Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl doesn’t exactly do something profoundly unique as a story, but it delivers a beautiful film, nevertheless, and with an incredible screenplay, it leaves plenty of room for a breathtaking performance from Pamela Anderson. In many ways, it feels tailor-made for an iconic star like Anderson, and the exploration of how show business treats women at a certain age is no small feat.
Men are perceived as silver foxes, while people look at women who’ve aged and question what happened to them. This issue is bigger than what a single article can accomplish, but it’s always deeply frustrating to think about it. There’s a real ageism problem in the entire world, but it’s especially vile in the public eye, and it’s particularly cruel toward women. And a woman like Pamela Anderson has tirelessly borne the brunt of Hollywood’s cruelty. It’s always been loud, especially when sex or artistry of any kind is on the table, too. But everything about The Last Showgirl works to prove that how society views women has nothing on how we see each other.
Shot on film and in a carefully intimate manner to showcase the closeness between each of the women, there’s something so gorgeously satisfying about how they all have each other’s backs. It’s why the Broadway version of Moulin Rouge hits the way it does, because it allows Nini to care for Satine as opposed to being the one to cause her downfall. And because there’s something inherently warm in Pamela Anderson’s approach, the character’s light shines even brighter.
It’s also worth mentioning the brilliant casting decision to have Billie Lourd play her daughter because it brings to life a different kind of fight against the patriarchy. One of the first instances that I personally remember seeing the vast cruelty of Hollywood was when trailers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens came out. The way people were so quick to jump on Lourd’s late mother—the incomparable Carrie Fisher—was utterly vile. Gross. There’s no other way to put it. Like Anderson, Fisher is another woman Hollywood has terrorized more than they’ve uplifted her, but as she fought back, she became a ceaseless inspiration to so many of us.
When The Last Showgirl was released, people called it Pamela Anderson’s comeback. But she never really left. She’s been here all along because, whether you know her work or not, you know her name. You know her influence. A star like Anderson doesn’t leave—we remember her. We applaud her. We care. And in every way, the film allows us to understand the gravitas of what that means for the kind of performer whose range has always married softness and warmth in a way that’s inimitable in Hollywood.
She is a showgirl. She is a star. Pamela Anderson is the kind of actress people look at and think, “I want to do this, too.” We look at her and we see someone with a star power that’s impossible to describe. And in every way where it matters, her performance as Shelly Gardner brings to life her star power in a way that’s genuinely raw, breathtaking, and memorable. I can go on and on about how every frame feels like a painting that should be framed at the Louvre. I can sit here for hours and stare at the color compositions, marveling at how Anderson ensures that her every expression tells a profoundly moving story that people will remember. The last number is especially something incomparable praise, and it’s a scene I’m going to be thinking about for a long, long time.
The Last Showgirl is currently streaming on Hulu. What are your thoughts on Pamela Anderson’s The Last Showgirl? Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Courtesy of Roadside Attractions