Rating: NC17
Genre:
Drama
Release Date: 07/27/2004
SubTitles: English/French/Espanol
Dubbed: English/French/Espanol
Sound: DD5.1/DDS2.0
Run Time: 131 Minutes
Flags: Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Rape & Sexual Abuse, Not For Children, Adult Humor, Profanity
Distributor/Studio: MGM
"I'm gonna dance,"
Nomi Malone (
Elizabeth Berkley) insists in the opening scene of
Showgirls, and dance she does. In this quasi-update of
All About Eve,
Nomi is a drifter whose sole ambition is to headline the "Goddess" topless dance show at the Stardust in Las Vegas. Of course, even
Nomi must pay her dues, and she does so at the Cheetah, grinding poles and lap dancing her way to a future. Fortunately, her roommate,
Molly, works at the Stardust and invites
Nomi to see the show, where she meets
Crystal Conners (
Gina Gershon, in the
Bette Davis role), with whom she immediately forms a love/hate relationship.
Nomi soon learns what she must do to get ahead, and the rest of the film documents her cat-like crawl up the showgirl ladder of success. Directed by
Paul Verhoeven, (
Robocop,
Basic Instinct,
The Fourth Man),
Showgirls was conceived as the first big-budget "adult" film since 1977's
Caligula, and the first such production to wear the NC-17 rating; its failure at the box-office discouraged further attempts at large-scale adult productions.
~ Dylan Wilcox, All Movie Guide