# Tell me why Showgirls is a great film **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [June 16, 2024, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940 "2024-06-16T13:02:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GailForce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@GailForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GailForce)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940/1 "2024-06-16T13:02:24Z")
This is more of a memory thing. A few years ago, I was watching Showgirls and in a flash, an interpretation came to me that, instead of being a cliche-ridden, poorly acted soft-core porno gigglefest, it was actually a brilliant film making some sort of profound, witty comment on something or other. But I didn’t write my unique interpretation down, or tell it to anyone so now I wonder if maybe I dreamt it. I can’t remember anything besides it was a strange interpretation but very insightful take on a film that is universally (and very unjustly) derided. What could I possibly have been thinking? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940/2 "2024-06-16T13:20:34Z")
It is no better or worse than the average Hallmark Movie or Netflix Christmas movie. Just a lot more nudity. It was one of the first films to get an NC-17 rating (but by no means the first) and a lot of its popularity was apparently seeing Jesse from Saved by the Bell nude and playing a stripper. Critics did not love it as it only has a 23% on Rotten Tomatoes and 38% with the audience. It did better with audiences on the IMDB with a still poor 5.1. A few critics liked aspects of it as fast moving and showing the seedy side of Las Vegas? Was that in question? > **[Showgirls - Movie Reviews](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/showgirls/reviews)** > > Rotten Tomatoes, home of the Tomatometer, is the most trusted measurement of quality for Movies & TV. The definitive site for Reviews, Trailers, Showtimes, and Tickets ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940/3 "2024-06-16T13:30:06Z")
I honestly only remember it for being soft-porn. I’d never describe it as a “great film.” Perhaps it has some notable place in movie history but I am not sure what that might be. ---
**Author:** ![GailForce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@GailForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GailForce)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940/4 "2024-06-16T13:33:21Z")
No, nothing to do with Las Vegas, strippers, Saved by the Bell, nothing to do with anything on the surface of the movie. It was far more profound than any of that, like the film had a meta-meaning of some sort. That’s what’s so frustrating about trying to recall what I was thinking. It was almost purely intellectual and pretty far-fetched. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940/5 "2024-06-16T13:41:58Z")
Going into our own archive of posts … > [@What's the argument that Showgirls was a good movie?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-argument-that-showgirls-was-a-good-movie/336238/11): > > Here’s a capsule review that I published: Showgirls dir: Paul Verhoeven 1995 The time has come to reevaluate one of the most universally loathed films of the last decade. Showgirls is a wicked piece of satire that went over everyone’s head–including mine–on its first release in 1995. Being a committed Verhoeven fan, I went with higher expectations than the critical bandwagon had dictated. Nonetheless, I dutifully hated it. Cut to, five years later, and I come across a review in which the Chi… Not sure if that helps, but the Rotten Tomatoes link I provided shows the professional reviews and look for the handful of positive ones. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940/6 "2024-06-16T13:44:42Z")
> [@What's the argument that Showgirls was a good movie?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-argument-that-showgirls-was-a-good-movie/336238/11): > > Paul Verhoeven I didn’t know Paul Verhoeven directed it. Maybe I missed something. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940/7 "2024-06-16T13:46:29Z")
There are people who believe _Showgirls_ and _Starship Troopers_ contained so much over-the-top melodrama that they couldn’t possibly have been mere bad movies, they must’ve been some sort of more sophisticated social critique. I find that _somewhat_ convincing in the case of _Starship Troopers_, less so for _Showgirls_. Both of these feel like nothing so much as Verhoeven deciding to make a movie with a lot of boobs, then stepping back and saying “alright, we’re gonna need some egghead stuff in here to make this look like a bit more than what it is.” ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940/8 "2024-06-16T13:47:32Z")
_Starship Troopers_ was great! Cheesy but great. And there were not a lot of boobs in _Starship Troopers_ (one fast moment IIRC…the shower scene). ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940/9 "2024-06-16T13:48:04Z")
As with all Verhoeven movies (most especially Starship Troopers) the argument is that all those terrible aspects of the movie are actually parody, and by complaining about them you just “don’t get it” The counter argument (that I would agree with) is that making a parody does not mean making crappy movie. The parody card doesn’t excuse you from bad filmmaking (and in the case of Showgirls pretty blatant misogyny). You only have to look at Verhoeven’s own movies to see that. RoboCop is absolutely satirizing American culture but it’s also a great movie. ---
**Author:** ![GailForce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@GailForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GailForce)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940/10 "2024-06-16T13:48:25Z")
It’s a long shot, that someone would have had the same profound interpretation that I did (or that I dreamt). It’s such a weird memory. I can’t completely believe that I actually had it. It’s like I was high (I wasn’t) when I came up with this idea, and forgot it when I came off my high. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940/11 "2024-06-16T13:52:14Z")
You should re-watch the movie and then report back to us. ---
**Author:** ![GailForce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@GailForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GailForce)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940/12 "2024-06-16T13:57:01Z")
The frustrating thing is I HAVE watched it several times since then, and it’s just been a painful T&A show replete with ludicrous dialogue and unbearable characters. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940/13 "2024-06-16T14:00:50Z")
It’s not great. It’s not even good porn. ---
**Author:** ![GailForce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@GailForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GailForce)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940/14 "2024-06-16T14:03:07Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > not even good porn It’s godawful porn. But if someone could find the key that turned it into a clever, insightful social satire, I’d be very grateful. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940/15 "2024-06-16T14:08:40Z")
> [@GailForce](#): > > But if someone could find the key that turned it into a clever, insightful social satire, I’d be very grateful. It doesn’t exist. I mean, if you want, you can search Reddit for arguments to the contrary and see what you think about it. But the reality is that people just struggle to make sense out of an established director like Verhoeven making a softcore porn flick to showcase a former child actress’s boobies. Maybe it does have some thin thread of something we can call social critique, but if so, it’s washed out by the fact that this is first and foremost a T&A romp. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940/16 "2024-06-16T14:09:00Z")
There’s this: > _Showgirls_ was universally panned upon release and is consistently ranked as [one of the worst films ever made](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_considered_the_worst). Despite this, _Showgirls_ has become regarded as a [cult film](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_film) and has been subject to critical re-evaluation, with some notable directors and critics considering it a serious satire worthy of praise.[[11]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showgirls#cite_note-France-11) > > \< snip \> > > Now, of course, it has a whole other life as a sort of inadvertent… satire. No, “satire” isn’t the right word. But it’s inadvertently funny. So it’s found its place. It provides entertainment, though not in the way I think it was originally intended. It was just… maybe the wrong material with the wrong director and the wrong cast.[[25]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showgirls#cite_note-AVClub-25)[[18]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showgirls#cite_note-Waxman_post-18) > > \< snip \> > > Critics such as [Jonathan Rosenbaum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Rosenbaum) and [J. Hoberman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Hoberman),[[92]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showgirls#cite_note-92) as well as filmmakers [Jim Jarmusch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jarmusch),[[93]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showgirls#cite_note-jr-93) [Adam McKay](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_McKay)[[94]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showgirls#cite_note-94) and [Jacques Rivette](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Rivette),[[95]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showgirls#cite_note-Bonnaud-95) have gone on the record defending _Showgirls_ as a serious satire.[[96]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showgirls#cite_note-96) In a 1998 interview, Rivette called it “one of the great American films of the last few years”, though “very unpleasant: it’s about surviving in a world populated by assholes, and that’s Verhoeven’s philosophy”.[[95]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showgirls#cite_note-Bonnaud-95) [Quentin Tarantino](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quentin_Tarantino) has stated that he enjoyed _Showgirls_, referring to it in 1996 as the “only … other time in the last twenty years [that] a major studio made a full-on, gigantic, big-budget [exploitation movie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploitation_film)”, comparing it to _[Mandingo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandingo_(film))_.[[97]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showgirls#cite_note-97) > > _Showgirls_ has been compared to the 1950 film _[All About Eve](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_About_Eve)_ as a remake, update, or rip-off of that film.[[98]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showgirls#cite_note-98)[[99]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showgirls#cite_note-99) For Rosenbaum, “_Showgirls_ has to be one of the most vitriolic allegories about Hollywood and selling out ever made”.[[93]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showgirls#cite_note-jr-93) “Verhoeven may be the bravest and most assured satirist in Hollywood, insofar as he succeeds in making big genre movies no one knows whether to take seriously or not”, wrote [Michael Atkinson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Atkinson_(writer)).[[100]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showgirls#cite_note-100) - [SOURCE](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showgirls) ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940/17 "2024-06-16T14:20:39Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > > “very unpleasant: it’s about surviving in a world populated by assholes, and that’s Verhoeven’s philosophy”. This. Consider Verhoeven’s biggest hits: Flesh and Blood Robocop Total Recall Basic Instinct Hollow Man Elle He has a very grim view of humanity. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940/18 "2024-06-16T14:31:02Z")
Without having any personal experience in stripping or dancing I thought it was a realistic portrayal of the seedy side of an otherwise respectable career. Believable to me that the club owners are predatory and nasty. The choreography was incredible, the athleticism of the dancers cannot be denied. I’d watch this movie again and have. > **[SHOWGIRLS: An Authentic Woman - Merry-Go-Round Magazine](https://merrygoroundmagazine.com/showgirls-an-authentic-woman/)** > > A story about bodies, questions of whether it's good or bad, camp or trash, sexist or feminist, miss the point of SHOWGIRLS entirely. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940/19 "2024-06-16T14:37:26Z")
When a filmmaker makes a bad movie with bad acting and bad actors and cheesy dialogue and later says he did on purpose because…satire, I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. When he does it several times it’s because he’s just making bad movies. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940/20 "2024-06-16T14:41:43Z")
He’s made really good movies too. - Robocop - Elle - Basic Instinct - Starship Troopers - Total Recall [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-showgirls-is-a-great-film/1002940.md?page=2)