Showgirls

SHOWGIRLS

The Greatest Movie Ever Made.

Ever.

This page is kind of a joke, but with a genuine history. When I was 17, and at the time, a straight Saved By The Bell Fan, I was at the premiere. At the same time, I was an entertainment critic for The Cleveland Plain Dealer. I saw the movie and gave it, dare I admit, a POSITIVE, review. I also wrote a "tie in" article on sex in the media. Looking back, I am not sure which of the two is funnier, the movie review or the now oh-so outdated references used in my article about sex in media. Can you imagine the same articles being written fresh today? Paris Hilton anyone? Nowadays, the entire feature would be published in the Family section --- and it's only been ten years.
LOL. The Catholic schoolboy was almost suspended over THIS?

LOTS OF NUDITY, BUT A QUALITY STORY
Daniel D’Andrea, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, 1995

Running 20 minutes late, I rushed into the theater in time to see two women on screen baring it all. After just 10 minutes, I understood why “Showgirls” received an NC-17 rating [This rating, which replaced the MPAA’s X rating in 1990, prohibits anyone younger than 17 from being admitted. Daniel is 17.]

One of the duo was Elizabth Berkley. You might remember her as Jessie, an outspoken liberal student on the television show “Saved by the Bell. In “Showgirls” she does a homoerotic dance sequence in her birthday suit.

Despite the continual and explicit nuity, “Showgirls” is actually a good movie.

Berkley stars as Nomi, a woman running away from a hidden past and trying to figure out a future. She hitchhikes to Las Vegas where she soon finds a friend, Molly (Gina Ravera), a place to bunk, and a well-paying job – as a nude dancer. Soon she becomes a showgirl for a flashy casino. Nomi quickly becomes enemies with the casino’s headliner, Crystal (Gina Gershon).

The choreography in the movie is sensational. The explosive scenery extravagant costumes and overdone makeup pull this movie together.

So while Showgirls has nudity in quantity, the story is quality.

SEX IS SELLING BIG TIME: IT’S THE PITCH IN MERCHANDISING
Daniel D’Andrea, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, 1995

The talk of Hollywood and the country is he release of the NC-17 movie “Showgirls.”

Director Paul Verhoeven, who also directed “Basic Instinct,” wanted that rating. Entertainment has been pushing the limits for years. This is nothing new. Let’s face it, sex sells. And even if it’s not for sale, it’s publicly broadcast to everybody.

According to first lady Hilary Rodham Clinton, “It’s such a hypocrisy for some people in this town to yell about our movies when we use sex to sell everything in America.

On the radio, suggestive lyrics have become ordinary and much more blunt than Chuck Berry’s mildly naughty “My Ding-a-ling.” Now popular songs such as “You Oughtta Know” by the Canadian singer Alanis Morissette, and “Red Light Special” by TLC, talk about sex with frank lyrics that leave little doubt exactly what they’re about.

On television we have seen two men in bed on “thirtysomething,” and women kissing on “L.A. Law” and “Rosanne.” In one episode of Seinfeld, the gang competed to see who could go the longest without masturbating.

Mariael Hemmingway did a nude scene on Civil Wars. It was joined by nudity and steamy scenes on NYPD Blue, Melrose Place and most daytime soaps.

In books and on the newsstands, the availability of sex is astounding. Bookstores stocked Madonna’s Sex and Howard Stern’s Private Parts. Calvin Klein ads have shown glimpses of bare male and female buttocks and chests. Klein recently pulled and ad campaign that critics said strayed too close o child pornography.

So, if you do decide to see Showgirls, don’t complain about it afterwards. Those in the audience are encouraging these films.