When Glitter Became Grit: The Rise and Fall of Showgirls (1995)
When Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls was announced, it was one of the most highly anticipated movies of the early 1990s and had one of the highest budgeted marketing campaigns of the decade. Showgirls was described as the most anticipated erotic thriller. The film was even marketed as featuring the ‘romance of the decade’. Showgirls had the glamour of Las Vegas, the audacity of Verhoeven, the Basic Instinct director, and the debut of a young star, later described as a television star. The hype was unprecedented with most people envisioning fireworks.
They did receive fireworks, but not the ones anticipated.
The Dream of Nomi Malone
For Nomi Malone, a character played by Berkley, she is a ‘drifter’. Nomi Malone is ‘drifter’ with ‘nothing but a duffel bag’ and a ‘dream’ of becoming a ‘dancer’ ‘not a stripper’. The film chronicles Malone’s journey as she ‘clawing her way from seedy clubs to the glitzy topless revue Goddess at the Stardust Casino’.
Nomi’s volatility, unpredictability, and naivete provocatively describe a woman attempting, futilely, to dominate a body that is, for all intents and purposes, a social construct. Nomi’s opponent, Cristal Connors (Gina Gershon), is the reigning queen of Goddess, enjoys Nomi’s desperation, and is the seductive, cynical, and amused embodiment of the film’s rival core. The admiration, rivalry, and sexual tension that dominate the southern relationship possess a unique hypnotic core.
Beneath the glitter and neon, the film is a disturbing account of survival. The classic American dream is told, only to be warped and filmed to the tell the story of exploitation. Nomi is determined to capture the victory and she intends to have it on her own accord, but the mounting pressures of the Vegas spectacle orchestrated and designed to capture and consume the viewer, ultimately collaps her singular identity.
The Storm Before the Spotlight
There was a time when the film and its marketing campaign suggested it was a cultural event waiting to happen. Paul Verhoeven, the director of the film, and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas were a prominent duo in the Hollywood of the 90’s having released Basic Instinct. The director and the studio were shooting for the moon as Eszterhas was paying a then-record 2 million for the script. This only speaks to Hollywood’s obsession for the film and its eventual marketing campaign.
Promotions boldly claimed this was “the most daring film ever made,” and MGM wore the NC-17 rating like a badge of honor. Early trailers marketed the film as a bold examination of ambition and sex, pitching an adult version of All About Eve set on a Vegas stage. Critics anticipated Oscar nominations, not Razzie Awards.
However, the anticipation did not mirror the feelings of the cast and crew. Verhoeven had a reputation for sharp satire, and while he was making a film that he felt would expose the hypocrisy of fame and desire, the studio was more focused on profitability. They wanted provocative content that could be easily consumed. The resulting failure to meet expectations led to one of the decade’s most notorious cinematic debacles.
Elizabeth Berkley, who had just finished filming Saved by the Bell and was about to transition to adult roles, was the most exposed to this explosion. In a career move meant to mimic Sharon Stone’s rise to international fame after Basic Instinct, Berkley was cast in Showgirls. Instead of propelling her career, the film earned her the title of Hollywood’s cautionary tale.
Her interpretation of Nomi Malone can be described as unrefined and unveiling: a conflation of fury, sexuality, and disarray. Some reviewers branded her display excessive, although such fervor is a reflection of Nomi’s emotional disintegration. In subsequent interviews, Verhoeven came to her defense and stated that she gave him precisely what he sought for: “a woman who is always performing, because the world only values her when she does.”
From an industry perspective, Berkley was unscathed. While audiences continued to avoid films which openly depicted female sexuality, Berkley was disinvited. In the years that followed, she experienced a dramatic fall and became almost uncastable while the industry continued to build its art-house. It was many years before she reconciled with the legacy of the film and chose to attend fan screenings.
Behind the Neon Curtain: Vegas as a Character
Few films have captured the ruthless energy of Las Vegas quite like Showgirls. Filming was intended to be disorientating and feverish — a whirling mix of sequins, mirrors, and unceasing bodies. As the cinematographer, Jost Vacano, added to the effect by saturating and artificializing the entire scene lighting, invoking the feeling that the city was performing for an audience.
There are moments of undeniable beauty amid the chaos: Nomi’s slow-motion entrance onto the Goddess stage, the silent exchange of envy between her and Cristal, the final fade-out as Nomi hitchhikes back into the desert, her dream burnt out behind her.
But the excess was the film’s double-edged sword. Verhoeven intended Showgirls as a satire — a dark comedy about how ambition eats innocence. Yet many viewers took it at face value. The overacting, the exaggerated aside dialogue, and the melodramatic tone that were meant as parody were read as incompetence. Critics pounced, calling it tasteless, hollow, even “anti-feminist.”
Still, decades later, that exaggeration feels intentional, prophetic even — a mirror to an entertainment industry obsessed with spectacle over sincerity.
Gina Gershon and Kyle MacLachlan: Playing Fire with Fire
Gina Gershon’s Cristal Connors was everything Nomi aspired to be: poised, powerful, untouchable. Gershon brought a wicked humor to the role, embracing its camp edge without ever winking at the audience. She later admitted she played Cristal as “a drag queen version of Joan Crawford” — knowing the film’s absurdity but loving its danger.
Kyle MacLachlan, just finishing his roles in Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet, became Zack Carey, the entertainment director and Nomi’s manipulative lover. MacLachlan, who usually plays more serious and reflective characters, became uneasy with the tone of the film. Years later, he explained how he became so shocked with the film’s result that he had to leave the premiere early. Yet, he credited Verhoeven’s boldness, recognizing how rare it is for directors to venture that far and risk getting burned without irony. Finally, when Showgirls did release in September 1995, the reaction from the critics and the audience was so much worse than anticipated that MGM stopped all marketing support just weeks later. The 45 million dollar film only made 20 million, the result was a disaster, and the film became a box-office implosion. Still, the film’s reputation continued to decline. Midnight screenings of the film began to gain fans, and scholars later argued the film was a misunderstood satire with hidden feminist absurdist layers. The film is now a home video staple and a cult classic.
The Stories No One Told
As chaotic as the film’s story, the production’s ‘behind the scenes’ was equally as ‘behind the scenes’ as the film’s story. The entire cast went through hours of dance rehearsals, 16 hours of shooting on various days, then had the pleasure of doing endless retakes. The pool sex scene interval for the Berkley and MacLachlan duo took almost an entire week to film — the water was so chlorinated, in fact, that the skin of both actors began to peel.
Considering that Verhoeven had and continues to have an infamously conflicted relationship with MVG, it makes sense that they would be concerned that this film would wreck his reputation. He would not agree to take out any of the explicit scenes — claiming that any trimming would compromise the film’s honesty and integrity. Verhoeven took pride in the film’s NC-17 rating and attended private screenings, even showing up to accept a Golden Raspberry for Worst Director. He remains the only director in history to accept this ‘honor’ in person.
Verhoeven later stated: “We attempted to create an authentic portrayal of America’s fixation with fame and sexuality; we did not succeed at the time, but at this point, people understand our perspective.”
A Wound That Glitters and Never Heals
Showgirls is one of the oddities of Hollywood, one of the most misaligned films, for all the wrong reasons, yet, for all the different reasons, one of the most unforgettable films. Showgirls is certainly not devoid of a fall. It is a fair comparison, as Nomi Malone’s character also aspires to understand and embrace the very essence of Showgirls. It is interesting to note that, like Nomi’s character, Showgirls found its ultimately from its unapologetic essence.