Showgirls

NC-17

Now Playing

2h 11m

Drama

LGBTQ+

List

23%

Tomatometer

79 Reviews

38%

Audience Score

50,000+ Ratings

Nomi (Elizabeth Berkley) arrives in Las Vegas with only a suitcase and a dream of becoming a top showgirl. She quickly befriends Molly (Gina Ravera), who works at the high-profile Stardust Hotel, and lands a job at a seedy strip club. A chance meeting with Cristal (Gina Gershon), the Stardust's marquee dancer, and her powerful boyfriend, Zack (Kyle MacLachlan), brings Nomi one step closer to realizing her dream. But, as she ascends to the top, Nomi begins to wonder if it's all worth it.

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Critics Consensus

Vile, contemptible, garish, and misogynistic -- and that might just be exactly Showgirls' point.

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Judy Gerstel

Toronto Star

The filmmakers rub our noses in the whole sordid sex thing we love to hate and hate to love, no doubt laughing at us the entire time, all the way to the bank.

Rated: 1/5

Mar 27, 2024

Full Review

Joe Pollack

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Whatever Eszterhas and director Paul Verhoeven may say about going behind the scenes in Vegas, they have made a film to highlight little more than prurient interest.

Mar 27, 2024

Full Review

Mike Floyd

Detroit Free Press

Dirty, crude, often tasteless and at times downright nasty, Showgirls is also a gripping and uncompromising look behind the Vegas glitz.

Rated: 2/4

Mar 27, 2024

Full Review

Sam Moore

Vague Visages

Whether or not anyone thinks that it succeeds as a satire of the male gaze and objectification, it relishes in the trashiness of the surfaces it may or may not want to critique...the camp glory of Showgirls, however, comes from those very surfaces.

Jun 5, 2024

Full Review

Gary Wolcott

Tri-City Herald

Really, Paul? Plain and simple. Showgirls is pornography. In his hands, and those of screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, it might be better labeled poor nography.

Rated: 1/5

Mar 29, 2024

Full Review

Todd James

Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Alberta)

Clothing is not an option in Showgirls and after about 20 minutes of this slop, you'll be begging for someone to please put something on, take some acting lessons, and try to say one thing intelligent. Showgirls is bad almost beyond belief.

Rated: 0/5

Mar 29, 2024

Full Review

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chris h

A lot of the reviews that are negative are definitely allergic to sexual content.This movie is more real to life than most.Its not sugar coated.Enjoyed the cast and it's flow.Saved by the bell bares it all.Im a fan of the director and his direction in movies.Think the camera work is above average.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/25/24

Full Review

Marcos V

I don’t know why people don’t like this movie. The movie was very good and yes it has some moments the viewer is like what the hell. Elizabeth Berkeley brought the character to live in this Las Vegas Dancers film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/15/24

Full Review

Eluidah D

Loved it then, loved it now. It is unfortunate how many people do not understand the film. I'm glad it's taking its place as a cult classic with the right people.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/11/24

Full Review

Yash B

I will be the first to admit that "Showgirls" is far from perfect. However, I was surprised to see that it was not the completely awful film I had heard it to be. The movie is very over the top and a lot of the interactions just feel off putting and unnatural. It can feel strange but it also can tie into what the point of the movie is in some ways. More than anything the campy nature and fast pace and editing keep the movie moving along and its really well-paced. I feel like there are moments that are so bad they're good but also plenty of moments that genuinely have very solid production value. Overall, I would say I am in the camp that thinks this is a good movie and that people who watch it with an open mind will find that it is not terrible at all, despite some bizarre acting and dialogue.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/10/24

Full Review

BillsMafiaMama B

A masterpiece of s**t. It's both awful and brilliant which makes it unique and valuable to cinema.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/08/24

Full Review

Jesus

Don't know why this movie is rated so low. It's not a bad movie. Is it Academy Award material, no. But it's definitely not as bad as it is rated here, I give it a 7.5 or an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/17/24

Full Review

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Paul Verhoeven

Director

Elizabeth Berkley Lauren

Nomi Malone

Kyle MacLachlan

Zack Carey

Gina Gershon

Cristal Connors

Glenn Plummer

James Smith

Robert Davi

Al Torres

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Synopsis

Nomi (Elizabeth Berkley) arrives in Las Vegas with only a suitcase and a dream of becoming a top showgirl. She quickly befriends Molly (Gina Ravera), who works at the high-profile Stardust Hotel, and lands a job at a seedy strip club. A chance meeting with Cristal (Gina Gershon), the Stardust's marquee dancer, and her powerful boyfriend, Zack (Kyle MacLachlan), brings Nomi one step closer to realizing her dream. But, as she ascends to the top, Nomi begins to wonder if it's all worth it.

Director: Paul Verhoeven
Producer: Alan Marshall, Charles Evans
Screenwriter: Joe Eszterhas
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., United Artists
Production Co: United Artists, Chargeurs, Carolco Pictures Inc.
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 22, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $19.3M
Runtime: 2h 11m
Sound Mix: Surround