SHOWGIRLS
A film review by Jeffrey Haber
Copyright 1996 Jeffrey Haber
* (out of ****)
"Showgirls" is the first big-budget, big-studio film to receive an NC-17 rating. And its release last year came at a time when Senator Bob Dole and other politicans chastised the entertainment industry for promoting sex and violence. But if "Showgirls" is any indication of Hollywood's future, the folks in Washington should focus their attack on a more dangerous threat to American values--bad moviemaking.
"Showgirls" is a relentlessly exploitive look at the Las Vegas strip scene, and the film turns out to be just as trashy as its subject matter. Director Paul Verhoeven and writer Joe Eszterhas, who collaborated on another shock-value project, 1992's "Basic Instinct," follow the plight of a young woman (teen TV star Elizabeth Berkley) determined to make a name for herself as a topless dancer. It's a hackneyed premise to begin with, so not surprisingly, all of the stock characters are trucked out. There's the Demanding Producer. The Loyal Friend. The Bitchy Competitor. Lest I forget the Scummy Club Owner.
Of course, any attempt at character development or a coherent storyline is just window dressing for the film's main attraction--an endless parade of full-frontal nudity. Unfortunately, "Showgirls" doesn't satisfy in this department. Verhoeven's slam-bang, in-your-face style of direction proves neither arousing nor erotic. To make matters worse, you'll be forced to sit through the movie's clothed scenes, which don't cover up for laughable acting and some of the most absurd dialogue ever spoken in film history.
Verhoeven and Ezsterhas deserve credit for trying to break ground, but if it's adult entertainment you want, stay home and watch the Playboy Channel. You'll be the wiser for it.
-- Jeff Haber dasher@casbah.acns.nwu.edu
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