I had somehow missed director Gia Coppola’s first two films, 2013’s Palo Alto, and 2020’s Mainstream. But I was excited to see her third feature, The Last Showgirl, after hearing good things about it out of the Toronto International Film Festival this past year. A dramatic turn for actress Pamela Anderson, who had recently released a very candid and well received memoir, it felt like the right time for the actress’s career to have something of a resurgence. How did this all turn out?

Shelly (Anderson) is a Las Vegas showgirl who has been dancing at a show called Le Razzle Dazzle for the past 30 years. She’s created something of a family there, has taken some younger dancers (Keirnan Shipka, Brenda Song) under her wing and still keeps in touch with an old coworker (Jamie Lee Curtis) who no longer works there. Once her boss (Dave Bautista) announces the show will be closing due to budget constraints and general lack of public interest, Shelly’s life hits a crossroads. She attempts to reconnect with her estranged daughter (Billie Lourd) as she tries to map out her future that now seems so uncertain.

Pamela Anderson is clearly bringing a lot of her own energy and experience to this performance, and there are a lot of parallels between this character and how she must have felt at various points over the years. Shelly has, to an extent, gotten by on her looks, and has dealt with the gross way others perceive her, but has also has learned how to turn it around and use it to her advantage. But once the bright lights of the show she’s made her home for all these years begin to dim, she’s faced with some uncomfortable realities. And Pamela Anderson is giving a deeply felt, emotionally powerful performance that is easily the definitive work of her career. It’s one of the few times she’s been given the chance to show her range as an actress, and this goes beyond the fact that she spends the majority of the runtime without makeup. She’s a deeply gifted actress, and I hope she gets some awards traction and future projects out of this.

Jamie Lee Curtis, with a spray tan and a bad attitude, is also gently heartbreaking as Shelly’s friend Annette who has also lost her sense of purpose in the world. Billie Lourd is also really good as Shelly’s daughter, with whom there is definitely some resentment and unresolved trauma. Dave Bautista is also a standout, playing very against type here as the boss who Shelly was probably romantically involved with at least once over the years. He’s not playing a creep or a predatory figure, and you get the idea that this family breaking up is every bit as painful for him as it is for Shelly.

The film loses some points because Kate Gersten’s script doesn’t always dig as deeply into these characters as it could. I also don’t love the way Autumn Durald Arkapaw shot this. The blurriness of certain scenes feels like a weird choice. I’m not sure if it’s just my screening link or if that’s how it looks everywhere, but the cinematography is kind of distancing at points, lessening the emotional impact. However, at other points, Arkapow is really capturing the seediness and lack of glamour of this part of Las Vegas in an effective way. The score by Andrew Wyatt is very good, and there’s an emotionally powerful song by Miley Cyrus in the film’s final scene that feels like an easy contender for Best Original Song this year. 

Overall, I was more moved by The Last Showgirl than not. The reason to see this movie, without a doubt, is Pamela Anderson’s devastating performance. I love a comeback narrative, and having recently read her autobiography, I’ve been rooting for her. And this film will show everyone what she’s always been capable of. There’s a great collection of supporting players here, and everyone gets a few standout moments. And while it doesn’t dive into its characters as deeply as it could, and with a runtime of just over 80 minutes, you feel like we could have used a little more time with them. And despite some frustrating creative choices, The Last Showgirl is definitely worth seeking out, if for no other reason than to see the incredible, career-defining work Pamela Anderson is doing.