Showgirls

Nomi Malone arrives in Las Vegas with nothing but ambition and an unclear past. She takes work as an exotic dancer and quickly draws attention for her daring routines and presence. Cristal Connors, an established headliner, sees an opportunity to use Nomi's fire to sharpen her own act, but Nomi refuses to remain in the shadows. As she pushes forward, she maneuvers through friendships, rivalries, and the city's transactional underbelly, using seduction, scheming, and raw determination to climb toward the spotlight. Allies and rivals test her resolve as the stakes keep rising, with mounting consequences. The film follows her calculated ascent, the cost of fame, and the tensions that form around ambition, without revealing later twists or the ending.

Directed by Paul Verhoeven from a screenplay by Joe Eszterhas, Showgirls premiered in 1995 as a high-profile, adult-oriented drama. The cast features Elizabeth Berkley in the lead, with Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon, Glenn Plummer, and Robert Davi in supporting roles, and it was marketed as an unflinching look at Las Vegas show business.

Upon release the movie drew overwhelmingly negative reviews and received numerous Golden Raspberry nominations, picking up several Razzie awards that criticized its acting, screenplay, and direction. Those ignominious honors helped cement the film's reputation as a critical failure and became part of how audiences remembered and talked about it.

Over time Showgirls developed a peculiar afterlife, growing a cult audience that responds to its excess and theatricality. It appears in midnight screenings, parodies, and academic discussions about camp, taste, and sexuality, and it is often cited in conversations about Hollywood excess and the commodification of performance.

Critics originally condemned the film for uneven performances and an exploitive tone, though some later commentators suggest its exaggeration can read as intentional satire. Key themes include ambition, exploitation, sexual commerce, and the performative demands of fame, all set against glossy production values that often conflict with the movie's moral register.