The Last Showgirl

PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2025 REVIEW! In Gia Coppola’s feature, The Last Showgirl, Shelley (Pamela Anderson), an aging showgirl in the afterglow of her career and the long-time star of a 30-year long-running Vegas show, must accept the show’s closing and the end of her spotlight. The closing of what was once a prominent Vegas attraction provides a lens to a world of multi-generational women in an industry where beauty is not just in the eye of the beholder but, on the flip side, is an ugly sacrifice.

From the onset, Coppola sets the stage for a deep dive into the world of the single working woman in the Vegas performing industry. The glitter, feathers, rhinestones, beautiful bodies, and glam of a showgirl are also about chaos and timing, which Shelley conveys from the dressing room to the stage with non-stop talking and worriment. From the show to home, we meet the showgirls from the young to age out, where Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis) steals her own spotlight, and rightfully so.

Annette, Shelley’s best friend and once a showgirl, is now an aging cocktail waitress, epitomizing a Vegas life from her badly dyed hair to her dead-on, no-filter humor. A product of decades of working in casinos where bitterness and living from tip to tip is the norm, Annette is a hard-cold reality. As if thrown out, Annette can’t shake once being on stage, and to her dismay, Shelley cannot hang up the feathers and rhinestones. It’s rare to catch a glimpse of aging women in any show business, and the underbelly of grief and emptiness rarely surfaces because it is always about the stage and being beautiful. The Last Showgirl is a grand moment for Coppola, which she does well, especially with Anderson and Curtis, who are fully committed to their characters and well-studied for their roles.

“…Shelley, an aging showgirl… must accept the show’s closing and the end of her spotlight.”

When news of the show closing begins to become a reality for Shelley, her reflection on giving up being a mother for the stage becomes a battle that she must face, which Anderson handles until we understand the only man in the film and stage manager, Eddie (Dave Bautista), who fathered her daughter Hannah (Billie Lourd) and how her daughter reacts to her mother’s career choice. Shelley blocks her younger colleagues Mary-Anne (Brenda Song) and Jodie (Kiernan Shipka), who represent the here and now of showgirls, which is unappealing to her but is also an insight into the desperation and denial she must face, adding another layer to The Last Showgirl.

With creative autonomy and diving into the intimacy of a lifestyle choice, Coppola explores Vegas and the bewilderment of those who live there and how they function from day to day. However, the film, written by Kate Gersten, also captures a place and a mother-daughter story that exists in it, whether you approve of it or not. Calling it discarded culture or however it is perceived, Anderson’s previous roles as Roxy in Chicago on Broadway and her life experiences and performances all shine through for Shelley.

For an 18-day, low-budget shoot, Anderson said she came to The Last Showgirl “locked and loaded” for the role of Shelley, “a wonderfully flawed, wearing her heart on her sleeve character.” Understanding the complexity of her role as a working mom who begs forgiveness of her adult children to explain being objectified gave Shelley empathy and made her believable—honest, real, and raw.

However, what makes The Last Showgirl most appealing is Coppola’s choice to end with the last show, which brings it all together in iconic and original Bob Mackie costumes and beautiful women performing in the spotlight—bedazzled and stunning. It lasts long after the credits, from its up close and personal insight of women within an industry and place, which is just a fleeting moment in time for its audience.

The Last Show Girl screened at the 2024 Newport Beach Film Festival and the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival.