The background: A strippers' convention and a major contest. The movie focuses on a few strippers, each with her own strong motive to win.The background: A strippers' convention and a major contest. The movie focuses on a few strippers, each with her own strong motive to win.The background: A strippers' convention and a major contest. The movie focuses on a few strippers, each with her own strong motive to win.
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The overall story is pretty mild. Life as usual for some women.
For the viewer it can be fascinating to get glimpses into that life. Sure, the scenes seem to be well dressed and not very realistic. But in the moralist context I doubt anyone can show the real footage for the simple reason that the two gangs accept only the extremes: the glamour or the gross and the disgusting. Not taking sides would mean having both gangs against you. And from this stand point the production team does a good job not leaning in any direction.
Also, it's hard to imagine how they did it without the tech common for the 2018.
For the viewer it can be fascinating to get glimpses into that life. Sure, the scenes seem to be well dressed and not very realistic. But in the moralist context I doubt anyone can show the real footage for the simple reason that the two gangs accept only the extremes: the glamour or the gross and the disgusting. Not taking sides would mean having both gangs against you. And from this stand point the production team does a good job not leaning in any direction.
Also, it's hard to imagine how they did it without the tech common for the 2018.
I get the feeling the producers had seen "Rocky" recently.
Cinemax put this into their late night, dirty movie lineup a decade or so ago, and it sounded interesting so I watched it. Definately memorable, I've thought a lot about it since, recommended it to people, and no I don't remember much of the naked women (they would strip down to a G-string, I recall.)
Instead it was great to see people in one of the less-well-regarded professions, eagerly competing to be "the best!" for different personal reasons, not the least of which was to just be the best. A lot of planning, and psyching up, and working out, and along the way telling life stories.
One asks her boss, the night club owner, for a few days off to be in the contest. Maybe he didn't realize that she would be a much better draw after being a "world class contestant", because he said no. She had to quit to go, and the viewer wonders how that will work out when the contest is over.
Whether it's titallating is up to you. A memorable sequence is the dancer who hired a personal trainer, got up early every morning, put on a sweat suit, and did a long distance run/job to tone up and slim down. Lot of pounding the pavement, boring exercising, not really too stimulating for the viewer, right?
Or the two that were working a route in Canada, taking the train from one mill town to another. Interesting how they could get off the train, and get to talking to the men in the town quickly, asking really old geezers "you're going to come see my show tonight, right?"
The one who talked about her finances -- strippers don't have that long (maybe to age 40) to make their money. She had been doing okay, but witlessly signed her money over to a scum-boyfriend, now long vanished with the loot, and now she works because she has a little girl. Winning the contest might help her recover financially.
Truthfully, I loved the stories here, maybe you will, too. It plays like a female "Rocky", only "Stripper" was the real thing.
Cinemax put this into their late night, dirty movie lineup a decade or so ago, and it sounded interesting so I watched it. Definately memorable, I've thought a lot about it since, recommended it to people, and no I don't remember much of the naked women (they would strip down to a G-string, I recall.)
Instead it was great to see people in one of the less-well-regarded professions, eagerly competing to be "the best!" for different personal reasons, not the least of which was to just be the best. A lot of planning, and psyching up, and working out, and along the way telling life stories.
One asks her boss, the night club owner, for a few days off to be in the contest. Maybe he didn't realize that she would be a much better draw after being a "world class contestant", because he said no. She had to quit to go, and the viewer wonders how that will work out when the contest is over.
Whether it's titallating is up to you. A memorable sequence is the dancer who hired a personal trainer, got up early every morning, put on a sweat suit, and did a long distance run/job to tone up and slim down. Lot of pounding the pavement, boring exercising, not really too stimulating for the viewer, right?
Or the two that were working a route in Canada, taking the train from one mill town to another. Interesting how they could get off the train, and get to talking to the men in the town quickly, asking really old geezers "you're going to come see my show tonight, right?"
The one who talked about her finances -- strippers don't have that long (maybe to age 40) to make their money. She had been doing okay, but witlessly signed her money over to a scum-boyfriend, now long vanished with the loot, and now she works because she has a little girl. Winning the contest might help her recover financially.
Truthfully, I loved the stories here, maybe you will, too. It plays like a female "Rocky", only "Stripper" was the real thing.
Found this while scrolling YouTube. I didn't know if it was a movie or documentary. It was a bit slow till everyone gets to Vegas. I knew the girl who won would win. She did a great job! I wonder what happened to all of them. It's interesting how different strippers look now vs then. Back then it seemed to be more about dancing and talent vs big fake boobs and bottomless.
I remember when this video hit the old time Mom & Pop video stores in the mid 80s. It had a big promotion, large posters on the walls. Places that would not carry the harder sex videos carried these, or, if you were too embarrassed to go into the "back room", you could still rent this from the front. That's primarily it with this video. It was marketed that way and the box made it look like sleaze. Various strippers are shown and, as filler, we get to see the bahind the scenes of their lives. If it was JUST stripping, it wouldnt qualify as a hoity-toity "documentary" and would have been in that fabled back room. A Stripper's Convention was put together obviously by the video producers (It's a "First Annual"...c'mon ) as an excuse to have a grand stripoff at the end. It's a good look at where stripping was at back then. This was just before "Gentlemen's Clubs" became little more then steroid and silicone driven hard-body gynecology lessons. The ladies are pretty, the dancing may seem a little tame by "Showgirls" standards (which it would make a good double-feature with, call it the "Fast-Forward Film Festival").
This movie offers an intimate and emotional look into the backrooms of strip clubs and a look into the behind the scenes of routines, training, and the lives of said dancers.
It doesn't completely dive into the dancers personal lives, however a few of the women in the movie are so earnest and open with their stories.
While maybe not the best documentary about stripping, however it's semi-light hearted and fun.
Watching from 2023, it's very interesting to see how the scene operated back in the day. I wish there was a follow up on these dancers, as I'd love to find out what happened to each one of them and how their lives continued after the movie.
It doesn't completely dive into the dancers personal lives, however a few of the women in the movie are so earnest and open with their stories.
While maybe not the best documentary about stripping, however it's semi-light hearted and fun.
Watching from 2023, it's very interesting to see how the scene operated back in the day. I wish there was a follow up on these dancers, as I'd love to find out what happened to each one of them and how their lives continued after the movie.
Did you know
- TriviaSara Costa's range firing scenes were filmed on the Alhambra Police Department's shooting range in South El Monte, California, USA. All scenes shot involved real, live fire, using a Smith and Wesson .357 Magnum Model 19 revolver. The director wanted to show her firing an impressive score, so it was decided that the instructor, Patrick Alexander, would be off camera shooting the target which would then be inserted as if it was fired by Sara. In fact she was doing very well in her firearms self defense training, and the target that was shown in the final cut was actually shot by Sara Costa.
- SoundtracksLook, But Don't Touch
Performed by Joe Lynn Turner
Written by Joe Lynn Turner, Al Greenwood (as Alan Greenwood) and Chuck Burgi
Produced by Mike Appel and Al Greenwood
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Stripporna
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $90,000
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $14,155
- Feb 2, 1986
- Gross worldwide
- $90,000
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