# Why did the movie Showgirls do so badly? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 12, 2014, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393 "2014-11-12T00:37:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393/81 "2014-11-14T07:35:44Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > The part of Showgirls I saw was completely unsexy, it wasn’t even tawdry. It was banal. No kidding. What the hell was up with that pool scene? If a girl threw herself backwards and started thrashing around like that my only thought would be “She’s having a seizure; Thank GOD she wasn’t blowing me!” ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393/82 "2014-11-14T12:06:56Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > The part of Showgirls I saw was completely unsexy, it wasn’t even tawdry. It was banal. Isn’t that kind of true with real showgirls? ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393/83 "2014-11-14T14:44:04Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Starship Troopers was a movie I enjoyed and got the point that mindless patriotism, violence and genocide are just f’in stupid. I thought a much better - and more important point - made through the film is that without the full facts and with a full on propaganda machine on the go it is possible to make anyone believe anything. Yes, this is most obvious in the “Would you like to see more?” segments, but the most important scene in the entire film is a simple 20 second piece which appears at the end of [this one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_5UZfwX0ss) with little to no fanfare, which makes it clear that humans are actually the invaders, the ones in the wrong and all the rest of the film is cheering on the bad guys. It is obvious, everyone here will go “yes, we knew that”, but I’ve discussed this with a lot of different people. You’ll be amazed at how many people didn’t get this very central point and frankly, if you didn’t get it then you didn’t understand the film. ---
**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:** [November 14, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393/84 "2014-11-14T14:46:44Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > I’m not surprised to see the Verhoeven pile-on here, given that this is the SDMB, where people think _The Princess Bride_ is the greatest movie ever made. Personally, I consider Verhoeven a very talented director; although he is prone to occasional excesses, he stages action setpieces with amazing energy and gets intense performances from his actors. > > _Basic Instinct_ and _Total Recall_ are on my all-time favorite list. I also like _Robocop_, which has one of the tightest screenplays ever written; there’s not a single wasted word in there. I’m more meh about _Starship Troopers_, although I like how Verhoeven simultaneously glorified and ridiculed Heinlein’s fascist ideas. Starship Troopers was anti-fascist. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393/85 "2014-11-14T16:21:41Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Isn’t that kind of true with real showgirls? Probably (I’ve never been to a show), but it’s not true of actual sex, which this movie also managed to make unsexy and banal. Besides, even if the goal is to show how tedious the actual profession is, who cares? That’s why they don’t make movies about accountants doing their jobs. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393/86 "2014-11-14T16:40:23Z")
I watched enough of _Showgirls_ to know it was a terrible film, but not enough to figure out why it was a terrible film. I only knew that even though it had lots of boobs, it was boring. For me, that’s pretty definitive of “bad”. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393/87 "2014-11-14T17:00:53Z")
I think I’m going to have to watch it tonight now. I was planning on a quiet night in anyway. One needs to rest occasionally. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393/88 "2014-11-14T17:26:41Z")
I think we can all agree \*Showgirls \*would have been better if Doogie Howser showed up dressed as a Nazi and murdered the entire cast. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393/89 "2014-11-14T17:30:54Z")
Preferably 30 seconds after the opening credits, and definitely including the director and scriptwriter. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393/90 "2014-11-14T19:04:34Z")
I will come into the fray and defend Verhoeven as a director. He _has_ talent. **Amanset** already mentioned Verhoeven’s 2006 movie “Zwartboek” (“the black book”); a tremendously gripping drama set in the Occupied Netherlands during WW2, dealing with the Dutch resistance, efforts to save Jewish people at risk, and horrendous, heart-breaking betrayal. As a movie it is incredibly satisfying and it is very well done. His first movie ever, “Turkish Delight” (from 1973) has been voted as “the best Dutch movie of the 20th century”. Maybe there was not a lot of competition for the title, but it means something. I have the feeling that Verhoeven did not like his Hollywood career and, as soon as he made his money there, he made sure to self-sabotage his own work so that he would not be called for more films. As I said, “Zwartboek” is recent (8 years ago) and is (IMHO) a _very_ good movie. In it he shows that he really has what it takes to be an excellent director. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393/91 "2014-11-14T19:58:28Z")
When I was in college I was the projectionist for the Film Society, we got movies and showed them cheap. One day we saw Showgirls in the newly available movies, and decided to pair it with another sexy movie, Henry and June. I had to sit through both movies several times. Showgirls was just bad. Bad writing, bad acting, etc. It was so bad that even with all the boobs on display I never once got excited watching it. Henry and June, on the other hand, was pretty freakin hot. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393/92 "2014-11-14T20:09:48Z")
> [@OttoDaFe](#): > > …but instead of pixellating or obscuring everyone’s boobs it looked like someone had gone over each frame and drawn bras freehand with a black magic marker. I remember seeing something like that, but that went even further – the magic-marker bras were done in a couple of colours to give a cheetah-print. Somebody obviously was given a job to do and took the opportunity to unleash some creativity. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393/93 "2014-11-14T20:49:44Z")
Those are the best. My favorite example is from an obscure movie called Feast of Love. At one point there’s quite a long scene – several minutes at least – of Radha Mitchell naked, leaning against a wall in the bedroom arguing with her husband. Her boobs are in frame for what seems like forever. The hand-drawn magic marker bra they put on her for the edited version is over the top, comically awful. It moves around in a way that looks like bad animation, which is made all the worse because her body isn’t actually moving. ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393/94 "2014-11-14T21:44:39Z")
> [@JoseB](#): > > His first movie ever, “Turkish Delight” (from 1973) has been voted as “the best Dutch movie of the 20th century”. Maybe there was not a lot of competition for the title, but it means something. Another of his early films - 1977’s _Soldier of Orange_ - was voted the _second_ best Dutch films of the 20th century. FWIW: Of the - very few - Dutch films I’ve seen, I woulda voted for _Spoorloos_. Now that’s a movie! Ps. I have always held that had Ridley Scott directed _Total Recall_ back in '85-'86 or so, it would have been one of the finest action movies of all time. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393/95 "2014-11-14T22:18:01Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Probably (I’ve never been to a show), but it’s not true of actual sex, which this movie also managed to make unsexy and banal. Besides, even if the goal is to show how tedious the actual profession is, who cares? That’s why they don’t make movies about accountants doing their jobs. Well, nobody goes to accountants for fantasy. Part of the story here is about the glitter and illusion of Vegas (and by extension, Hollywood) and how it is really… Pretty boring. Not sexy, not glamorous. Just a bunch of people, like everywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393/96 "2014-11-14T22:36:14Z")
I suppose. I guess I just always assumed that was the case, so the movie had even less to tell me about reality than it meant to (maybe watching _All That Jazz_ on cable so much as a youngster had already imprinted the idea on my brain). ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393/97 "2014-11-14T23:53:17Z")
I thought its problem was a huge cultural disconnect between the filmmakers and the subject matter - it was kind of a Eurotrash B-movie but made by a major studio. (I remember reading a critical review which said that Paul Verhoeven had become an artist without a country.) I can just picture European audiences nodding approvingly at its “statement on American culture”, but it just seems alien and nonsensical to actual American audiences. ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393/98 "2014-11-15T00:08:08Z")
> [@LC\_Strawhouse](#): > > I thought its problem was a huge cultural disconnect between the filmmakers and the subject matter - it was kind of a Eurotrash B-movie but made by a major studio. (I remember reading a critical review which said that Paul Verhoeven had become an artist without a country.) I can just picture European audiences nodding approvingly at its “statement on American culture”, but it just seems alien and nonsensical to actual American audiences. I can’t recall a single European film critic who liked the film for anti-American reasons. Or _any_ reasons, for that matter. In 1995, us Eurosnobs were still busy creaming our pants over Kieslowski’s _Three Colours_ trilogy (and rightly so), plus there was _Ulysses’ Gaze_, and - if you were into left-wing politics - _Land And Freedom_. Showgirls came and went. Hardly registered. Nobody really gave a shit. The one film critic I know who passionately defends the film - hell, [dude even wrote a book about it](http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2014/06/it_doesn_t_suck_adam_nayman_s_defense_of_showgirls_reviewed.html) (titled _It Doesn’t Suck_, natch) - is Canadian, not European. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2014, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393/99 "2014-11-15T00:41:52Z")
> [@Steken](#): > > In 1995, us Eurosnobs were still busy creaming our pants over Kieslowski’s _Three Colours_ trilogy (and rightly so), I prefer _Blanc/White_ of the three. I think there is a grand total of maybe one other person on this message board I ever saw agree with that choice. It’s my safe minority stance ;). ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2014, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393/100 "2014-11-15T03:06:46Z")
It was also tough to watch even to laugh - there is a pretty violent rape in it and that kind of kills the giggles. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-movie-showgirls-do-so-badly/704393.md?page=6)