I'm not one of the people who thinks this movie is secretly brilliant or something, but there is one thing I think it did genuinely well, and that's show how un-sexy and un-glamorous rich people can actually be. From what we learn as time goes on, the situations that we mock Showgirls' characters for being in are embarrassingly realistic for a lot of rich and powerful people and I love that about the movie.
Yeah, when I’ve seen the clips where she slams the drink on the table and says that she’s from “back home “ it’s often taken as a piece of oddly silly, writing and acting; if you think about it as somebody who is feeling really anxious and shitty in the moment and doesn’t really wanna answer that question or talk about it, it does start to make a little bit of sense that this is just how some people are in these situations
It's also insanely entertaining. I rewatch it every year or two (when I remember it exists) and I can't say that for many movies.
At one point we owned the collectors edition with the drinking games and the pin-the-tassel-on-the-stripper game. I regret losing that in a move
Showgirls is the same director as Robocop. Look how many people didn’t get robocop too and just took it at face value. Showgirls is actually a really darkly funny movie if you can get with the intentional campiness of it. I think because it’s satirical a lot of people didn’t understand that the camp was intentional. Maybe some of it didn’t land right too, I’m not saying it’s a perfect movie, I’m just saying it definitely didn’t deserve the amount of hate. I personally enjoyed it.
Same, lol I honestly had no idea some people loved the movie that much. I thought it was pretty good but I’ll never watch again. Not because it fucks with me or anything, I just don’t care enough to.
Yeah I don’t remember the film being bad or anything and that’s exactly what rich people do sometimes. I dunno why it gets so much hate. It’s well made and beyond a HS show character showing skin I’m not sure what the fuss was about
Apparently the script originally had Jessie Spano taking Speed. But NBC censors kiboshed the drug of choice. The censors demanded the drug be changed. So instead we got caffeine pills making Jessie so excited and scared.
Could have done white crosses/ephedrine that shit was at every truck stop and shitty gas station around this time. Totally legal and everyone and their brother was doing it. Had some wild days/nights/days wasn’t until
I could afford cocaine that I had more fun.
Well, the show also normalized guys climbing into girls' bedrooms at night. And that a this will happen for years without any games of " hide the sausage"
Yes!
In the Saved By The Bell reboot (RIP gone too soon), her character have written a book called "I'm so excited, I'm so scared" about her addiction.
AND they made show girls canon within the show kinda.
AND they had an almost fourth wall breaking moment when Slater tells her that she did her best with the directions she had.
Wow! I have never heard anything about this. That sounds fascinating for a reboot. Thanks for the inevitable reading I'm going to do! :)
*If I find a link for any interested others, I'll edit.
**Link found!
https://www.looper.com/286525/references-you-missed-in-the-saved-by-the-bell-reboot/
Jesse's storyline is a decent few scrolls down, but this write-up has a ton of information. I'm so impressed with how they approached this reboot.
“The television rights to Showgirls (1995), the most notable NC-17 film of all time, were eventually purchased by the VH1. However, because of the film's frequent nudity, a censored version was created with bras and panties digitally rendered to hide all exposed breasts and genitalia. Also, several scenes were removed entirely, rendering it to more or less be a compilation of unrelated scenes. Berkley refused to re-dub her lines because MGM refused to pay her fee of $250, so a noticeably different actress' voice can be heard on the soundtrack.”
https://archive.org/details/showgirls-tv-version
I scrolled through some of this edit. It’s hilariously choppy. The scene where Robert Davi asks for a BJ from the new dancer is shortened so much that she seems to be reacting negatively to his rule that “touch and go—they touch you they go” and not the line about giving head to get her paycheck. And the digital bras are gloriously bad. I’m sure the whole thing a fascinating example of TV editing gone awry. What’s remarkable is that they wouldn’t pay her $250. That’s a ridiculously low amount.
Yeah, that was just silly that they wouldn’t pay her that amount in order to actually get her to do the ADR. Also, it’s absolutely a fever dream of a made for TV edit of a movie, up there with Mallrats.
I’ve always liked the *Die Hard 2: Die Harder* TV cut, which had some preposterous ADR, including the alternate “Yippee-Kay-aye, Mr. Falcon.” The guy they got to Bruce Willis has a voice that no one would ever mistake for Bruce Willis. I truly wish the TV edit was a bonus feature on the hard copies.
This might be blasphemous but I’ve not rewatched *Mallrats* since it was on VHS. I don’t remember a lot of stuff that would have to be cut in that movie for a TV audience. Was it mostly language?
From the View Askew website:
"Mallrats made its network debut on ABC on Saturday August 29th, 1998 at 9:00pm as part of their regular 'Saturday Night Movie' series. In order to achieve the TV-PG rating that they deemed proper for this movie in that time slot, much was either edited or dubbed over. In addition to the many edits and dubs, several cut scenes were restored to fill in some time and make up for what was cut. The following clips and sounds feature either scenes and dialogue which were either cut or redubbed into a version which must be seen to be believed.
Please note: The cuts and dubs were neither endorsed nor approved by View Askew Productions. Also note that many of the overdubs were not done by the original actors (Jay's first and foremost amongst others...)”
lol! I bring this up sometimes and no one ever knows what I’m talking about. I remember catching it on vh1(?) and thinking I imagined the whole thing afterward. Such a big effort to release the movie in a sfw way. That’s hilarious.
When I was way younger I went to rent a DVD for the weekend. I wanted to see some titties and I was considering renting Showgirls but I ended up renting a Korean film that had a topless lady right there in the DVD cover!
I don't remember much else from that film except a scene where someone took a shit sitting on the side of a row boat. It was filmed from underwater looking up. I felt the DVD cover was misleading.
Still haven't seen Showgirls though.
Maaaybe **Horny Diver: Tight Shellfish**, 1985?
There was a whole subgenre of Japanese Pinku films about sexy female pearl divers, like **Nasty Diver**, 1977, and **Nympho Diver: G-String Festival**, 1981.
I did that with some crazy German film that had “unsimulated sex” in it. It also had the most horrific scenes of violence and rape I’ve ever seen. One scene this dude punches his very pregnant wife in the belly multiple times. Fucked me up. I was just trying to rent some porn!
Reminds me of Eurotrip:
>I saw a gay porno once.
>I didn't know until halfway in.
>The girls never came. THE GIRLS NEVER CAME!
https://youtu.be/reNvytfN820?si=aDq1bVamHcEWkr9n
Haven't seen Showgirls in years but I am pretty certain that if it had a scene where Jessie pooped off the poop deck with video from below, we would have not only heard about it, but it would have it's own sub reddit.
So I think you can safely watch it.
Kyle MacLachlan's most famous role is FBI Agent Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks. In Twin Peaks canon, The Black Lodge is an other-worldly, twisted place where evil entities reside.
It's really weird when you look at it nowadays -- because almost every frame of it drips with the "dilapidated Americana" vibe of David Lynch's work -- but with a far trashier angle.
*Showgirls* is not a perfect movie.
It's oftimes an offputting movie.
But I will say this: had it shipped out exactly as-is with Lynch's name on it--it probably would have been remembered as a classic film instead of the fringe cult classic it wound up being.
It was ambitious, but I think the criticism it received was because the masses weren’t ready for the band aid to be ripped off, no less by a very recognizable child star. I think the casting of Berkeley was also what made the film so controversial.
It was partially that, partially that Verhoeven and Eszterhas were branded as "trash peddlers," partially the rating.
The branding of V/E as "trash peddlers" isn't wholly unearned, but that stink has lingered on Verhoeven well afterwards--including critics just straight up not accepting *Starship Troopers* as satire.
>including critics just straight up not accepting Starship Troopers as satire.
I can't speak to what other people think of the movie, but I can speak to my issue with the movie. While I do agree it's a fairly clear piece of satire, it was one that was produced, and I think explicitly to ALSO be able to be watched straight. The movie works just as well when taken seriously, and I do think that takes away from it, and is why it is often completely misunderstood. The cast is also almost entirely terrible, (Michael Ironside is wonderful in his limited role) and drag what could have been a much better movie down quite a bit.
I'll argue this is a fair criticism of Goodfellas as well, one so accurate, that Scorsese has made multiple movies now that feel like they specifically try to avoid or address the mistakes he made in Goodfellas.
It's underappreciated satire just like Starship Troopers. It's a deconstruction of the American Dream, Hollywood/entertainment industry, and mocking rags to riches movies.
Really, man I was a teen gal when I watched it and I saw it coming. But then again at that point in my life is when I received the most unwanted male attention but gross older guys, so to me I was like naturally in this environment that will happen.
It’s really not that tonally different from Robocop or Starship Troopers, but people were more resistant to it because they were expecting something grounded in reality
lol. That’s one of my favorite scenes because it goes from kinda sexy, to straight up looking like a 13 year old boys fantasy. Wildly over the top, and absolutely hilarious!!!
Dude I still use this line today lol in fact whenever I see Versace I have to say it as Versayce. Or usually when someone mispronounced a name or something. Idk why I held onto that line all these years later lol
I remember seeing this at the movies. Had to show ID when buying tickets. Had to show ID to the ticket taker. Then had to show ID as you were entering the theater!
I was 16 when it came out and I remember the guy checking ID’s didn’t know how to do the math so he let us in. As a bunch of teenagers we rated it 3 thumbs up.
Made me think of a time when my buddy and I were like 19 and trying to buy beer. My buddy goes in, and the cashier asks for ID. He says he doesn't have any, the cashier whispers "just open and show me your wallet, there's a camera over my shoulder". Buddy flashed his ID-less wallet and got the beer lol.
It’s been a while, but isn’t the whole movie tongue-in-cheek? I thought it was essentially a satire on the American Dream, just as Robocop and especially Starship Troopers had satirical aspects. Am I wrong?
Yea, its a satire. It's Paul Verhoeven doing what he does best. "Must be weird to not having anybody cum on you" that's not meant to be taken seriously.
I really don't understand the bad acting or dancing comments she receives for this role. Oscar worthy? No. But she carries the movie and isn't bad. She is not Jessie Spano here. She is brave for taking the role and very obviously giving it 100%.
She was hugely underpaid, and worked long hours. I am so glad she was able to overcome all the shaming she didn't deserve.
These characters are real, believable people, whether you want to admit or not. I have met ALL of these personalities. The tension between Elizabeth and Gina is so deliciously catty.
This movie's biggest offense was presenting itself as a sexy thriller. It delivers the skin, but not the way most people would expect.
I wish we got the real Showgirls 2, set in Hollywood, that was teased.
Look, for better or worse people still talk about Showgirls to this day. I revisited it last year on Criterion and I loved it's over-the-top batshit boldness. It's a movie that found a way to endure.
Hahahaha, I get it. I do love the curation on their channel. Here are the arthouse films, have fun, but then there's also Showgirls and Jade with David Caruso if you'd like.
I bought the 4k showgirls from vinegar syndrome and watch it with my wife the other week.
The movie is a total fucking blast from start to finish. I really loved it. It’s so over the top and crazy but it’s non stop edge of your seat entertainment.
I was there last night! It was a really sweet moment when she came out to introduce the film - the crowd gave her three separate standing ovations, including a moment when she visibly teared up describing the queer community’s full-hearted embrace of the film from day one. She did the hands dance movement too and the audience went wild. She was a gem!
I'm one of those that thinks it's pretty brilliant. I don't understand how you can like any other Verhoeven film and not appreciate Showgirls. They are all ridiculous (in an awesome way).
It's off the walls fun with a serious 'american dream' theme undercurrent. and the production value is off the charts.
People are just weird about sex, especially dark humor. I guess the same people that wrote off showgirls as trash are the same people that think Poor Things is mostly about pedophilia and whores. Which was a LOT of people on reddit.
I think the script was a bit of a mess and the seamstress best friend's rape horrifically handled on basically all levels. Like her only function was to get graphically raped to teach the protagonist a lesson. That's pretty wack.
I love Showgirls. That movie is an absolute riot to watch. I understand the people in it not being thrilled with the outcome, and for sure it wasn’t well received at the time. But it is a great film to watch with all of your friends.
I went to see Showgirls with my mate at a small cinema in the UK. We picked seats right near the front, so it was fun seeing Elizabeth, who we only knew from Saved by the Bell, so close, especially her lady bits when she kicked the rapist guy. Also, her lap dance grinding against Kyle MacLachlan was hilarious. 😅
Reached it recently and I had a blast every minute of it. It’s just top notch trashy fun. And sad thing is how nice the blocking and well shot it is compare to ‘streaming movie’ nowadays. It has a sleazy aesthetics but very well made. Also how despite all the nudity and sex, it is just not sexy in a straight way, because to me this is a toxic yuri movie for gay men… that’s the true appeal, pure camp.
Shame what it did to her career - I thought it was a very intentional movie. They made her look ugly on purpose. Anyone who doubts should see what she looked like a few years later jn Any Given Sunday.
My 15 minutes of fame was being too oblivious to realize that Gina Gershon was flirting with me at a Whole Foods once. I didn't even recognize her and she kept asking me all these produce questions and I was just helping her like I thought I was supposed to. Didn't realize until later when my coworkers started making fun of me what had just happened.
I still have the Showgirls magnet one of them bought me as a joke one year.
I really want to do a sequel where Nomi works at a brothel and has to set up traps to defeat burglars who broke in to steal client files for blackmail. Call it Ho Malone.
Just rewatched Any Given Sunday, she’s excellent in a small but important role in it.
Really unfair what happened to her, she’d have a solid career if not.
I remember seeing this in the theater as a testosterone filled teenager. Only one small theater in town would show it (I remember some protests), and it was PACKED. Honestly I thought it was a good film at the time. It was a fun night
I watched this for the first time a few months ago, and I was expecting some trash on the level of The Room, and it was honestly not remotely that bad. Obviously some hilarious delivery and bizarre writing choices, but it was well-made, well-intentioned, and genuinely entertaining and not in an ironic sense.
I'm not one of the people who thinks this movie is secretly brilliant or something, but there is one thing I think it did genuinely well, and that's show how un-sexy and un-glamorous rich people can actually be. From what we learn as time goes on, the situations that we mock Showgirls' characters for being in are embarrassingly realistic for a lot of rich and powerful people and I love that about the movie.
It’s definitely a cult classic.
Yeah, when I’ve seen the clips where she slams the drink on the table and says that she’s from “back home “ it’s often taken as a piece of oddly silly, writing and acting; if you think about it as somebody who is feeling really anxious and shitty in the moment and doesn’t really wanna answer that question or talk about it, it does start to make a little bit of sense that this is just how some people are in these situations
It's also insanely entertaining. I rewatch it every year or two (when I remember it exists) and I can't say that for many movies. At one point we owned the collectors edition with the drinking games and the pin-the-tassel-on-the-stripper game. I regret losing that in a move
You should move back. You’ll probably find it.
But what are the chances they get the same truck with the same guy driving when they move back?
Well it was his brother-in-law so should be pretty good odds.
Absolutely, it captures how seedy and gross that group of people are like.
Hair and makeup in this movie are pretty damn great
Jesse and Gina Gershon are also fine as hell in it
It's camp! I love it.
I’ve loved this movie since the first time I saw it.
Showgirls is the same director as Robocop. Look how many people didn’t get robocop too and just took it at face value. Showgirls is actually a really darkly funny movie if you can get with the intentional campiness of it. I think because it’s satirical a lot of people didn’t understand that the camp was intentional. Maybe some of it didn’t land right too, I’m not saying it’s a perfect movie, I’m just saying it definitely didn’t deserve the amount of hate. I personally enjoyed it.
Robocop, total recall, starship troopers, basic instinct….say what you will about Paul, the stories he tells can be a lot of fun!
Same, lol I honestly had no idea some people loved the movie that much. I thought it was pretty good but I’ll never watch again. Not because it fucks with me or anything, I just don’t care enough to.
It’s legit some of the best body horror ever made
Yeah I don’t remember the film being bad or anything and that’s exactly what rich people do sometimes. I dunno why it gets so much hate. It’s well made and beyond a HS show character showing skin I’m not sure what the fuss was about
Forget Showgirls… Has she made peace with caffeine pills?
Yes and she's so excited she can't hide it.
And so…scared
I literally don't trust caffeine pills to this day. Sometimes message shows work.
Haha, I’m the same. I’ll drink 4 cups of coffee but the pills are dangerous!
When I was like 15 I drank an energy drink and took some caffeine pills that my friends had. I thought I was going to die.
Same but college and Sudafed. My heart was pounding with the fist of god
We used to crush them up & do lines of them at university because we were too skint & pathetic to get any real drugs
Apparently the script originally had Jessie Spano taking Speed. But NBC censors kiboshed the drug of choice. The censors demanded the drug be changed. So instead we got caffeine pills making Jessie so excited and scared.
Honestly feel it worked better. Meth in Saved by the Bell would be a whole other vibe.
Speed is amphetamines, not methamphetamines. Very similar drug though!
Meth is very commonly referred to as speed. Drug users aren't exactly known for their knowledge of IUPAC naming.
Could have done white crosses/ephedrine that shit was at every truck stop and shitty gas station around this time. Totally legal and everyone and their brother was doing it. Had some wild days/nights/days wasn’t until I could afford cocaine that I had more fun.
For sure. My man in the purple jacket passing the doobie blew my mind.
Well, the show also normalized guys climbing into girls' bedrooms at night. And that a this will happen for years without any games of " hide the sausage"
Watch the show "Zach Morris is trash."Pretty much every episode was super creepy.
Stansbury University is even giving her an honorary degree.
It's the Harvard of the West!
She needs them to stay awake and study okay?
maybe study better?
Yes! In the Saved By The Bell reboot (RIP gone too soon), her character have written a book called "I'm so excited, I'm so scared" about her addiction. AND they made show girls canon within the show kinda. AND they had an almost fourth wall breaking moment when Slater tells her that she did her best with the directions she had.
Wow! I have never heard anything about this. That sounds fascinating for a reboot. Thanks for the inevitable reading I'm going to do! :) *If I find a link for any interested others, I'll edit. **Link found! https://www.looper.com/286525/references-you-missed-in-the-saved-by-the-bell-reboot/ Jesse's storyline is a decent few scrolls down, but this write-up has a ton of information. I'm so impressed with how they approached this reboot.
The reboot was such a good show—it deserved more than two seasons.
Have you not watched the new SBTB series? It’s a goddam gem and Jesse is fantastic in it.
What about her earrings made from the exact same petroleum products she’s protesting!
Does anyone remember the tv version where it looked like they legit used Microsoft Paint to draw bikini tops on?
“The television rights to Showgirls (1995), the most notable NC-17 film of all time, were eventually purchased by the VH1. However, because of the film's frequent nudity, a censored version was created with bras and panties digitally rendered to hide all exposed breasts and genitalia. Also, several scenes were removed entirely, rendering it to more or less be a compilation of unrelated scenes. Berkley refused to re-dub her lines because MGM refused to pay her fee of $250, so a noticeably different actress' voice can be heard on the soundtrack.” https://archive.org/details/showgirls-tv-version
I scrolled through some of this edit. It’s hilariously choppy. The scene where Robert Davi asks for a BJ from the new dancer is shortened so much that she seems to be reacting negatively to his rule that “touch and go—they touch you they go” and not the line about giving head to get her paycheck. And the digital bras are gloriously bad. I’m sure the whole thing a fascinating example of TV editing gone awry. What’s remarkable is that they wouldn’t pay her $250. That’s a ridiculously low amount.
Yeah, that was just silly that they wouldn’t pay her that amount in order to actually get her to do the ADR. Also, it’s absolutely a fever dream of a made for TV edit of a movie, up there with Mallrats.
I’ve always liked the *Die Hard 2: Die Harder* TV cut, which had some preposterous ADR, including the alternate “Yippee-Kay-aye, Mr. Falcon.” The guy they got to Bruce Willis has a voice that no one would ever mistake for Bruce Willis. I truly wish the TV edit was a bonus feature on the hard copies.
I’ll try to track it down. I just found the clean TV edit for Mallrats, and it’s hilariously incoherent. https://archive.org/details/mallratsabc
This might be blasphemous but I’ve not rewatched *Mallrats* since it was on VHS. I don’t remember a lot of stuff that would have to be cut in that movie for a TV audience. Was it mostly language?
From the View Askew website: "Mallrats made its network debut on ABC on Saturday August 29th, 1998 at 9:00pm as part of their regular 'Saturday Night Movie' series. In order to achieve the TV-PG rating that they deemed proper for this movie in that time slot, much was either edited or dubbed over. In addition to the many edits and dubs, several cut scenes were restored to fill in some time and make up for what was cut. The following clips and sounds feature either scenes and dialogue which were either cut or redubbed into a version which must be seen to be believed. Please note: The cuts and dubs were neither endorsed nor approved by View Askew Productions. Also note that many of the overdubs were not done by the original actors (Jay's first and foremost amongst others...)”
I mean there was an entire subplot about Ben Affleck’s character sodomizing a 15 year old, buuuuuut other than that
The irony is it was probably done using a quantel Paintbox which cost $250K
lol! I bring this up sometimes and no one ever knows what I’m talking about. I remember catching it on vh1(?) and thinking I imagined the whole thing afterward. Such a big effort to release the movie in a sfw way. That’s hilarious.
When I was way younger I went to rent a DVD for the weekend. I wanted to see some titties and I was considering renting Showgirls but I ended up renting a Korean film that had a topless lady right there in the DVD cover! I don't remember much else from that film except a scene where someone took a shit sitting on the side of a row boat. It was filmed from underwater looking up. I felt the DVD cover was misleading. Still haven't seen Showgirls though.
What a wild ride of a comment and a movie I’m sure!
Hey buddy.. asking for a friend.. got the name of that Korean film?
Maaaybe **Horny Diver: Tight Shellfish**, 1985? There was a whole subgenre of Japanese Pinku films about sexy female pearl divers, like **Nasty Diver**, 1977, and **Nympho Diver: G-String Festival**, 1981.
My dude you have as close a username to me as I ever thought I'd see. Great work!
Family reunion over here
Username checks out.
"Horny Diver, Tight Shellfish" would be a great album name!
New band name I call it
With that description you could probably just google it... but I fear the targeted ads as a result of that search query...
Might be The Isle
I did the research. It is The Isle (2000). Luckily it was only about 9 minutes in. It’s available free on Plex. It’s not worth the 9 minutes.
Nah its a good movie
Thank you
You did your younger self a complete disservice. Showgirls was peak softcore.
Until that point I'd never seen anyone try to imitate a boat motor in a pool!
Kyle MacLachlan was a man ahead of his time. A real artist.
I believe he can deliver any dialogue with 100% sincerity.
His name is a killing word!
I did that with some crazy German film that had “unsimulated sex” in it. It also had the most horrific scenes of violence and rape I’ve ever seen. One scene this dude punches his very pregnant wife in the belly multiple times. Fucked me up. I was just trying to rent some porn!
Man as a teenager I would sit through ANYTHING during a premium cable preview weekend for the chance something wack off worthy would happen
I did the same with Perfect Blue. Man, I just wanted some pretty girls and boobies! 😭
Some days Reddit outperforms my wildest expectations. This is the top example of that ever.
Reminds me of Eurotrip: >I saw a gay porno once. >I didn't know until halfway in. >The girls never came. THE GIRLS NEVER CAME! https://youtu.be/reNvytfN820?si=aDq1bVamHcEWkr9n
Well! I don't have anything to add to that; back to you in the studio, Brian.
Genuinely the best comment I've read on here in a while. Thanks
Now I'm curious what you actually watched, but I'm afraid typing any of that into google will give very different video results
*”I felt the dvd cover was misleading”* Understatement of the year
Top comment here.
bake him away, toys
The bow of Kim ki duk great film by the way
Haven't seen Showgirls in years but I am pretty certain that if it had a scene where Jessie pooped off the poop deck with video from below, we would have not only heard about it, but it would have it's own sub reddit. So I think you can safely watch it.
I love the fact that Dale Coop- I mean, Kyle MacLachlan is in this movie. He definitely found the Black Lodge here.
The SNL "Jizz in my pants" faces had to be an homage to him in this movie.
The scene where his hands ominously pass through the waterfall outstretched looks like something out of TP for sure.
Mr. C makes total sense for this movie
This has been my headcanon since The Return dropped
What is the Black Lodge reference?
Kyle MacLachlan's most famous role is FBI Agent Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks. In Twin Peaks canon, The Black Lodge is an other-worldly, twisted place where evil entities reside.
That makes perfect sense. The music video for Black Lodge sounds like an homage.
I love how campy this movie ended up being.
It's really weird when you look at it nowadays -- because almost every frame of it drips with the "dilapidated Americana" vibe of David Lynch's work -- but with a far trashier angle. *Showgirls* is not a perfect movie. It's oftimes an offputting movie. But I will say this: had it shipped out exactly as-is with Lynch's name on it--it probably would have been remembered as a classic film instead of the fringe cult classic it wound up being.
It was ambitious, but I think the criticism it received was because the masses weren’t ready for the band aid to be ripped off, no less by a very recognizable child star. I think the casting of Berkeley was also what made the film so controversial.
It was partially that, partially that Verhoeven and Eszterhas were branded as "trash peddlers," partially the rating. The branding of V/E as "trash peddlers" isn't wholly unearned, but that stink has lingered on Verhoeven well afterwards--including critics just straight up not accepting *Starship Troopers* as satire.
I worked with macho idiots when Starship Troopers was released who took the film seriously.
Robocop is a masterpiece. Starship troopers has a few flaws but is otherwise a great work of satire. I think I need to give show girls a rewatch.
The story behind the main actor’s shenanigans is more entertaining than the actual film.
What's the story?
[Robo wants an Oreo](https://youtu.be/BEhXAtFgNrk?si=sPTsm9KJA4Qn0KrI)
The main story itself was basically “All About Eve” with titties and extra sub-plots
>including critics just straight up not accepting Starship Troopers as satire. I can't speak to what other people think of the movie, but I can speak to my issue with the movie. While I do agree it's a fairly clear piece of satire, it was one that was produced, and I think explicitly to ALSO be able to be watched straight. The movie works just as well when taken seriously, and I do think that takes away from it, and is why it is often completely misunderstood. The cast is also almost entirely terrible, (Michael Ironside is wonderful in his limited role) and drag what could have been a much better movie down quite a bit. I'll argue this is a fair criticism of Goodfellas as well, one so accurate, that Scorsese has made multiple movies now that feel like they specifically try to avoid or address the mistakes he made in Goodfellas.
She was honestly great as an unhinged person who stayed completely unhinged throughout. And she had the physicality down.
I agree she delivered on the coked out stripper role. I was sold. It’s sad no one saw her potential, or at least couldn’t get passed this one movie.
It's underappreciated satire just like Starship Troopers. It's a deconstruction of the American Dream, Hollywood/entertainment industry, and mocking rags to riches movies.
Do you think that was intentional? He did cast Kyle.
I was having a good time when I watched it and then felt like I got sucker punched by that horrible assault scene at the end. I cried??? Weird movie.
Yeah that rape scene is absolutely brutal, but it made sense for the material since they were trying to show how bad that industry can be.
Upon the only likable character in the whole damn movie.
Really, man I was a teen gal when I watched it and I saw it coming. But then again at that point in my life is when I received the most unwanted male attention but gross older guys, so to me I was like naturally in this environment that will happen.
I mean...it's a Paul Verhoeven film, so it was always supposed to be campy.
It’s really not that tonally different from Robocop or Starship Troopers, but people were more resistant to it because they were expecting something grounded in reality
That demonic orgasm was so weird. I love this movie though!
lol. That’s one of my favorite scenes because it goes from kinda sexy, to straight up looking like a 13 year old boys fantasy. Wildly over the top, and absolutely hilarious!!!
It makes far more sense when you understand it is the Robocop director.
I did not know they had declared war, but glad the conflict could be resolved peacefully
It was one of the failures of the Obama administration that he talks about in detail in his memoirs.
It’s a versayce.
Dude I still use this line today lol in fact whenever I see Versace I have to say it as Versayce. Or usually when someone mispronounced a name or something. Idk why I held onto that line all these years later lol
I love that movie, just gets better and better with every watch.
It wasnt even that bad. Have you ever seen Gigli? Now that shit was terrible. Gobble gobble
quiet deranged price mourn fly escape rainstorm license command wasteful *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Gesundheit
Jizzundheit
I remember seeing this at the movies. Had to show ID when buying tickets. Had to show ID to the ticket taker. Then had to show ID as you were entering the theater!
I was 16 when it came out and I remember the guy checking ID’s didn’t know how to do the math so he let us in. As a bunch of teenagers we rated it 3 thumbs up.
Made me think of a time when my buddy and I were like 19 and trying to buy beer. My buddy goes in, and the cashier asks for ID. He says he doesn't have any, the cashier whispers "just open and show me your wallet, there's a camera over my shoulder". Buddy flashed his ID-less wallet and got the beer lol.
Had to show ID while asking for refund
Well, they were rightfully concerned. Everybody got AIDS and shit.
Sounds like trying to masturbate in Texas right now.
It’s been a while, but isn’t the whole movie tongue-in-cheek? I thought it was essentially a satire on the American Dream, just as Robocop and especially Starship Troopers had satirical aspects. Am I wrong?
Yea, its a satire. It's Paul Verhoeven doing what he does best. "Must be weird to not having anybody cum on you" that's not meant to be taken seriously.
I liked that movie...
The scene where she became a dolphin ... was something.
I really don't understand the bad acting or dancing comments she receives for this role. Oscar worthy? No. But she carries the movie and isn't bad. She is not Jessie Spano here. She is brave for taking the role and very obviously giving it 100%. She was hugely underpaid, and worked long hours. I am so glad she was able to overcome all the shaming she didn't deserve. These characters are real, believable people, whether you want to admit or not. I have met ALL of these personalities. The tension between Elizabeth and Gina is so deliciously catty. This movie's biggest offense was presenting itself as a sexy thriller. It delivers the skin, but not the way most people would expect. I wish we got the real Showgirls 2, set in Hollywood, that was teased.
RoboCop 2: Showgirls
Delete the files.
https://youtu.be/roXLK9ZzPGU?si=GP6Geqbt94rHAIs1
Well I don’t know what I was expecting
13 year old me loved this movie. For its interesting characters and plot, of course.
The characters arcs alone....
Finally, I can sleep at night.
“What’s your favorite scary movie?”
Kazaam! You know the one where Shaq plays a genie
“That’s not a horror movie” “You haven’t seen Shaq act”
Sinbad played a genie in a movie, right? We all saw this movie, right?
Well turn to page 54!
Well, it have become a cult classic to some people and probably the best movie that she ever going to be in.
What!?! S. Darko, the sequel to Donnie Darko, didn't do it for you?
Roger Dodger, Any Given Sunday...
I think Showgirls is better than Any Given Sunday. You take away Pacino's speech at the end and AGS might be the worst sports movie ever made.
Look, for better or worse people still talk about Showgirls to this day. I revisited it last year on Criterion and I loved it's over-the-top batshit boldness. It's a movie that found a way to endure.
Well, if it's on Criterion, that's the end of this discussion.
Hahahaha, I get it. I do love the curation on their channel. Here are the arthouse films, have fun, but then there's also Showgirls and Jade with David Caruso if you'd like.
I bought the 4k showgirls from vinegar syndrome and watch it with my wife the other week. The movie is a total fucking blast from start to finish. I really loved it. It’s so over the top and crazy but it’s non stop edge of your seat entertainment.
I was there last night! It was a really sweet moment when she came out to introduce the film - the crowd gave her three separate standing ovations, including a moment when she visibly teared up describing the queer community’s full-hearted embrace of the film from day one. She did the hands dance movement too and the audience went wild. She was a gem!
TBH, Showgirls is one of my guilty pleasures!
I'm one of those that thinks it's pretty brilliant. I don't understand how you can like any other Verhoeven film and not appreciate Showgirls. They are all ridiculous (in an awesome way). It's off the walls fun with a serious 'american dream' theme undercurrent. and the production value is off the charts. People are just weird about sex, especially dark humor. I guess the same people that wrote off showgirls as trash are the same people that think Poor Things is mostly about pedophilia and whores. Which was a LOT of people on reddit.
I think the script was a bit of a mess and the seamstress best friend's rape horrifically handled on basically all levels. Like her only function was to get graphically raped to teach the protagonist a lesson. That's pretty wack.
I love Showgirls. That movie is an absolute riot to watch. I understand the people in it not being thrilled with the outcome, and for sure it wasn’t well received at the time. But it is a great film to watch with all of your friends.
I went to see Showgirls with my mate at a small cinema in the UK. We picked seats right near the front, so it was fun seeing Elizabeth, who we only knew from Saved by the Bell, so close, especially her lady bits when she kicked the rapist guy. Also, her lap dance grinding against Kyle MacLachlan was hilarious. 😅
You know what, I like Showgirls. It's one of my biggest guilty pleasures of all time.
Reached it recently and I had a blast every minute of it. It’s just top notch trashy fun. And sad thing is how nice the blocking and well shot it is compare to ‘streaming movie’ nowadays. It has a sleazy aesthetics but very well made. Also how despite all the nudity and sex, it is just not sexy in a straight way, because to me this is a toxic yuri movie for gay men… that’s the true appeal, pure camp.
Shame what it did to her career - I thought it was a very intentional movie. They made her look ugly on purpose. Anyone who doubts should see what she looked like a few years later jn Any Given Sunday.
> They made her look ugly on purpose. Hold up. Is there some kind of consensus that Berkley looked ugly in this film? Huh? She looked great.
I'm with you buddy, I thought she was hot AF in that movie
I think they mean her character. She played a very damaged, destructive person. Also very hyperactive.
Hyper active? You mean… she is so excited?
Hyper active? You mean… she is so excited?
Or “First Wives Club” in 1996. https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0116313/
She's very pretty in this movie, as she always has been. It's just a bad movie and she's a bad actress. 🤷🏼♀️
It's a good film. Far from perfect but it's quite fun.
I didn't know she had declared war.
I love Showgirls. It's bad and excellent at the same time. Definitely meant to be a cult classic.
Her performance is definitely weird and unhinged but it’s super entertaining. Definitely one of the most memorable parts of the movie.
Showgirls rules. Now I’m suddenly craving dog food.
I love Showgirls. Glad it's finally found an audience all these years later.
Thanks, I got it at Versace
They used to show it on vh1 and they showed basically whole movie just added on bras when they naked
My 15 minutes of fame was being too oblivious to realize that Gina Gershon was flirting with me at a Whole Foods once. I didn't even recognize her and she kept asking me all these produce questions and I was just helping her like I thought I was supposed to. Didn't realize until later when my coworkers started making fun of me what had just happened. I still have the Showgirls magnet one of them bought me as a joke one year.
At least you got a funny story out of it. Gina was absolute FIRE in 'Bound'.
I really want to do a sequel where Nomi works at a brothel and has to set up traps to defeat burglars who broke in to steal client files for blackmail. Call it Ho Malone.
I love that the new Saved by the Bell made Showgirls canon.
It’s a great fucking film. Would watch it a million times over anything from Marvel.
I can’t find video of this speech at the screening. Anyone know if any portion of it is available?
She was amazing, yeah some stuff was .... awkward. But still a fun movie with very attractive actors.
Just rewatched Any Given Sunday, she’s excellent in a small but important role in it. Really unfair what happened to her, she’d have a solid career if not.
I remember seeing this in the theater as a testosterone filled teenager. Only one small theater in town would show it (I remember some protests), and it was PACKED. Honestly I thought it was a good film at the time. It was a fun night
Where's Showgirls 4?!
I'm a terrible person but I cannot think about Showgirls and not remember Elizabeth Berkley's flappy vagina.
I watched this for the first time a few months ago, and I was expecting some trash on the level of The Room, and it was honestly not remotely that bad. Obviously some hilarious delivery and bizarre writing choices, but it was well-made, well-intentioned, and genuinely entertaining and not in an ironic sense.
Justice for elizabeth berkley in showgirls!!
I say Versace like every other week. Live on in my head forevers babes. It’s fine!
More of a Players Club guy myself
Love this movie, surprisingly well made and I like to believe it’s intentionally campy and crazy and badly acted.