Quick Verdict: Showgirls (1995) is the most misunderstood movie ever made — a deliberate, ferocious Paul Verhoeven satire of American ambition that critics mistook for trash in 1995 and film culture has spent three decades slowly apologizing to. Elizabeth Berkley's performance isn't bad acting; it's fearless acting. Verdict: criminally slept-on.
What Is Showgirls About?
Nomi Malone (Elizabeth Berkley) hitchhikes into Las Vegas with a bag, a temper, and one goal: to dance. She claws her way from strip clubs to the Stardust's topless revue, colliding with reigning star Cristal Connors (Gina Gershon) and entertainment director Zack Carey (Kyle MacLachlan) in a story about exactly what American success costs. It is All About Eve with the skin showing — and that's the point.
Why Critics Buried It in 1995
Showgirls arrived with an NC-17 rating, a marketing campaign built on scandal, and a critical establishment ready to punish everyone involved. It swept the Razzies (director Paul Verhoeven famously showed up to accept his in person — the first director ever to do so) and settled around 23% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with audiences not far behind. The number on the headstone made it official: worst movie of the decade.
Why the Critics Were Wrong
On our Slept-On Cinema deep-dive, we brought in the heaviest artillery available: Adam Nayman — author, lecturer, and film critic who literally wrote the book on this movie (It Doesn't Suck: Showgirls). His framing has stuck with us: Showgirls is a Rorschach test. What you see in it says more about you than about the film.
The case, briefly: Verhoeven is the director who got run out of Holland for offending one set of sensibilities, then run out of Hollywood for offending another — as our guest put it, if villagers with pitchforks chase you off two continents, you're doing something right. RoboCop, Total Recall and Basic Instinct are all now understood as satires wearing genre costumes. Showgirls is the same trick without the costume: a movie about the gloating perversity of showbusiness that refuses to let the audience feel above what it's watching.
Elizabeth Berkley's Performance Is the Point
The standard take is that Berkley overacts. Watch it again: every character in the movie modulates around her — Gershon's Cristal is in on a joke Nomi isn't in on, and that tension is the engine of the film. Berkley goes so fully, unguardedly for it that the rawness becomes uncomfortable — which is what the story is about. It's a fearless performance that got punished for doing exactly what the film needed.
The Details Nobody Talks About
- The soundtrack premiered a David Bowie song. Music arranged by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, songs written for the film by Prince, and the first time anyone ever heard Bowie's "I'm Afraid of Americans" was in a Showgirls dance scene.
- Kyle MacLachlan's evil cellphone call, shot against the Goddess volcano, is one of the great villain phone calls of the '90s.
- Robert Davi quietly gives a performance that — we said it on the show — has overtaken his Goonies role, capped by the most unexpectedly tender line in the movie.
- Forrest Gump and Showgirls share the line "s--- happens" — the decade's Best Picture winner and its Razzie champion, released a year apart, built scenes around the same bumper-sticker line. We know which one film history has been kinder to. We're not sure it's right.
Is Showgirls Worth Watching Today?
Yes — and watch it straight, not ironically. The movie has been reclaimed by critics, academics, and filmmakers; it screens in museums now. It's also — Nomi's aggressive cheeseburger-eating included — genuinely entertaining for every second of its runtime. Put it on the watch list.
FAQ
Why did Showgirls get such bad reviews?
A combination of NC-17 moral panic, a backlash to its marketing, and critics reading a deliberate satire as an accidental disaster. The film's reputation has been steadily revised upward ever since.
Is Showgirls actually a good movie?
We think it's a great one — a ferocious satire in the same register as Verhoeven's RoboCop and Starship Troopers, with a fearless lead performance. Serious critics increasingly agree.
What Rotten Tomatoes score does Showgirls have?
Around 23% with critics — which makes it exactly the kind of movie our show exists for: under 50% with both critics and audiences, and defended sincerely.
Where can I hear the full Showgirls discussion?
On the Slept-On Cinema podcast — our two-part Showgirls deep-dive with guest Adam Nayman. Follow us on Spotify.
More Movies Critics Got Wrong
If you enjoyed this defense, try our reviews of Alien 3 (1992), Swimfan (2002), and Drive Angry (2011) — or learn more about the show.