer in Vegas. As my film teacher noted, this is one of the absolute worst narrative concoctions ever captured on film. In fact, there are crappy Bruckheimer action films that make more sense.

The film crosses genres, blending action with romance with soft-core cable porn. Clearly, the producers tried to hit on all the demographics: poor trailer trash girls who might one day dream of being high priced whores, strippers who dream of being legitimate dancers, and 15 year old boys who try to convince their parents that because this film doesn’t have the typical porn box cover, it is a legitimate piece of artistic expression. The strongest argument for the ladder is the thematic lipstick lesbian undertone that is the backbone of the film. In fact, many have compared this film to a 131 minute porn with no money shot.

My personal favorite element of this film is the way that Nomi, played by Elizabeth Berkley, carries herself. It defies description but the best way to put it is that she stomps around like a lumberjack. One would think that strippers and showgirls have a certain grace or rhythm, but apparently Verhoven felt differently. Berkely’s movements are so violent that I have actually started a “drink every time” for when she slams into someone or something through out the film. It’s not as if the other actors are much better either, however they have gone on to do other films. Gina Gershon and Kyle MacLachlan, for example, have successfully shed their Showgirls past and gone on to star in other things.

Another hallmark Showgirls moment is the climactic “sex in the pool” sequence. Nomi is impressed by Zack’s “cool pad” complete with light-up neon palm trees by the pool because that spells class. Then, the two have their little romantic encounter which looks more like a seizure or full body dry heave than sex. This was probably one of the moments that garnered an NC-17 rating by the notorious MPAA. I must say, all the sexual content of this film is more comical than erotic. Rent the DVD if you don’t believe me.

My guess is that this film began as a tale about life on “fame’s backside” told from the perspective of one brave woman determined to overcome her demons and make it big in Vegas. But then they kept adding to it and restructuring it and trying to make it profound, yet still sexy enough to border on porn. What resulted is, perhaps, the most classic of all bad films in history, maybe even worse than Xanadu. It is truly a must-see for all.

My DVD, which cost under $10, doesn’t come with all the cool extras that the big box set comes with. I have heard that it is well worth the extra money because the box set comes with commentary from a guy who is completely unrelated to the film production team, just a fan of the film who sees the same hilarious brilliance that so many of us do. I am still in the process of trying to get my hands on a copy of that commentary track.

If you have already seen the movie, or own the box set, I suggest you check out other “awesomely bad” classics like Skyscraper, starring Anna Nicole Smith, and the classic From Justin to Kelly. But remember, Showgirls is tough to beat. Why, because, “We’re all whores darlin’.”

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