The Last Showgirl | A role of choice for Pamela

Synopsis: Shelley is a cabaret dancer. Her world collapses when the show for which she has lived, dreamed and danced for more than 30 years announces its final curtain raiser.

Posted at 2:30 p.m.

The praise that precedes the arrival in theaters of this “last cabaret dancer” is numerous, to say the least. And expectations are inevitably high. Is Pamela Anderson, blonde ex-sex symbol of the beaches of Malibu, the announced “revelation” here?

The short answer: yes. The long answer: the film, which recounts the last steps and glitter of a cabaret dancer, although touching, unfortunately lacks bite.

Launched at TIFF in Toronto last fall, the film, directed by Gia Coppola (the granddaughter of), was warmly received by critics. Since then, it hasn’t stopped: after a nomination at the Boston Globes, Pamela Anderson is one of the finalists for the Actors Guild of America awards in the best actress category, alongside Demi Moore (The Substance), among others, appointed for a comparable role, it should be noted. Ageism and lost luster seem inspiring. Especially for women. An Oscar with that? Some are already speculating.

Kate Gersten, to whom we owe the screenplay (a little tenuous, as we have said), had Pamela Anderson in mind for this Shelley, a fallen dancer, and it shows. It’s hard not to see parallels between the two women, who had their moment of glory thanks to their shapes (and their shape). You have to see her break down when she learns the fatal news of her last dance. This fragile and vulnerable role fits him like a glove.

At his side, his friend (fabulous Jamie Lee Curtis) and two young dancers (Brenda Song and Kiernan Shipka, very accurate) accompany him in this personal and professional drama, confronting and vulnerable.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY PRODUCTION

Jamie Lee Curtis in The Last Showgirl

Behind the feathers and sequins (special mention to the magnificent costumes), it will also be about dreams, life choices, beauty, and the passage of time, of course. Art with a capital A, or half-naked, too. These subjects will bring us some powerful but too rare exchanges, notably with her daughter (Billie Lourd), whom she knew so little, as well as her ex-lover (Dave Bautista, with an artichoke heart).

What more can I say: we will finally see Pamela Anderson once on stage, radiant, and in the finale, most of the film taking place in the dressing rooms. It’s a dramatic choice that is justified, but which makes the (long) wait a bit long, in fact.

In the room