Showgirls DVD with Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon (NC-17) +Movie Reviews

Here is what is on this thing...

Brett D. Cullum | Houston, TX United States | 06/29/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you previously bought the SHOWGIRLS VIP edition - this is the exact same disc only packaged without the box and all the trinkets that came with that edition. You get commentary by a guy who is a fan of the movie and helps host late night screenings, the Scores girls talk about stripping and critique those sequences, and there's an old promotional piece made during shooting that is called "A Diary". The transfer is good and the extras are fun, though none of them seem to cover anybody associated with the film. If you did not purchase the glam deluxe box set this is a cheap way to get all those features without hunting it down. Otherwise if you have that edition, this is merely a double dip and repackaging of the same disc with new cover art.

This is the NC-17 cut and no additional material has been added. If you have that edition already there is no difference in the movie at all. There are no deleted or extended scenes. This is the version shown in theatres and released twice before on DVD.

SHOWGIRLS begs for better extras. I would love to hear a director's commentary or Elizabeth Berkley and Gina Gershon talk about the film. But that hasn't happened yet. Maybe one day we can hope for a Criterion edition and all the stops will be pulled out!"

Trash, Sure, But Fun Nonetheless

Bryan A. Hicks | Heidelberg, MS USA | 04/27/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First, I must say that I am, truly, a lover of bad movies. (In fact, I ordered "Showgirls" on DVD, the same day I ordered "Plan 9 From Outer Space". So, what does that tell you?) Although "Showgirls" has been shunned by the mainstream public, it has gained quite a bit of fame as a cult classic, such as "Plan 9". "Showgirls" became infamous after being slapped with the dreaded NC-17 rating, the scarlet "A", if you will, of the rating system. Does it deserve it? Sure. It is loaded with T&A for those who want it. But for lovers of cinematic cheese, there is plenty to enjoy, such as bad dialogue and mediocre acting. Well, finally, "Showgirls" has found it's way to DVD, and it is a pretty good release. It makes up for picture quality and sound where it lacks in special features. (I really wanted an audio commentary, so the director could explain what the hell was going on in his mind when he made it. But, hey, maybe on an upcoming Criterion Version. :-]) But, for people, who enjoyed it for the movie it is, I would recommend it. And, for fans of ridiculous turkeys, I would really recommend it, because it is definitely fun."

So bad for you, it's good for you. Camp doesn't come any cam

Joanna Daneman | Middletown, DE USA | 12/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Every now and then, a film is so bad, so wretched, so devoid of any socially or artistically redeeming value as to take on a life of its own, and by the very denial of value, acquire a value unto itself.

So it is with "Showgirls."

This film is, of course, well and truly ridiculed in every quarter of the world of serious art critique, and even righteously lampooned in "The Simpsons", a venue that provides a surprising amount of accurate commentary on artistic merit. And the spotlight reviews here on Amazon.com are so wonderful, I almost despaired to write anything approaching their brilliance. But I felt I had to add my mite to the general acclaim for this contrarian work of art.

The story is, as has been related so many times, of a simple girl with a shady past, Nomi, who hitchhikes to Vegas. Is there, you ask, any OTHER way to get to Vegas? No, indeed. A pretty girl with a great figure and a look of jaw-dropping stupidity (Elizabeth Berkley) should never take a bus or turn tricks to fund a budget plane ticket. Only risking her life in a random encounter with what could be (but wasn't) a homicidal pervert trolling for hitchers is the way to arrive in Vegas in the proper manner. Nomi hooks up with a soul sister sewing pal in a trailer and becomes ensnared in dancer/manipulator/girl-liker (lover) Cristal's web. (Isn't this just awful writing from me? I'm indulging in a veritable Bulwer-Lytton festival of bad prose here.)

Nomi of course, climbs out of her seedy second-rate strip club, I mean, Vegas show and gets a role in the hot new extravaganza "Goddess." My favorite part of the scene is not the crummy audition. No, it's right afterwards, when she trots on up to the Human Resources department and feigns not knowing her social security number and is even rather vague on her date of birth. Her lack of next-of-kin prompts the HR lady to ask "deceased?" and Nomi does a creditable job in looking as if she knows that "deceased" means "dead" and not the opposite of "increased" This is absolutely believable acting, assisted by some very bad lipgloss over some phenomenally collagen-enhanced lips. At this point in film, also, the already dubious dialog hits pothole after pothole. "She is all about pelvic thrust...and she didn't learn that in dance lessons" or something to that effect. I didn't hear it too well, because I was gasping for air after a huge guffaw.

The dialog continues to bump along as Nomi does the same, along with grinding out some astonishing bad dancing, consisting of a lot of jerky arm-throwing, pelvic thrusting and leg humping of shoulders, hips and any convenient pole or chair. Spoilers? None. I always forget how this film works out at the end, because I am rolling on the floor and have to shut off the DVD.

Along with "Buckaroo Banzai", this is probably one of my top picks for bad films that are so bad, they are actually enjoyable. Whether you are just being a voyeur or you appreciate camp, this is one terrific blurp of entertainment."

Bad Bad Movies Don't Get No Better Than This!

KNC | California | 06/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the quintessential bad movie. It's so bad it's great! I remember when this movie came out and I believe it was the director's intention to make a serious movie. Well I'm glad it didn't turn out that way. This has to be by far one of the most hilarious movies I've seen. The over-over-overacting by Elizabeth Berkeley is pure comedy and will keep you laughing from the first scene to the last. It's pretty hard to take any of it seriously when scene after scene after scene is just so ridiculous, I.E. the pool sex scene. If one could even call it that...watching that poor gal flop around in the water like that reminded me of a fish out of water fighting for its life. It was great. The dance sequences were great, I must say I enjoyed the dancing. A lot of people say this is a horrible movie and it is, but the key is to not take any of it seriously and just turn your brain off and watch it. You can't help but laugh, I promise. I know when I first saw it years years years ago, I thought it was the worst piece of crap I had seen...then I saw it again and again and it's the movie I watch when I need a damn good laugh. Definitely a must have."

A Misunderstood Classic

David Roberts | Seattle, WA United States | 08/09/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Calling Showgirls "poorly acted" or "sexist" completely misses the point; it's like accusing Britney Spears of not being a "real musician," as though you've discovered something.Of *course* Showgirls is exploitative and demeaning to women. Almost all Hollywood movies are demeaning to women. Almost all of them are male-written, male-directed male fantasies. But most of them cover this fact with a thin veneer of "empowerment" and "sensitivity," making perfunctory, surface concessions to political correctness. It's hypocritical, dishonest and has horrible long-term effects on the psyches of young impressionable girls (and boys). The brilliance of Showgirls is that it gathers all of the worst Hollywood masculine excess and throws it unapologetically in our faces. The movie is straight-from-the-id, primal, brutish male fantasy. Every woman in the movie is a laughable caricature who advances, if at all, by deceiving other women and becoming a sexual object for men. The "heroine," Nomi, crosses every line, sells every shred of dignity, physically assaults her female competitors, sleeps with her boss (in the most over-the-top sex scene in cinematic history), gets her best friend raped... and at the end of the film, claims that she has gambled and won "herself." This tragi-comic nod to empowerment is a slap to the face of anyone who's been paying attention.Whether Esterhauz and Verhoeven intended it as such, Showgirls is at once a camp classic and a sly satire, an example of everything our culture at once wallows in and disavows. Sure, you can react with righteous indignation, waggle your finger at the movie, and pat yourself on the back for being so enlightened. But maybe you should take a look around, at the billboards, the commercials, the sitcoms, the movies, the music videos, your own prejudices... and think about whether you can't find a better target."

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