NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Showgirls

Showgirls is a movie directed by Paul Verhoeven and released in 1995 in North America by United Artists. It starred former teen actress Elizabeth Berkley as a drifter who wanders into Las Vegas and climbs the social ladder from stripper to showgirl. The movie was hoped to be a huge success for the film studio, its directors, and stars. Significant controversy and hype about the movie's seemingly gratuitous amounts of sex and nudity preceded the movie's release. In the U.S., the finally released movie was rated NC-17 for "nudity and erotic sexuality throughout, some graphic language and sexual violence." The film was hyped for being the first NC-17 rated film to be given a wide release in mainstream theaters. For its video premiere Verhoeven prepared an R-rated cut for rental outlets that refused to carry films with an NC-17 rating; this edited version runs 128 minutes and deletes some of the more graphic footage. A Las Vegas showgirl, from the Folies Bergere. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 404 Ã— 599 pixelsFull resolution (500 Ã— 741 pixel, file size: 20 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This image is of a poster, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher or the creator of the work depicted. ... Paul Verhoeven (IPA: [pÊŒul vÉ›rhuvÉ™n]) (born July 18, 1938 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch film director, screenwriter, and film producer. ... Robert Charles Evans M.D., DSc, Knight, (1918 - 1995}, was a mountaineer and educator. ... Mario Kassar (born Beirut, Lebanon, 10 October 1951) is a movie-industry executive whose projects are frequently in association with Andrew Vajna. ... Alan Marshall (2 May 1902--21 January 1984) born in Noorat, Australia) was an Australian writer, story teller and social documentor, was . ... Josef Eszterhas (born November 23, 1944) is a controversial Hungarian-American writer, best known for his screenplays for the films Basic Instinct and Showgirls. ... Elizabeth Berkley (born July 28, 1972[1]) is an American television, film, and stage actress. ... Kyle MacLachlan (born February 22, 1959, in Yakima, Washington) is a Golden Globe award winning American actor. ... Gina L. Gershon (born June 10, 1962) is an American film and television actress, known for her roles in the films Showgirls (1995) and Bound (1996). ... David Allan Stewart, often known as Dave Stewart (born September 9, 1952 in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear), is an English musician and record producer best known for his work with Eurythmics. ... Jost Vacano (* March 15, 1940) is a German cinematographer and director of photography. ... The father of Max Goldblatt, Mark Goldblatt is an ACE (American Cinema Editor), and has edited well over thirty films, which include The Terminator (1984), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), and Pearl Harbor (2001). ... Mark Helfrich is an ACE (American Cinema Editor)-certified film editor. ... â€œMGMâ€ redirects here. ... This article is about the film studio. ... The classic 1988 Carolco Pictures logo. ... is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A motion picture rating system categorizes films with regard to suitability for children and/or adults in terms of issues such as sex, violence and profanity. ... The MPAA film rating system is a system used in the United States and territories and instituted by the Motion Picture Association of America to rate a movie based on its content. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... Director Herbert Brenon with actress Alla Nazimova on the set of War Brides, 1916 A director is a person who directs the making of a film. ... Paul Verhoeven (IPA: [pÊŒul vÉ›rhuvÉ™n]) (born July 18, 1938 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch film director, screenwriter, and film producer. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the film studio. ... The term child actor is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion the latter is also called a former child actor. ... Elizabeth Berkley (born July 28, 1972[1]) is an American television, film, and stage actress. ... For further information, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ... For other uses, see Striptease (disambiguation). ... A Las Vegas showgirl, from the Folies Bergere. ... It has been suggested that Duration of sexual intercourse be merged into this article or section. ... Nude redirects here. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... This is a list of films rated NC-17 by the Motion Picture Association of Americas Classification and Rating Administration (CARA). ... Nude redirects here. ... Eroticism is an aesthetic focused on sexual desire, especially the feelings of anticipation of sexual activity. ... This article is about human sexual perceptions. ... In cartoons, profanity is often depicted by substituting symbols for words, as a form of non-specific censorship. ... For the domesticated crop plant called rape, see rapeseed. ...

Plot

Temperamental Nomi Malone (Berkley) hitchhikes into Las Vegas hoping to make it as a Las Vegas showgirl. She's picked up by a "kind" man, but everything she owns is stolen by the driver. While an upset Nomi is crying and banging her fists on the side of a car, the car's owner, Molly (Gina Ravera), a seamstress, confronts her. After discovering Nomi has no family, Molly takes her in, helping to get her a job as a stripper at the seedy Cheetah Club to make ends meet. One night Nomi accompanies Molly backstage at Goddess, the Vegas show at the Stardust where Molly works as the costume seamstress. There, Nomi meets Cristal Conners (Gina Gershon), the irritable, diva-like star of the show. When Molly tells Cristal that Nomi is a dancer as well, Cristal derisively tells Nomi that what she does is akin to prostitution. Gina Ravera (Born May 20, 1968 in San Francisco, California, USA) is an American actress. ... Cheetahs Topless Club is a gentlemans club or topless bar in Las Vegas, best known for being featured in the 1995 movie Showgirls, and also for having been owned by Mike Galardi, a nightclub owner who was investigated by the FBI with a controversial invocation of the Patriot... The Stardust Resort & Casino was a historic casino resort located on 63 acres along the famed Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. ... Gina L. Gershon (born June 10, 1962) is an American film and television actress, known for her roles in the films Showgirls (1995) and Bound (1996). ... Whore redirects here. ...

The next evening, Cristal and boyfriend Zack (Kyle MacLachlan), an entertainment manager at the Stardust, visit the Cheetah and pay Nomi $500 for a lap dance. It turns out that Cristal is bisexual and very attracted to Nomi. Nomi does not want to do the private dance, for fear it will prove her to be the prostitute Cristal made her out to be, but is forced to do so by her boss. Nomi discovers Cristal has arranged for her to have an audition as an ensemble dancer in Goddess. Nomi takes off her clothes to dance because the director calls her "Pollyanna", but when she is told to use ice to make her nipples hard, she gets upset and leaves, even though she obviously knows that this is an audition for a topless Vegas show. Kyle MacLachlan (born February 22, 1959, in Yakima, Washington) is a Golden Globe award winning American actor. ... In human sexuality, bisexuality describes a man or woman having a sexual orientation to persons of either or both sexes (a man or woman who sexually likes both sexes; people who are sexually and/or romantically attracted to both males and females). ...

Nomi gets the job and quits the Cheetah. Although she shows talent, Cristal repeatedly takes malicious swipes at Nomi in a non-stop attempt to portray Nomi as a cheap whore. Nomi is overwhelmed by her desire for Cristal's status. Nomi flirts with Zack, eventually seducing him for outdoor sex in his swimming pool. He offers her a chance to become Cristal's new understudy, but Cristal continues to sabotage her. Reacting to increasing hostility, Nomi pushes Cristal down a flight of stairs, sending her to the hospital. With Cristal unable to perform, Nomi ends up getting Cristal's lead in the show.

Things seem to be going well for Nomi; she has finally secured the fame and fortune she initially sought. However, at the opening night party, Molly is brutally raped and beaten by famous musician Andrew Carver and his two security guards. When Nomi confronts Zack about it, she is told that they will give Molly some money to keep quiet; their primary interest is in protecting their high-profile celebrity client, not in seeking justice for Molly. Zack then turns and confronts Nomi with the truth he has just discovered: she is actually a runaway and former prostitute named Polly; her father murdered her mother and then killed himself, and she has been arrested several times for drug possession, prostitution, and assault with a deadly weapon. Finally confronted with her seedy past, and frightened at who she has become and what lies ahead, Nomi chooses to flee Las Vegas (but not before attacking and kicking Andrew Carver with her boots). Intending to try her luck in Los Angeles next, she bids goodbye to Molly, telling her about Carver, and also makes amends with Cristal, before leaving town. A murder suicide is an act in which an individual kills one or more other persons immediately before, or while killing himself. ...

The movie comes full circle when Nomi hitches a ride to L.A. with the very same guy who robbed her in the opening scenes. The tables are turned when she pulls a knife on him and demands her things back, and the last scene is a juxtaposition of a billboard with Nomi's face on it and a sign for Los Angeles.

Reaction

The movie's subject matter was relatively controversial: rape, lesbianism, and interracial relationships were just some of the topics explored. The gratuitous nudity and simulated sex in the movie, and the writing (the screenplay was written by previously successful Joe Eszterhas, who had worked with Paul Verhoeven before, and who reportedly received $1 million for the script), did not lend itself to what might have been a provocative film. The 1998 film Burn Hollywood Burn, also written by Eszterhas, contains a reference to Showgirls as a "terrible" film, and Roger Ebert claims it did indeed receive "some bad reviews, but it wasn't completely terrible."^[1] This article is about same-sex desire and sexuality among women. ... An interracial couple is a romantic couple or marriage in which the partners are of differing races. ... Josef Eszterhas (born November 23, 1944) is a controversial Hungarian-American writer, best known for his screenplays for the films Basic Instinct and Showgirls. ... An Alan Smithee Film Burn Hollywood Burn (though the onscreen title is simply Burn Hollywood Burn) was made in 1997 and released in 1998. ... Roger Joseph Ebert (born June 18, 1942) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American film critic. ...

The movie was heralded as one of the worst ever made, winning seven 1995 Golden Raspberry Awards or "Razzies" (from a record thirteen nominations). Kyle MacLachlan walked out of the movie's premiere, during which he was allegedly heard exclaiming "I thought this was an art movie."^{[citation needed]} Paul Verhoeven gamely appeared in person at the Razzies ceremony to accept his "award" for Worst Director; Showgirls would later "win" a record-setting eighth Razzie Award for Worst Picture of the Last Decade in 2000. Plan 9 from Outer Space, infamously considered so bad its good, is a contender for Worst Movie Ever Made. ... The 16th Golden Raspberry Awards were held on March 24, 1996 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to recognise the worst the movie industry had to offer in 1995. ...

Due to Showgirls' poor reception, the next year's film about nude dancers, Striptease with Demi Moore, had to be distanced from Showgirls in advertisements;^[2] Striptease nonetheless won the next year's Razzie Award for Worst Picture. Rena Riffel who played "Penny/Hope" in Showgirls also was cast in Striptease, playing "Tiffany Glass". Rena is the only actress to claim these back-to-back roles in Razzie Award Winning history. Striptease is a 1996 erotic comedy film starring Demi Moore, Burt Reynolds, and Ving Rhames. ... Demi Kutcher (born Demetria Gene Guynes on November 11, 1962) is an American actress. ...

The term "Showgirls-bad" has been adopted by film critics and fans to refer to films considered guilty pleasures, or "so-bad-they're-good." ^[3] ^[4] ^[5]

The movie's reviews did some damage to Berkley's career; she had difficulty finding work for some time but did land small parts in movies such as The First Wives Club, The Real Blonde and The Curse of the Jade Scorpion. Her career has rebounded in recent years, largely on television. Gershon managed to survive the scourge of the movie, going on to moderate acting success. The First Wives Club is a 1996 movie directed by Hugh Wilson based on the novel by Olivia Goldsmith. ... The Real Blonde is a 1997 movie directed and written by Tom DiCillo. ... The Curse of the Jade Scorpion is a 2001 film directed, written by, and starring Woody Allen. ...

Cult status

Since its release, the movie has achieved a certain cult status. According to activist writer Naomi Klein, ironic enjoyment of the film initially arose among those with the video before MGM capitalized on the idea. MGM noticed the video was performing all right, since "trendy twenty-somethings were throwing Showgirls irony parties, laughing sardonically at the implausibly poor screenplay and shrieking with horror at the aerobic sexual encounters."^[6] This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Naomi Klein (b. ... Ironic redirects here. ...

It is shown at midnight madness theaters alongside movies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. It is heralded as one of the best "bad movies" of all time, and is somewhat of a camp classic (in the vein of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls). Even though the film was not so successful when first released, it is a very well known film, and over the years it has become increasingly popular. The DVD release to this day is one of MGM's top 10 selling DVDs.^{[citation needed]} A classic midnight movie in every sense of the term, Tod Brownings Freaks (1932) is the sort of (then) obscure horror film shown on late-night TV beginning in the 1950s; in the 1970s and early 1980s it was a staple of midnight screenings at theaters around the U... The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a 1975 musical comedy film that parodies horror films. ... The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a 1994 Oscar-winning Australian film about two drag queens and a transsexual woman driving across the outback from Sydney to Alice Springs in a large bus they have named Priscilla. ... Camp is an aesthetic in which something has appeal because of its bad taste or ironic value. ... Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is a 1970 film starring Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Erica Gavin, Edy Williams, Marcia McBroom, John LaZar, and Michael Blodgett. ...

The rights to show the movie on TV were eventually purchased by the VH1 network. However, because of the movie's gratuitous nudity, a peculiar moment in cinema history occurred. An alternative, censored version of the movie was created with black bras and panties digitally added over all frontally nude actresses. In addition, several scenes were removed entirely. Berkley refused to redub her lines, so a noticeably different actress's voice was used in the dubbing. TV redirects here. ... VH1 (VH-1: Video Hits One until 1994 and VH1: Music First until 2003) is an American digital television channel that was created in January 1985 by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communications and owners of MTV. VH1 and sister channel MTV are currently... For other uses, see Censor. ...

As revealed on the DVD release, the last shot of the film, a sign stating the miles to Los Angeles, was intended as a "hint" that there was going to be a sequel, in which Nomi takes on Hollywood. Any such plans were immediately scrapped upon the film's massive failure at the box office.

Recent years have seen a reevaluation of the movie's merits. Critics such as Jonathan Rosenbaum and Charles Taylor, as well as filmmaker Jacques Rivette, have gone on the record defending Showgirls as a serious satire. Actor Patrick Bristow, who plays choreographer Marty, defended the movie as "not that bad" excepting "that horrible rape scene."^{[citation needed]} Jonathan Rosenbaum is a prominent American film critic. ... Jacques Rivette (born March 1, 1928) is a French film director. ... Patrick Bristow (born 26 September 1962) is an American actor. ...

The V.I.P. Edition

In 2004, MGM released a special boxed set for Showgirls called "The V.I.P. Edition." Inside the box are two shot-glasses, special cards from the movie with drinking games on the back, a deck of playing cards, and a nude poster of Berkley with a pair of suction-cup pasties so one can play "pin the pasties on the stripper." Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Drinking games are games which involve the drinking of beer or other alcoholic beverages. ... For the Russian group of artists, see Jack of Diamonds (artists). ... Pasties (sing. ...

The DVD itself includes several bonus features, including a "how-to" tutorial for giving a lap dance (hosted by real strippers) and a special "trivia track" feature that can be turned on or off. When left on, it adds humorous comments and factoids in the vein of VH1's show Pop Up Video that relate to the scenes as they play out. It also includes "The Greatest Movie Ever Made: a commentary by David Schmader." Mount Isa, Australia, is often incorrectly referred to as the largest city in the world by area Toronto, Canada, was never designated by UNESCO as the worlds most multicultural city Factoid can refer to a spurious (unverified, incorrect, or invented) fact intended to create or prolong public exposure or... A Pop-Up Video bubble pops during Lisa Loebs Stay (I Missed You) video Pop-Up Video was a VH1 show that popped up bubbles (officially called info nuggets) containing trivia and spry witticisms throughout music videos. ... David Schmader is a columnist who writes for the Seattle publication The Stranger. ...

Cast

Elizabeth Berkley (born July 28, 1972[1]) is an American television, film, and stage actress. ... Kyle MacLachlan (born February 22, 1959, in Yakima, Washington) is a Golden Globe award winning American actor. ... Gina L. Gershon (born June 10, 1962) is an American film and television actress, known for her roles in the films Showgirls (1995) and Bound (1996). ... Glenn Plummer (born August 18, 1961 in Richmond, California, USA) is an African-American film and television actor. ... Robert Davi (born June 26, 1953[1]) is an American character actor who tends to play villains. ... Gina Ravera (Born May 20, 1968 in San Francisco, California, USA) is an American actress. ... Patrick Bristow (born 26 September 1962) is an American actor. ... Alan Rachins (born October 3, 1942 in Cambridge, Massachusetts) is an American screen and voice actor and writer, probably best known for his role of Douglas Brackman in the TV series LA Law. ... Michelle Johnston is an American dancer and actress. ... Al Ruscio was born June 2, 1924 in Salem, Massachusetts. ... Matt Batagglia is a character actor born in Tallahassee, Florida, United States on September 25, 1965. ... Geoffrey E. Callan (born October 26, 1967) is an American actor. ...

Stage musical

On September 21, 2006, it was announced that the film's writer Joe Eszterhas is planning a stage musical version of the film with the producers of the hit Broadway musical Urinetown to open in Las Vegas [1]. It is said to “celebrate the over-the-top and campy nature of the piece” [2]. Months earlier, actress Gina Gershon expressed a similar desire but instead wanted to revive the movie in an off-Broadway, New York City production - "I might be making a musical of it. I’d write it. I’d want to make it as Off-Broadway, but from my perspective. There’s a really funny way to go about it, it just has to be exactly right" [3]. is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Josef Eszterhas (born November 23, 1944) is a controversial Hungarian-American writer, best known for his screenplays for the films Basic Instinct and Showgirls. ... Henry Millers Theatre 2003, Charles Shaughnessy. ... Gina L. Gershon (born June 10, 1962) is an American film and television actress, known for her roles in the films Showgirls (1995) and Bound (1996). ...

Trivia

Simpsons redirects here. ... Brothers Little Helper is the second episode of the eleventh season of The Simpsons. ... The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an Emmy, BAFTA, and RTS-award winning popular American television sitcom that aired on NBC from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. ... Family Guy is an Emmy Award-winning American animated television series about a dysfunctional family in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island. ...

Contents

Plot

Reaction

Cult status

The V.I.P. Edition

Cast

Stage musical

Trivia

See also

References

External links

Reviews