I've seen this movie before, even own it on DVD. Well, I can find the movie case, but cannot locate the DVD. I likely stuck it in another movie case, but I didn't feel like searching for it. So, since I'm a prime member, when it became available (which had to be really recent, because I looked it up before, and wasn't on here even to rent ) I watched it.
I've seen it numerous times. It wasn't a big hit when it hit the big screen. When it went to DVD, it became a "cult" classic. You know sometimes the reviews on movies make me laugh, and this by far was no exception to that. I seen words like, trashy, garbage, smut, waste of money, horrible acting, bad plot, etc....etc....
To that I simply respond with this: If you paid for it for the T & A, you got your money's worth. If you watched it because to see Elizabeth Berkley, you got your money's worth. I mean it's not like she was an actress of some big name movies, films that require excellent acting skills, successful films or a long list of filmography. I can only think of one TV show ( one movie, this movie ) I ever saw her in. Saved by the Bell. Hell had she not have done this movie she'd be remembered even less, so to say her doing the movie ruined her career, is incorrect, even if she said it herself. These days most of the cast from Saved by the Bell are known/remembered for reasons of controversy, and Berkley is no exception to that, due to her choice in deciding to be in this movie. Anyway....
Showgirls is what it is. If you expected it to be a really great movie with a great cast and excellent acting, sure, you likely did not like it. I mean Gina Gershon was in it, but other than her and Berkley I did not see anyone else's face I knew. To my knowledge, none of the cast went on to really becoming a well known actress or actor, with the exception of Gershon, but I think most knew of her before they watched Showgirls. The fact is though it became one of MGM's top 20 all-time bestsellers despite it bombing at the box office. Now why would that be the case for?
the synopsis isn't even really necessary. It's one of those movies where you know what to expect from it. I'd call it campy, and it is, but I don't know if that sums it up right. I wouldn't call it comedic, although there are times that you'll find yourself watching certain scenes and the lines are so dumb it's laughable. I'd say at times it's certainly unrealistic, especially ( POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT ) the scenes like Nomi kicking Carver repeatedly, and the scenes where the same guy that picked Nomi up in the beginning picks her up at the end and doesn't know who she is because she had sunglasses on. Really?
But, if you're just looking for something to watch that you don't expect a lot from and you're smart enough to know what you're getting into, it's a good watch. It always entertained me, ever since it came out on DVD, and rented it at Blockbuster video. I like to call it a "Go to" movie. If you don't know what that means, well,.....
Whether you picked for the T & A, Elizabeth Berkley doing the opposite of what she did in Saved by the Bell, wanting to see her ( and the other women ) naked and dancing, like I said, you got your money's worth. If you're a prime member and didn't pay for it and hated it, all you lost was some time and surely you've spent your time doing worse things. If you see it for what it is, than you enjoyed it.
Like it or not, it is a classic, by my and several other people's definition of "classic." Get over it. The name of the movie is Showgirls, so you had to have known a little bit of what you were getting into. Compared to the sequel, ( which I don't recommend watching, I made that mistake ) it's a 5 star movie. I only knocked one star off because it takes a lot for me to throw out 5 stars, meaning perfection. It's not perfect. It is raunchy. It's trashy based on the subject matter, simply by title alone. A mother of a couple of kids and is a member of the PTA is certainly going to frown on it, unless she's a closet fan.
Bottom line: You see the title, who's in it, the synopsis is there and it's entertaining enough to keep your attention. The people giving it bad reviews are just....people who think that it's something comparable to the likes of box office smashes and it shouldn't contain any smut. I mean,
You DID read the title, right?
| Additional DVD options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
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March 27, 2007 "Please retry" | — | 1 | $9.50 | $9.48 |
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DVD
July 6, 2020 "Please retry" | Fully Exposed Edition | 1 |
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| $8.09 | $8.16 |
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Customer reviews
First off, let me be clear - the four star rating isn't so much for the film as it is the 15th Anniversary Blu-Ray release. I'm a fan of select films of Paul Verhoeven (Robocop, Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Starship Troopers), the hilarious podcast, How Did This Get Made hosted by Paul Sheer, Jason Mantzoukas, and June June Diane Raphael and what can be considered "trash cinema" like The Room, Troll 2, Samurai Cop, etc. So, when this film kept appearing on podcasts, YouTube reviews, and even a several page spread in the "Bad Movie Bible", I thought it was time to revisit Showgirls. I didn't particularly like the film when I saw it many years ago and after revisiting it, I'm still not impressed though I did appreciate the sheer over-the-top delivery in almost each and every scene. However, I am intrigued! Some possess the view that this is a misunderstood masterpiece. Verhoeven has made biting satires in the past, perhaps this was meant to be one of them? I suspect this theory is apparent in the upcoming documentary on the film and it's critical reaction, "You Don't Nomi", which I anticipate embracing the open-minded challenge, "convince me."The Blu-ray release itself has a few special features that tip the scales favorably for a moderately priced purchase. The most entertaining of which is the firmly tongue-in-cheek audio commentary by David Schumader called, "The Greatest Movie Ever Made".
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