Rating: 
Summary: Blame the choreography and direction
Review: I despise those who criticize Elizabeth Berkeley's acting in this film. No, the sex wasn't convincing, and the lap-dancing wasn't convincing, but sll you have to do is look at the stage shows; the sex and lap-dancing were choreographed exactly the same way. Berkeley's lines were often delivered in the same jerky, uneven, frenetic way everything else was choreographed. Clearly not her fault. As I see it, she did what she was told, and did the best she could in a VERY difficult role. It was no easy step from "Saved by the Bell" to this. As for the film itself, it was sexploitation, pure and simple; of course it was. If you didn't want to see that, you shouldn't have gone to see it. Great acting was never the point anyway. On that basis, Gershon and Berkeley delivered FAR more than the audience had any right to expect.
Rating: 
Summary: DVD Only Makes It Better!
Review: Of course, me being a huge Showgirls fan, was thrilled when the movie was released on DVD. Unfortunately, I didn't have a DVD Player. I got one and this DVD on the same day. The picture quality is superb, plus you also get an excellent "Making of Showgirls" feature (with Liz B. saying, "Like Nomi, I can't survive without dance in my life" *LOL* How great is this?). You also get an awesome trailer which is very groovy. All in all, if you're a fan of Showgirls, then by all means - buy this DVD - it really helps further the viewing experience!
Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable
Review: I can't remember the last time I sat through a movie with as littleemotion on my face as I did when I watched this pile of trash, well,except for maybe _Battlefield Earth_.Joe Eszterhas must have been smoking when he wrote this script, it didn't even come close to the quality of a 3rd grade essay on "What I Did This Summer". Eszterhas succeeded in providing us with: an unoriginal, mindless plot with no redeeming value whatsoever; brutal, laughable dialogue that made me cringe and feel embarrased for those who had to utter it; and a slew of undeveloped, completely forgettable characters one could care less about. Oh sure, it doesn't help that the acting left something to be desired, I mean Berkley couldn't act her way out of a box if she had to, but it's not necessarily her fault. She had no control over the shallow character given to her by Eszterhas or the second-rate directing provided by Verhoeven (and this is the same guy who gave us _RoboCop_? <sigh>). To Verhoeven's credit, at least the monkeys were convincing. With all that said, will I watch this movie again? Oh yeah, without a doubt. One cannot deny this film has "camp" written all over it. Not to beat a dead horse, but I have to agree that this movie is so bad, it's great. I'd recommend this movie to anyone, and after you've watched it once, watch in again, but this time with the sound turned off and you and a group of friends adding your own dialog (a couple of shots before and during wouldn't hurt). In fact, while you're at it, write down the new dialog and send it to Eszterhas.
Rating:
Summary: Good portrayal of fame's dark side
Review: I have heard many times that women go through an awful lot and do things they don't want to do just to make it to the top. This is portrayed very well in 'Showgirls' as Nomi(Elizabeth Berkley) a drifter, travels to Vegas to become a renowned dancer-only to to discover that to get to the top, you have to sell your soul. As the film opens we see Nomi on her way to Vegas with everything she owns, full of hope and excitement over realizing her dream of being a showgirl at on of Vegas's prestigious hotels. But as she arrives in Vegas, all of her possessions are stolen. She is found and taken in by a sweet, soft-spoken girl named Molly(poignantly portrayed by virtual unknown Gina Ravera). Instead of taking the time to look into her showgirl dream, Nomi is forced to take the first job available just to survive-lapdancing at a cheapie strip joint. Meanwhile Molly and Nomi become like sisters and Molly introduces Nomi as a prospective dancer in the Stardust hotel's elaborate stage production "Goddess" to the lead dancer in "Goddess", a talented woman named Cristal(Gina Gershon). At first Cristal is unimpressed because Nomi's only professional experience is at a low-class low-budget strip joint. But then Cristal and her right hand man, the sleazy sex fiend Zach Carey(Kyle Maclachlan), go to the Cheetah to see Nomi's dancing abilities for themselves. After seeing Nomi's talent for themselves, they are so impressed that Cristal uses her connections and gets Nomi into "Goddess" as a chorus girl. Nomi's dream is finally coming true, but she soon discovers that what she wanted comes with too high a price. She is asked to take drugs to improve her agility on the stage and is asked to sleep with wealthy customers for the sake of business and money. A rivalry begins as Cristal starts to feel threatened by the high recognition that Nomi recieves for her performance on the stage, and Nomi is forced to play dirty to protect her position-ultimately resulting in Nomi's intended injury of Cristal. Nomi's rising greed and ambition alienate Molly, and Nomi finds herself more and more isolated and lonely. Finally, Molly shows up at a party given to celebrate Nomi's rising fame-and is brutally raped by three men that Nomi introduced her to. It takes this tragedy to make Nomi realize how destructive her greed and ambition are; they have hurt not only her, but the people that she is closest to. Nomi's anguish and conflict as she rises higher and higher to the top are portrayed well here. As she rises she is forced more each day to become someone that she doesn't like just to make it to the top, which results in bitterness and depression. This is true of real-life showbiz today, so congrats to Berkley and writers for a good thought provoking depiction of showbiz's dark side. Although the acting is excellent and the sleziness of show business is portrayed very well, I have given 'Showgirls' four stars instead of five because I feel that Molly's rape scene should not have been so in depth. They should have just shown the men coming at her, given us a scream from far off in the distance, and then forwarded to Molly's hospital scene. Rape is a serious thing, and showing the entire ordeal on screen for big bucks is insensitive not only to women but to other sex crime victims as well. But otherwise...good movie, good cast performances, good showbiz sleaze portrayal. 'Showgirls' is an excellent, well-acted expose of the many problems in the showbiz industry today-enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: "Always be the last one down the stairs, darlin'"
Review: Everyone's entitled to their opinion. But at least HAVE YOUR OWN! I have a suspicion that the people who trashed this movie are the kind of people who think a movie is good simply because it's English. The diva mentality in this movie is delicious, and the slight pornographic flavoring is icing on the cake. I kept watching to see what happened next. Elizabeth Berkely has amazing guts. She put her entire heart into this risky film, and while it is unintentionally campy, (the best camp) it is also a beautifully shot film, lots of eye candy. Gina Gershon was a goddess, and the whole sleaze-fest was a ton of fun. Get your noses out of the air you stuck up critics! Have some fun!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Movie
Review: This movie is not as bad as people make it out to be. The dialog can be a bit stupid but the filming is quite good, and certainly animal lovers will enjoy the many beaver shots.
Rating:
Summary: So Bad, it's Good.
Review: This movie is definately a guilty pleasure, for enjoyment purposes only. We follow Elizabeth Berkley (Saved by the Bell) on her quest to become a dancer, or a porn star, whatever. The acting in this movie is so horribly hillarious that it becomes compelling. If I was a professional film critic, I would give it one star, but I'll admit, it's a fun movie. I can say right now that women probably won't like it, and it is only a movie for adults. Have fun with it, try not to take it seriously.
Rating:
Summary: classic stuff
Review: contrary to some of the reviews here, i think showgirls is an extremely watchable film. what's funny about it is the high production standards, with HILARIOUS dialogue, and even funnier 'dance training' scenes. what's hard to work out about this film, is whether elizabeth berkley is a brilliant actor, playing a completely weird character, OR if she is an atrocious actor, playing a completely weird character - "Nomi" as her character is called, has possibly the shortest temper of any character in any film, and constantly contradicts her own values and beliefs (or so it would appear). each and every character in this film lies, cheats and manages to screw someone else over, with the exception of ONE, a friend of Nomi's who is violently raped at the end of the film! (and left battered in her hospital bed by Nomi, who flees LV after finding redemption) watch this film - if nothing else it will give you a laugh, and will keep you intrigued with questions filling your head about 'how'...'why?'... etc. favourite scene : a prospective boyfriend of Nomi's is showing her a dance routine he prepared just for her - in the MIDDLE of him showing her, she interrupts; "..wait...wait.. you mean.. like THIS!" and starts wildly flailing around, all the while keeping in time with her instructor! !classic! also look out for the first 60 seconds of the film, in which, inexplicably, a switchblade is produced by Nomi, as an attack on someone giving HER a lift to Las Vegas! LOVE IT
Rating:
Summary: Not as bad as some say
Review: I'm a teenager so of course I wanted to see this movie because of the naked women. All I had heard about it was that it wasn't a good movie. After I watched the movie, I thought it was a pretty good movie myself. Most dirty movies don't have much of a plot to them but Showgirls does. It's about how Nomi (Elizabeth Berkley) goes to Las Vegas wanting to be an exotic dancer and how she becomes a professional dancer as she tries to survive in the industry. She gets mad and injures the main attraction (Gina Gershon) and takes over as the top dancer. Plotwise, it turns out to be not nearly as bad of a movie as the critics and many other people were saying it was. I've seen many worse movies. The women all look good and they are the main attraction of the movie. If you like dirty movies, Showgirls is definitely worth getting. Even if you don't like them, it's still a good movie to watch. You'll find out that it's not that bad of a movie. END
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant! Just absolutely and completely brilliant!
Review: I'm going to tell you why you must pick up this DVD! It is truly a classic! I love everything about it! This movie was so cool! I watched it over and over and now that I own the DVD format, I can flip to the even better parts! The sound and picture quality are outstanding, you really get into the DVD version. I enjoyed the Making-Of Featurette, and I thought that the Theatrical Trailer was neat because I wondered how they'd advertise an NC-17 rated movie on TV. Former Jesse, on Saved By The Bell, I always had a thing for Elizabeth Berkley. She is such a great actress, and she is great and very believable in this movie! I thought it was funny that her co-workers on Saved By The Bell got to act with her throughout her teen years, and now they get to see the real Berkley! I must say the this movie was great, and it'll go down in history! See this movie! And at Amazon's great price, it's a win win deal! "SHOWGIRLS", the best movie ever! -Get this one on DVD! Do it for the sound, do it for the picture, just do it already!
|
