Review of Showgirls (1995) by Nina W — 10 May 2011

One of the poorest receptions in film history resulted in 'Showgirls' becoming a cult classic with a huge following. I myself adore this film. Its so bad its good. Elizabeth Berkley as Nomi trots her way from scene to scene like an angry horse searching for a golden apple. Gina Gershon plays her bisexual (I'd say strictly lesbian) nemesis to awkward perfection. Her country drawl is so dreadful I applaud her whenever she opens her crooked mouth to crow.

The supporting cast are also awful. Aside from Nomi's friend Molly (who gets brutally raped - skip the scene) no one is likeable in the entire picture. And the characters get sleazier as the movie progresses. At the top of the creep pile sits Kyle McLachlan sneering from a cloud of cigarette smoke with a truly horrifying hair cut. I liked the score and the soundtrack. I found the costumes amusing, the dialogue was laughably disasterous and the direction was non-existant. But I would take Showgirls over say 'Basic Instinct' any day. Showgirls never pretends to be classy. A personal favourite.