Showgirls is an amazing movie, but not in the way most folks would imagine. After spending most of my teen years wondering what the girls from “Saved by the Bell” would look like naked, when one finally does take her clothes off in front of a camera, it is in a film that makes me want to burn the DVD ten minutes into it. It’s never pretty when ones libido goes to war with the part of the brain that likes movies to actually be good.
The movie starts off when Jessie Spano..er, I mean Naomi Malone bullies her way into getting a ride from a trucker who at first comes off as the type who would slip Ghb into someone root beer, but turns out to be the sort of guy that would submissively urinate to a dominant wiener dog. After that she goes on to pull a switchblade on another woman. The two females bond after the attempted assault with a lethal weapon, become roommates, and after that moment there really is no discernable plot, or direction for where the movie is going. Mostly the film meanders from one scene to another, alternately showing off Berkley’s B cups, and her mediocre ability as a dancer.
This movie came out in 1995, and quickly ruined the careers of almost everyone involved, except for Gina Gershon; this role was apparently right in line with the odd little media niche she has carved out for herself. While I did see the movie when it came out, it has taken me almost fifteen years to get past my post traumatic stress syndrome and write about it. If you are looking for a good movie about Vegas, this is not it. If you are looking for something sexy, this is not it. If you are looking for something that will make you to both want to rip your liver out with a spoon to stop the pain, as well as cure any sex addiction issues you may have, this is the film for you.
