Showgirls

Showgirls; Erotic drama, USA, 1995; D: Paul Verhoeven, S: Elizabeth Berkley, Gina Gershon, Glenn Plummer, Kyle MacLachlan, Robert Davi, Gina Ravera

Nomi Malone is a young girl who came to Las Vegas to become a famous dancer. But as soon as she arrives there, someone steals her luggage, yet she meets Molly who becomes her roommate and friend. At first, Nomi finds a job as a stripper and meets Zack, the owner the "Stardust" dance club, who hires her as a showgirl. There she meets the star of the club, Crystal, who constantly teases, thus Nomi uses one chance to push her down the stairs and becomes the new star. One day, one singer rapes Molly while Zack refuses to call the police. Thus, Nomi herself beats the singer and leaves the town.

The movie "Showgirls" infamously flopped in 1995 at the box office and got an incredibly negative reputation, whereas according to the site Rotten-tomatoes.com the critics gave it an average grade of only 2.7/10. Still, that's all exaggerated: Indeed, the film caught director Paul Verhoeven on a bad day while the story is confusingly pieced together, but the fact still remains that it's a matter of a solid achievement with a few brilliantly choreographed dance scenes. The story is an amusing trash that never pretends to be anything more than it is and it doesn't go overboard with the erotic touch. That's why it's a pity that some unnecessary flaws are incredibly silly (the overweight Henrietta has a cleavage that "releases" her breasts at will; Cristal says to Nomi: "I like good breasts!" and she replies with: "And I like *to have* good breasts!"; the cliche character of Tony who tests the quality of the showgirls' bust and eliminates them one by one, saying to one: "What's up with those watermelons? This isn't a market! Goodbye!") and spoil this erotic variation of the movie "All About Eve".

Grade:+