The Last Showgirl

Like said Mickey Rourke in 'The Wrestler' Pamela Anderson makes a solid comeback where she wears her age well and isn't afraid to show lines, warts and body change but still manages to give herself a devil may care attitude to a profession she has spent years enjoying and honing just to keep the ' fans' happy. It's a touching brave performance and ranks alongside Demi Moore in 'The Substance' as a substantial age of reinvention for those over 50.

Jamie Lee Curtis (looking very much like Auntie Jo!!) provides able support as the cocktail waitress whose dreams faded long ago-her dance on the table to 'Total Eclipse of The Heart' is rather moving. She should have been getting more awards for this than the tiresome 'Everything, Everywhere, All At Once'.

I'm always interested in the twilight years of those who have made a living using their musical talents/movie star image and bodies for entertainment and fame whether it pornography or not-The Rialto Report is a thorough exploration in this.

Gia Coppola shows the brash colour of Las Vegas mixed with drab bungalows with plastic garden furniture and empty bottles highlighting these empty unfulfilled lives.

There is also a decent score by Andrew Wyatt.

The beauty of this film lies in its simplicity but that doesn't mean it lacks complexity.

At a time when movies try so hard these days to be bigger and glossier, both in budget and running time, it's a breath of fresh air to find a film under 90 minutes that tells a relatable human story without needing to resource to hyper stylised visuals or an overcomplicated plot.

This movie is about real people going through real hardships. We are invited to be bystanders as we follow the life of the titular character (Pamela Anderson's Shelly) as she faces the end of a chapter in more ways than one, and she's in fact the last of a kind.

The director Gia Coppola gets close enough to her subjects using handheld cameras but never indulges in the drama talking place. This movie is a drama, no doubt, but it isn't melodramatic. It is profoundly sad but it doesn't linger. It's heart breaking because we all know a Shelly, or we've been one ourselves... We recognise these characters, and the actors do a great job bringing honesty to each and every part.

But lets be clear, this movie works because of Pamela Anderson. Not only she does a great job here; the nuances in her choices as an actress, the physicality, the voice. But it is the old classic Hollywood style of acting that is so rare to see these days that really caught me by surprise and that I'm afraid will pass some viewers by. She reminds me of Marilyn Monroe, Lana Turner, Ingrid Bergman. She is vulnerable jet commanding of the screen. She is the closest to a Katherine Hepburn if she had worked in an indie film. She really is that good, without needing a big tear jerking scene, of which there are many 'close-to' moments. The dinner scene with with Dave Bautista's character is a great example of the complex and layered acting we're talking about here. So is the first scene in which Shelly meets her daughter.

I hope this movie finds its audience and that Mrs Anderson gets her well deserved flowers.

This movie definitely makes you think about life and what you make of it!

I enjoyed it, but it is definitely heartbreaking and hard to watch at times. Makes you think of your priorities in life and how following your dreams doesn't always pay up in the long term. Shelly is 57 years old Las Vegas dancer at the end of her career with nothing else going on for her in life. Her life long dream to be a dancer in the spot lights made her sacrifice everything she had in life. Marriage, the connection with her daughter, life and money stability, health insurance and retirement benefits. She did it all for her passion for the job, but once the show was over her life pretty much ends with it. Its a great movie showing how not everyone makes it ok in life and actually following your dreams can end you with nothing even if you were happy while doing it.

Pamela Anderson acting is great beginning to end! Definitely the right choice for the part. Jamie Lee Curtis is great as ever and even Bautista steps out of his regular character.

Overall great movie, but not everyones cup of tea, for sure!

Great movie but the camera movement gets a little annoying! The cast did an amazing job, I think they were the perfect cast! The only thing about the film was the constant movements and some of the glow and blur and too much unnecessary lights blinding the camera it was nice in some parts but they overdid it and it honestly ruined a really good movie! Which is Such a disappointment! I don't know if it was the director or camera guy who wanted to film it like that but that definitely ruined the film! There are some parts that were soft and nostalgic which I did really enjoy with some of the blur, the lights and the glow but it got annoying with the constant movements.

There's a lot to admire about The Last Showgirl, first and foremost the performance of Pamela Anderson. It's a role that seems made for her and it's a role she plays to perfection. The supporting cast of Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista, and more are all spot on too.

The style of the film is also hugely pleasing and absorbing. Despite the unnecessarily heavy hand on the blurry camera focus, the cinematography is largely very impressive. The sets and costumes are all perfect and the score compliments everything to a tee.

My only real criticism is that the story has no real depth to it. It traces over some familiar tropes to do with family and ageing, none of which are particularly groundbreaking or explored with any great depth. The film whizzes by in a flash with many missed opportunities to dive into Anderson's character even more.

It would be fair to say this film favours style over substance, but when the style is pretty damn impressive, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Although it lacks depth, it presents a solid portrait of an ageing star and the realities of living a life on the stage.