Pamela Anderson Sparkles And Slays In The Last Showgirl

An intimate look at life behind the rhinestones and feathers…

Hey Fleshbot fans! When you ask most people to think about Pamela Anderson, many folks default to her iconic character of CJ Parker on Baywatch or the infamous sex tape that was made with her ex-husband Tommy Lee. There’s really a lot more to this not-so-dumb blonde bombshell who hails from Canada, including her passions for animal rights activism and vegan cooking. Anderson has had quite an array of acting roles, including the stage role of Roxie Hart in Chicago, and her most recent film credit was playing aging Las Vegas showgirl Shelly Gardner in the film The Last Showgirl, directed by Gia Coppola.

The film begins with 57 year old Shelly and a bunch of her younger co-stars getting ready for a performance of a show called Le Razzle Dazzle which is a classic Vegas topless revue full of feathers, rhinestones, and titties, loosely based on the real life show Jubilee! Like that show (which closed in 2016), Le Razzle Dazzle has run for over 30 years, and Shelly really doesn’t know anything else in terms of work or goals. The rest of the dancers look up to her, but she’s suddenly aware of the precariousness of the performer life. The announcement Shelly has dreaded happens. The show is closing in favor of a Zumanity-like neo-burlesque spectacle (ironically, Zumanity closed in 2020, a casualty of the pandemic).

There are a number of other talented actresses in this film. Kiernan Shipka (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) and Brenda Song (New Girl) play Shelly’s co-workers. Billie Lourd plays Shelly’s estranged daughter Hannah, who may actually be method acting when it comes to the pitfalls of having a Mom who’s a performer, as she is Carrie Fisher’s daughter. Bona fide Hollywood badass Jamie Lee Curtis plays cocktail waitress Annette, who used to dance in the show, and serves as Shelly’s confidant. Dave Bautista (Guardians of The Galaxy) portrays the show’s producer Eddie, who was once Shelly’s partner. I don’t want to spoil too much of the plot here, but I did find the movie enjoyable and refreshing, as it shows things from a female perspective as a commentary on society's obsession with youth. It was nominated for quite a few awards, and Anderson garnered the Razzies "Redeemer" award for 2024, which was awarded for redeeming herself with her acclaimed performance in The Last Showgirl after 1996's Worst New Star "win" for Barb Wire.

The Last Showgirl really lets Anderson use her acting chops and show that she’s not slowing down with age. She’s also not capitulating to the popular Hollywood sentiment that aging actresses should just gracefully exit the film world or play bit parts as Grandmas. She has also recently caused quite a stir with her appearance at the 2025 Met Gala, sporting a Tory Burch gown and, most controversially, a short bob haircut with bangs

The Last Showgirl is available for digital purchase or rental on Prime Video, Google Play, AppleTV+, and several other services as well as DVD.