Showgirls!

Yes, I talk about that infamous movie after seeing it for the first time in ages: 

I should have seen this while wearing some “Ver-sayce.”

For a few days there I was busy with other activities (including people I know being in town for the week, one of them a 10 month old baby) but now things should be back to normal and last night I realized there should be a real change of pace to what I've seen as of late, and why not revisit one of the most divisive movies on Letterboxd, one I had only seen once before, many (full) moons ago. Many legit love it now... if only I could feel the same way.

I am not against sleazy or tawdry tales; I've given some positive reviews to movies that fit in such a category. One that looks at what turns out to be a nightmare as someone tries to fulfill The American Dream, and in Unfortunately, this was just utterly preposterous and not believable at all; the biggest issue is that I hate Nomi and her constantly bizarre behavior. She has what I'll call Movie Bipolar Disorder; of course I have no problem with those that legit are Bipolar and my sympathies to those that do their best to manage this affliction. Nomi's behavior here is all over the place, her mood switching on a dime and I can't stand the character. Of course she did not have to be a 100% babyface for me to like her... it's just that I was never given a reason to care about that weirdo or her plight. The rest of the movie is filled with repellent or obnoxious characters and that does take away a bit from all the unintentional laughs. Writer Joe Eszterhas, there is someone that is a product of a different time and no surprise that he's hardly done anything since the 90's; believe me, with him and especially director Paul Verhoeven, there are other words of theirs I'd rather see or see again rather than this.

Still, there are plenty of laughs that I derived from this claptrap. How ludicrous the story becomes, the incredibly unsexy sex scenes, the pitiful dialogue, how nasty everyone is, dancers in petty feuds, Kyle MacLachlan's hair... no wonder this became a midnight movie favorite and even resulted in a spoof low-budget play. But there's the big problem of how there is a gross moment late in the movie, and the movie closes out with multiple scenes that bugger belief they are so divorced from reality. Elizabeth Berkley... she was good as Jessie Spano on Saved by the Bell, although I don't know what actress could have made that character more bearable for me. At least Robert Davi and (especially) Gina Gershon knew to camp it up as they realized this was cheese of the ripest sort.

I won't fault anyone who unironically-or even ironically-enjoys this trashy tale. It was quite the Hollywood risk to have a wide release of a NC-17 movie... there is something I imagine won't happen ever again in this day and age and with how risk-adverse Hollywood has become. Others can watch this together or alone as they drink their champagne... me, I might never see this again, unless perhaps it is at a theatrical screening with a crowd, as I am sure that is a gas.