"The Last Showgirl" opens on Wednesday

Me too OP.

I went and saw it this evening. I'd been cautiously optimistic about it. I liked it and found it a very pleasant(?) watch, despite the downbeat nature of it (which maybe is what made it weirdly calming). In three words, I'd describe it as "Las Vegas sadcore". Lovely visuals and very atmospheric, '80s-tinged interiors. I think it was set in the early 2000s, but the style of Pam's house in it and the aging casino all looked very '80s, which was appropriate. It looked like it was shot on aged film stock—a lot of noticeable grain and imperfections.

Pam was very good, though I don't know if I'd say it's an Oscar-worthy performance. Her character reveals herself to be a very shallow person as the film progresses, and she strangely becomes less likable as it goes on. Jamie Lee Curtis was fun as expected playing the mouthy, reckless, haggard Vegas cougar. Her existential dance scene to "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in the casino, gimmicky or not, was a pure aesthetic cinematic spectacle that was worth the price of admission for me.

I like Kiernan Shipka and Brenda Song, so they were nice additions to the younger cast. I thought Billie Lourd, who play's Pam's character's daughter, was fucking awful. Not only that, but she's stumpy and has no charisma. I had never seen her in anything before but was very unimpressed.

All in all, I think the film works as a mood piece more than it does a character study. I liked it enough that I will certainly rewatch.

The closing track to the film was sung by Miley Cyrus. I thought I recognized that voice. I think it's beautiful and works nicely in the movie. I've always thought she was an underrated singer.

Just saw it. Nepo baby Billie is lumpen and talentless.

Pardon, I meant to call Billie a lump. Lifeless.

It’s playing in about 800 theaters across the country—a semi-wide release. If you’re anywhere near an even moderately decent-sized city it’s probably playing fairly close to you.

R5 I don't particularly enjoy hating on Carrie Fisher's sole offspring, but yeah, her performance was lackluster in this. I didn't believe a word she said. I never realized how homely she was either until I saw her on the big screen in this. She looks good in some photos I'd seen before, but the angles you saw of her face in this film were extremely unflattering. She has an ugly jawline profile, and the pulled back shots of her in those frumpy jeans were awful.

I just saw the movie. It’s odd. Pamela Anderson is really good in spots and then she’s really amateurish in others.

She has a breakdown scene that is over the top, but is really moving in a final phone message to her daughter.

JLC despite growing to be annoyed by her persona, was actually quite good. Her dance sequence was the highlight of the movie.

[quote] It’s playing in about 800 theaters across the country—a semi-wide release. If you’re anywhere near an even moderately decent-sized city it’s probably playing fairly close to you.

I'm hoping it will be out streaming soon, so I can watch it.

Joker Folie a Deux was out on streaming only a month after it was released in theaters.

So maybe this movie will be the same, since it doesn't have wide distribution.

R3- agree. I started a thread this summer after "discovering" her.

She makes Taylor Swift look as truly average and uninspired as she is.

Love Miley.

Here's Lykke Li and Andrew Wyatt performing the film's main song at a screening. I think they were the principal writers though Miley got a songwriting credit as well. I've been a fan of Lykke Li since '08 when she released her first album. Her vocals are more fragile and less belty than Miley's, but I think it's a beautiful rendition. She ends it by saying "I'm not as good of a singer as Miley" which I don't know if I agree with. Her style is different but I still think she's a lovely singer, and it's a great song.

As much as I didn't enjoy Billie Lourd in this movie, I sort of forgive her now after watching her talk about why she wanted to play the part she did in this movie. The parallels there between the mother/daughter relationship in the film and her mother and grandmother's relationship hit pretty damn close to home. She gets the mic around the 13:00 mark in the video. JLC is as obnoxious as ever throughout the entire thing, but she also seems genuinely moved, no doubt because she has a similar family history.

I thought Jamie Lee Curtis stole the film.

I know I'm in the minority but I really liked Billie Lourd in this. I thought Pam was heartbreaking and she really made me care about Shelly.

Pamela's character was both underwritten and unpleasant.

Jamie's character was also undeveloped but more entertaining.

Dave Bautista is the surprisingly gentle heart of the movie. The only recognizably human character.

And no production numbers to show off the showgirls.

Flop.

It was just ok. Had the soft gauzy Sofia Coppola look. (I know it’s not a Sofia film)

Pamela’s tiny voice irks me.

JLC pulled off working class better than the other nepo, Billie.

Now it will be streaming any minute.

I don't know, I hate Vegas after living there for three months so Vegas sadcore was basically all around me. I got a screener but it's just sitting there on my desk..

OSCAR SO WHITE

Noms are out and Pam didn't get one. So she can go back to wearing make-up and sexy clothes once again, and ditch 'take me as a serious actress' look she's been walking around with to try and nab a nom. If she did get the nom, she'd have to ditch the 'sexy' look she's so used to wearing for another few weeks.

And JLC's "little movie that could", support women, and fire savior BS didn't work either. She'll be insufferable at the BAFTAs.

I thought Pam pushed herself and did a great job. I don't want to see her play Medea but I do hope she gets some good roles out of this.

I think the movie would have had a better chance at the box-office if it was called "The Last Playgirl", featuring Matt Bomer as the last Playgirl model before the magazine folded for good. Plenty of frontal nudity from Bomer, and the box office takes off like a Cali fire.

Jamie Lee Curtis' makeup looks like black-face. I'm surprised it didn't cause a stir. Perhaps that speaks to her and/or this film's irrelevance.

R23 - and why CAN'T see play Madea?

I just saw this. It was BLEAK... Very surprised that Pamela was in Oscar contention for this- but she was STILL wonderful. She got better and better as the film progressed- she has this real undercurrent of humor that I was not expecting and it makes the character far more complex and eccentric. She has charisma.

Jamie Lee- she honestly did a good job but the character is so- revolting that it veers way into camp- just really hard to watch.

Just a bleak and sad film-- It had some sad truths to it but I would never watch this again.

And Billie Lourd was godawful. Kiernan Shipka was excellent.

And I also agree, Bautista was the heart of the film- very similar to Igor in Anora.

Should be streaming by now.

This movie was AWFUL and got me thinking: when are we going to have a Halloween sequel where Michael Myers finally kills Laurie Strode dead?

Like it would’ve been a good addition to this film, during that wretched sequence when JLC was embarrassing herself and all of humanity by doing an interpretive dance to Total Eclipse of the Heart if Michael Myers had turned up and just stabbed her to death. Would’ve been better than anything that actual happened in this shitfest.

They should do Halloween: The Final Installment - the night he finally gets her! I think there’s an audience for that. They could be really meta about it and include JLC’s overwrought character from The Bear, maybe have Michelle Yeoh make an appearance egging MM on, Pam Anderson saying, “She stole my Oscar campaign!” (Pammy, you were terrible anyway.)

I hated how shaky the camera work was, and since it was filmed on 16 mm film, I found it rather difficult to watch. Gia is not nearly as talented as Sophia or Francis Ford Coppola. I thought all the acting, with the exception of Billie, was great. I'm surprised no one has commented on Brenda Song’s performance. I thought it was very well done. I hope to see her more movies.

It was dull