❝Feeling seen, feeling beautiful, that is powerful. And I can't imagine my life without it.❞
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The Last Showgirl is a glittering reminder that society has vastly different expectations for men and women; our beauty has an expiration date and no matter how talented we may be, it's always about looks; I have zero clue why older women are so looked down upon, because they're genuinely beautiful, while older men are celebrated and sought after.
Pamela Anderson is an absolute triumph in this film; I fell in love with Shelly and her bright personality despite how life treated her. It was a little frustrating to watch her defend her choices so resolutely, but I could understand it. To be in the spotlight from a very young age, your beauty being the only that matters, loving your job, it'd be hard to leave it all behind (I really wanted to see how different the shows were when she younger though). That doesn't mean the way she treated Hannah was correct, although I really didn't like when Eddie criticised her for it.
What I loved the most about this film is the way the Showgirl were presented. They weren't ditzy, blonde, clueless girls but talented women of various backgrounds with good heads on their shoulders. I do wish the relationships between Shelly, Mary-Anne and Jodie were developed a bit more because I felt that they forgave Shelly very quickly. Unfortunately I wasn't a huge fan of Jamie Lee Curtis as Annette, and while Dave Bautista had some good moments, he was mostly quite stiff in his performance.
I really liked that 16mm film was used to shoot The Last Showgirl, because it gave the film a lovely grainy, softer look that reflected Shelly's personality. However, the anamorphic lenses didn't work too well as it although it created a nice blurred effect at the edges of the film, the women that were supposed to be in the centre of the frame didn't always end up there due to the shaky tracking shots.
The costumes were gorgeous and sparkled perfectly under the hazy filter and warm lights; the makeup and hair complemented them very nicely too. The soundtrack is so melancholy and a little subdued, but it fits the atmosphere and characters perfectly; I cried buckets during that final scene with 'Beautiful That Way' playing.
The Last Showgirl isn't without flaws, of course, but it's a shining window into the seemingly glamorous world of showgirls and Vegas culture, and the objectification and backwards views of the women that are the soul and essence of it.
❝Feeling seen, feeling beautiful, that is powerful. And I can't imagine my life without it.❞
──────⊹⊱✫⊰⊹──────
The Last Showgirl is a glittering reminder that society has vastly different expectations for men and women; our beauty has an expiration date and no matter how talented we may be, it's always about looks; I have zero clue why older women are so looked down upon, because they're genuinely beautiful, while older men are celebrated and sought after.
Pamela Anderson is an absolute triumph in this film; I fell in love with Shelly and her bright personality despite how life treated her. It was a little frustrating to watch her defend her choices so resolutely, but I could understand it. To be in the spotlight from a very young age, your beauty being the only that matters, loving your job, it'd be hard to leave it all behind (I really wanted to see how different the shows were when she younger though). That doesn't mean the way she treated Hannah was correct, although I really didn't like when Eddie criticised her for it.
What I loved the most about this film is the way the Showgirl were presented. They weren't ditzy, blonde, clueless girls but talented women of various backgrounds with good heads on their shoulders. I do wish the relationships between Shelly, Mary-Anne and Jodie were developed a bit more because I felt that they forgave Shelly very quickly. Unfortunately I wasn't a huge fan of Jamie Lee Curtis as Annette, and while Dave Bautista had some good moments, he was mostly quite stiff in his performance.
I really liked that 16mm film was used to shoot The Last Showgirl, because it gave the film a lovely grainy, softer look that reflected Shelly's personality. However, the anamorphic lenses didn't work too well as it although it created a nice blurred effect at the edges of the film, the women that were supposed to be in the centre of the frame didn't always end up there due to the shaky tracking shots.
The costumes were gorgeous and sparkled perfectly under the hazy filter and warm lights; the makeup and hair complemented them very nicely too. The soundtrack is so melancholy and a little subdued, but it fits the atmosphere and characters perfectly; I cried buckets during that final scene with 'Beautiful That Way' playing.
The Last Showgirl isn't without flaws, of course, but it's a shining window into the seemingly glamorous world of showgirls and Vegas culture, and the objectification and backwards views of the women that are the soul and essence of it.
