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Movies / On DVD / Showgirls
Showgirls

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Showgirls (1995)

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Reviews Counted:37

Fresh:5

Rotten:32

Average Rating:2.7/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 52 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: High-strung, statuesque Nomi Mallone (Elizabeth Berkely) is determined to be a dancer in Las Vegas, whatever it takes--but she starts out as a stripper. Through her seamstress roommate (Gina... High-strung, statuesque Nomi Mallone (Elizabeth Berkely) is determined to be a dancer in Las Vegas, whatever it takes--but she starts out as a stripper. Through her seamstress roommate (Gina Ravera), Nomi catches the attention of the voracious bisexual Cristal (Gina Gershon), star of an extravagant pagan sex show called "Goddess" which plays nightly at the swanky Stardust Casino. Through Cristal's influence, Nomi gets a chance to audition for "Goddess" and is soon involved in all sorts of sordid backstage goings-on, including bitchy dueling with Cristal over Stardust head honcho Zack (Kyle McLachlan). Maligned by many critics upon its original release, SHOWGIRLS has since become a true camp classic, revived for midnight showings and beloved for its decadence, high nudity yield, and outrageously catty dialogue (courtesy of screenwriter Joe Eszterhas). Its director is Paul Verhoeven (ROBOCOP, TOTAL RECALL), so one can safely assume SHOWGIRLS' over-the-top hostility and sexuality is meant to be a satire of American culture. One of the first big-budget Hollywood movies to be released with an NC-17 rating, its lack of box office success meant few others would have the guts to follow. [More]

Starring: Elizabeth Berkley, Gina Gershon, Kyle MacLachlan, Glenn Plummer

Starring: Elizabeth Berkley, Gina Gershon, Kyle MacLachlan, Glenn Plummer, Robert Davi, Alan Rachins, Gina Ravera

Director: Paul Verhoeven

Director: Paul Verhoeven
Screenwriter: Joe Eszterhas
Producer: Charles Evans, Alan Marshall, Mario Kassar
Composer: David A. Stewart

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Showgirls

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Showgirls approximates the feeling of someone sleazy putting the make on you. Its brand of sexual harassment makes you feel dirty and not at all flattered.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
01/01/00
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

The story is so shabbily built that it can make no valid claim to motives other than the filmmakers' mercenary desires to cash in on the public's prurient interests.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

One of the worst films of the year.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

Tasteless, tawdry, and guaranteed to leave you rolling in the aisles... the best bad filmmaking Hollywood has to offer.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
01/13/04
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

A waste of a perfectly good NC-17 rating.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Not only is this movie really dumb, but it's barely sexy, and not even close to explicit.

Full Review Source: Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bryant Frazer
Bryant Frazer
Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus

Even the grossest porn is more cheerfully sexual than this movie.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
07/23/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

The script -- a generic blend mixing the soap of All About Eve with the suds of Valley of the Dolls -- is replete with the clunkiest dialogue this side of Peyton Place.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
04/12/02
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail

Showgirls is one of the most honest satires of recent years.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
07/18/04
Eric Henderson
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine

An overcoat movie for men who don't want to be seen going into a porno theater.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rita Kempley
Rita Kempley
Washington Post

Think of Flashdance but with an unappealing leading lady playing a woman whose fierce ambition is to do something not admirable, just ridiculous.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle

Showgirls is fun, pure and simple, as long as you don't take any of it seriously.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

...despite its rampant sexual material, it is not a sexy film. Dang, this thing couldn't get anything right.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
07/18/04
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

So bad, it's fun.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
08/09/04
Mark Robison
Mark Robison
Reno Gazette-Journal

A bore with nothing much to say about anything and for that matter not much to look at.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
08/19/04
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Verhoeven, a Dutch filmmaker whose early works include the dazzlingly intelligent and anarchic The Fourth Man, has clearly lost his soul in Hollywood.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
01/01/00
Barbara Shulgasser
Barbara Shulgasser
San Francisco Examiner

Just plain awful.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Thompson
Bob Thompson
Jam! Movies

To take Showgirls that seriously (as either trash-art or appalling pornography) wouldn't be worth the exertion.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post

It’s great that a critically and publicly lambasted movie gets a special edition [DVD] that gets it.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
08/03/04
Fred Topel
Fred Topel
About.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Showgirls

July 14, 2009: Five Sex Scenes That Aren't Sexy Opens in new window
Like it or not, we all know sex sells -- especially in Hollywood. But what happens when scenes that are supposed to be sexy just...aren't? Cinematical surveys the damage in a... More...

April 23, 2008: Top Ten Vegas Films
Prepare for the upcoming release of the Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher romantic comedy, What Happens in Vegas, with the RT Top Ten Vegas Films. More...

August 01, 2007: Bad News: No Porn Portrayals in Scarlett's Future
If porn star Jenna Jameson had her way, Scarlett Johansson would be playing her in a movie. If Scarlett Johansson has her way, she definitely won't be playing Jenna Jameson in a... More...

April 30, 2007: Directed By...Sir Paul Verhoeven?
Paul Verhoeven, the Dutch director who brought us such films as "Basic Instinct," "Starship Troopers," and "Showgirls," has reportedly been... More...

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