Pamela Anderson has had quite a journey since donning that famous red swimsuit for five seasons of Baywatch in the 90s. Not to mention that infamous VHS tape.
With a female writer, director and cinematographer, The Last Showgirl is directed by Gia Coppola and is a glittering story about ageing, a difficult mother/daughter relationship, hope, ambition, and female empowerment. Shot on old fashioned 16mm film to lend the film a grainy, raw quality, this movie looks great on the big screen.
Anderson plays Shelley, a glamorous showgirl who finds out that her show (the Razzle Dazzle) on the Las Vegas strip is about to be cancelled after several decades. Tastes have changed, and the dancers have gone from star attractions to has beens, playing to almost empty audiences. Her life is at a crossroads, and I really found myself rooting for her character to find some happiness. You can tell that Anderson has poured her heart and soul into this performance, and I read that the script was initially rejected by her agent, before being rescued from the bin and sent to her by her son, who said she had to take the role. Shelley passionately believes in the show and the tradition they are continuing as the last of its kind.
I have to mention too a memorable scene where Jamie Lee Curtis's character is performing a dance routine in a casino to Total Eclipse Of The Heart...with absolutely nobody watching, or even noticing her. Much like Demi Moore's The Substance, this film has a lot to say about ageing, and ageism. It's short and sweet too, coming in at under 90 minutes, and it doesn't wrap everything up in a neat little bow at the end. Sometimes, great art doesn't need to. Don your sparkles and give it a watch!
The Monkey is based on a Stephen King short story, and has garnered decidedly mixed reviews from critics. with the Guardian saying "the ineffective death scenes...rely on brash and empty Looney Tunes violence". There are elements of Home Alone with some of the booby traps, and one scene involving a swarm of bees made me laugh out loud. Sadly, I was the only person in the screening who laughed at that precise moment, which is always a bit of a buzzkill. Sorry.
As the film points out several times, we all die, and most characters in this story do indeed meet a grisly end. Alas, it just wasn't scary or funny enough to sustain my interest, and I found myself willing the wind-up monkey to turn everyone into mashed bananas, just to save us all a bit of time. The cartoonish gore, threadbare script and messy narrative all combine to make this one of the least interesting films I've seen in a while.
Next week, Flow, a dialogue-free Latvian animation about a black cat, and I'm Still Here, the first Brazilian film ever to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.
Alex B Cann Film Column - 11th December 2025
