The Controversy Behind Showgirls, Explained

Widely considered as one of the worst movies released in the 20th century, Showgirls has its fair share of controversy. In fact, it was nominated for 22 awards associated with being bad and won 10 of them, including the Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay. The glaring question surrounding Showgirls, therefore, is, why did it gain so much controversy? And, does it deserve to remain buried under its criticisms?

The 1995 erotic drama, directed by Paul Verhoeven, follows young drifter Nomi Malone, played by Elizabeth Berkley, who arrives in Las Vegas and finds work as a strip club dancer. Soon, Nomi meets the headliner of Goddess, a topless dance revue, Cristal Conners. Although Nomi does not like Cristal, she does express a desire to be just like her, eventually joining the group as the chorus line, and eventually replacing Cristal as revenge for humiliating her.

The controversy behind Showgirls helped to contribute to the film’s ultimate bombing at the box office. However, it was quite successful within the VHS market, making over $100 million. Despite this, it remains in the top twenty of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s (MGM) best-selling films, causing some fans to wonder whether the controversy behind Showgirls is still justified.

Why Is Showgirls So Controversial?

There are two main reasons why Showgirls is so controversial. These are: its nudity, which was deemed excessive by audiences of the era in particular, and critically, it is perceived as an awful film. There was so much nudity, in fact, that when VH1 obtained rights to show the film, it was shorted by 45 minutes to cut down on what was deemed offensive material. Moreover, a lot of those complaining found the nudity displayed in Showgirls to be exploitative, creating a project that not only accumulated into a film for the male gaze but was equally lazy in how this was achieved. A review from the Washington Post following its release referred to it as “an overcoat movie for men who don’t want to be seen going into a porno theater”.

Poor writing and inadequate characterization, according to critics, help explain the controversy behind Showgirls. The script created a plot that made for a film without a strong narrative. Many of the events that occur in the film had the potential for greater entertainment but ultimately fell short. This critique has been particularly related to scenes involving backstabbing occurring between the dancers.

Another point of controversy about the film among critics and many audiences came in the general treatment of women in the script. The second half of the film sees Nomi’s roommate, Molly, face a brutal sexual attack by her musical idol and his security team. Although the musician is eventually attacked by Nomi, his security guards do not receive similar justice. This whole episode, twinned with the imbalance of justice, left a bad taste in many viewers’ mouths, and since it comes towards the end of the film, contributed towards its overall negative treatment since its release.

Showgirls Has Since Gained a Cult Following

29 years on, it is safe to say a lot of the controversy surrounding Showgirls has died down. However, it remains widely accepted that it is a pretty bad movie. This aside, viewers at the time of release, and since then, have enjoyed the film, and continue to enjoy it. In fact, Showgirls has gained a cult status, as many began to find ironic entertainment in it. This helps to contextualize why Showgirls did so well in VHS sales since many began to host midnight showings in the same way communities of The Rocky Horror Picture Show did.

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Like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Showgirls has gained popularity within the LGBTQ+ community. MGM even hired drag performers to host midnight screenings of Showgirls in New York City in 1996, to such popularity that these screenings spread to Los Angeles shortly after. Among fans of the film, Showgirls has been hailed as a camp classic, and the term “Showgirls-bad” is commonly used among film critics when discussing guilty pleasure films, or those which are so bad that they are good.

Does Showgirls Deserve its Controversial Image?

Showgirls may not be a great film, but that should not be a main decider on whether it is controversial or not. Additionally, not everybody considered Showgirls controversial, and since its release, it has received multiple critical re-evaluations. Filmmakers and critics alike have agreed that Showgirls is actually a satire, reading the film as a commentary on selling out.

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It may have taken a while, but Showgirls‘ controversy facilitated serious discussion over the film’s nature. This has, in turn, led to some progress in how the film is considered, helping to deconstruct the controversy as more people begin to appreciate it simply as a piece of film history. Critical discourses around the themes of patriarchy, the nature of sex work, and the male gaze have only increased, and with more people taking Showgirls seriously, its controversial image diminishes. In this way, it can be argued that Showgirls is, at least, nowhere near as controversial as it was back in the late 1990s.

Showgirls

Release Date

September 22, 1995

Runtime

131 Minutes

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