TIFF 2024: 'The Last Showgirl' Is a Stunning Showcase for Pamela Anderson

By Sara Clements | Film | September 18, 2024 |

By Sara Clements | Film | September 18, 2024 |

Following in her grandfather’s footsteps, Gia Coppola is the youngest of the famous film family to step into the director’s chair. While her first two films, Palo Alto and Mainstream, weren’t met with the warmest reception, The Last Showgirl is a hit. Looking behind the lights of the Las Vegas Strip, the film, with a screenplay by Kate Gersten, focuses on one performer’s life after she finds herself without work for the first time in 30 years. Through Coppola’s dream-like lens, the film explores what it’s like to live and work in Vegas, and through Pamela Anderson’s emotional, powerful, and often vulnerable performance, we see just how difficult the latter can be for women of a certain age.

The film begins briefly at its end. An aging beauty and dancer is auditioning to try to land a new gig after her show abruptly closes after 30 years. Being a showgirl is all that Shelley (Anderson) has known. Now in her 50s, she’s struggling to figure out what to do next. Her best friend and ex-dancer, Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis bringing some comedic levity), suggests that she come to work with her as a cocktail waitress. But even then, Annette is finding herself losing shifts to younger girls. Shelley knows what it’s like to feel sidelined. When her show first started, she had a solo that was eventually given to a younger dancer. And in her last bit on stage, she was left standing behind younger performers like Jodie (Kiernan Shipka) and Marianne (Brenda Song). Even though she’s much younger than Shelley, Marianne is being called too old for certain shows. Jodie, on the other hand, is adapting to the new raunchy style of performance that’s all the rage, something that Shelley is horrified by. The old razzle dazzle of the Strip is fading. Now that one door has closed, what other doors are left for Shelley to open?

Despite only being shot in 18 days, The Last Showgirl completely draws the viewer into a world of entertainment that no longer exists. The image of women in glamourous outfits and heavy headdresses who perform on stage is now just a myth, replaced by paid models frequenting the sidewalks of the Strip. In comparison to her younger peers, Shelley truly lives and breathes dance. There’s beautiful intimacy in the way that the camera captures Anderson as she dances, mostly occurring alone to emphasize what a solitary life being an artist can create. Anderson is so affecting in this role that feels to have been made for her. As Shelley struggles with what to do next, she begins to sink into loneliness. Looking in a mirror, Anderson is able to capture so much pain and yet carry such strength simultaneously.

What’s the film’s strength is the relationship between its characters, creating a family dynamic and sisterhood on screen. Even as stage manager, Eddie, Dave Bautista brings an empathetic touch to his role, moving past his tough-guy persona, which makes the development of his relationship with Shelley that much more compelling. However, the characters, especially Shelley, could have used more depth. The arrival of Shelley’s estranged daughter, Hannah (Billie Lourd), provides a new goal for her, to repair a relationship she gave up on for her career, but it feels sudden and the relationship itself also lacks the depth to fully capture its audience emotionally.

Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s cinematography is gorgeous at capturing a world that seems almost like a fantasy, but it’s very real for those who live it. There’s a stunning shot of Shelley overlooking the city she has performed in for the last three decades; a city and career that has shaped her in many ways. The film reflects on the sacrifices that one sometimes has to make for their art and how one can be completely lost without it. Older women being replaced by the hottest new thing isn’t new and doesn’t only apply to Vegas. It happens everywhere and Anderson’s role culminates in a final declaration that will resonate with many women. What’s next for Shelley is embracing and loving herself - a journey that can be a difficult one.