Paul Verhoeven is one of my favourite directors and most of his films I have seen several times. 'Showgirls' stands out because, well, because it is no masterpiece.
The problem with this film is that the story is simply too corny and uninteresting. I mean, a naive girl who wants to 'succeed' in Vegas and ends up as a fancy stripper...come on! The only thing that puzzles me is what her original plans for making a living in Vegas were...
The reason why the film was highly anticipated was that it was rumoured to become a $50 million porn flick. However, the biggest problem was that the sex and nudity, as they were eventually brought to us, simply were not extreme enough to pull in the punters. So it was given an NC-17 rating in the States, but cutting out a few seconds provided it with an R-rating. 'Turkish Delight', which Verhoeven had made little more than 20 years before 'Showgirls' (and which was voted 'Best Dutch Film of the Century' by Dutch audiences) was more explicit, but also more inventing, daring and erotic.
However, 'Showgirls' is not as bad as all those Razzies, picked up by Mr Verhoeven himself, would suggest. The film IS entertaining, slick and stylish, and should by no means be taken as seriously as it was done by most critics at the time. Still, I give this film a 4 out of 10, because Verhoeven failed to deliver what he had promised: a slick, expensive big-budget porn flick!
The problem with this film is that the story is simply too corny and uninteresting. I mean, a naive girl who wants to 'succeed' in Vegas and ends up as a fancy stripper...come on! The only thing that puzzles me is what her original plans for making a living in Vegas were...
The reason why the film was highly anticipated was that it was rumoured to become a $50 million porn flick. However, the biggest problem was that the sex and nudity, as they were eventually brought to us, simply were not extreme enough to pull in the punters. So it was given an NC-17 rating in the States, but cutting out a few seconds provided it with an R-rating. 'Turkish Delight', which Verhoeven had made little more than 20 years before 'Showgirls' (and which was voted 'Best Dutch Film of the Century' by Dutch audiences) was more explicit, but also more inventing, daring and erotic.
However, 'Showgirls' is not as bad as all those Razzies, picked up by Mr Verhoeven himself, would suggest. The film IS entertaining, slick and stylish, and should by no means be taken as seriously as it was done by most critics at the time. Still, I give this film a 4 out of 10, because Verhoeven failed to deliver what he had promised: a slick, expensive big-budget porn flick!