Tell me why Showgirls is a great film

[lissener]

From someone much smarter than me:

What's the argument that Showgirls was a good movie?

“Cruelty” is the key word for me when considering Showgirls. It’s cruel to its audience. Over and over, it sets up the viewer’s expectations based on tropes of the genre it’s mocking, and then either reverses itself or puts a nasty spin on the cliche. The key to watching the movie, as I’ve said before, is not to watch the movie, but to watch the relationship between the movie and its audience. It’s cruel to its culture. The rags-to-riches star-is-born fantasy is compelling, enduring, beloved. …