Pamela Anderson Dazzles in Familiar ‘The Last Showgirl’
“This is the role I have been waiting for my entire career.” Pamela Anderson made this declaration to the crowd at the Toronto International Film Festival following the premiere of The Last Showgirl. Now that the dreamy Las Vegas-set drama is in now in theaters, see why she deserves to bask in the spotlight.
Anderson is Shelly, the veteran showgirl perfectly content performing in the back of the line at an old-school revue on the Strip called Le Razzle Dazzle. Shelly likes to remind her younger cohorts Jodie (Kiernan Shipka) and Mary-Anne (Brenda Song) that the show is much classier compared to its racy competitors. But after nearly 40 years, sales have nosedived. And at a dinner hosted by Shelly’s cocktail waitress bestie (Jamie Lee Curtis), its longtime manager and producer (Dave Bautista, doing solid serious work) informs the trio that the final curtain is imminent. Suddenly, Shelly is forced to pivot for the first time in ages. Her relatable reaction drives the 85-minute narrative.
As a dancer, Shelly knows she’s no longer in her prime. In the most powerful scene, she stands alone on a stage during an audition and fibs twice about her age to the director (Jason Schwartzman) in hopes of getting the job. Though he sneers, “What you sold was young and sexy; you aren’t either anymore,” Shelly snaps back, “I’m 57, and I’m beautiful, you son of a bitch!” for a parting shot. (The 57-year-old Anderson improvised the line.) As a mother, Shelly fares no better — she struggles to repair her fractured relationship with her daughter (Billie Lourd.) This underdeveloped storyline borrows from the likes of The Whale and The Wrestler. And director Gia Coppola (known for Palo Alto and for being part of Hollywood directing royalty) relies too heavily on melancholic montages and longing looks out at the neon skyline to propel the overall journey.
So what about Pam, you ask. No, her eclectic career will not evolve from Baywatch red to Oscar gold. Though the actress effortlessly conveys Shelly’s sunny optimism — and did receive SAG and Golden Globe nominations, no small feats! — she doesn’t quite nail the range of emotions required for The Big Scenes. Still, she deserves major credit for stripping away her 90s-era blonde bombshell persona — not to mention all that makeup — and letting her vulnerabilities shine. Shelly may perpetually come up short in her bid for a flashy comeback, but Anderson will have no such problem.
