Thrust It: Showgirls at 30

In which we thrust along with thrusting queen Nomi Malone on her thirtieth thrusting anniversary.

Almost universally panned upon release, Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls (1995) opened thirty years ago this coming September 22nd. The wild story of a maniacally determined stripper, er, dancer, trying to make it big in Vegas, Showgirls was absolutely savaged by critics. During the last three decades though, opinions on the much-maligned movie improved considerably. Thought by many to be the ultimate, big budget cult film, today Showgirls is beloved by scores of rabid fans (including yours truly), who can quote lines in our sleep—“THRUST IT!” and “It must be weird, not having anybody cum on you” being personal favorites—and attend raucous anniversary screenings at places like the venerable Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Few films—if any—have ever seen such a dramatic reversal of public opinion. A select few of us, however, recognized Showgirls for the masterpiece of trash that it is when we first saw it in the nineties, but I won’t hold it against everyone else for taking a little while to catch up to the movie’s greatness. And it is great. It’s a towering monument to sleaze and degradation, an exploitation film with a lavish budget and the good sense to spend every cent on being as sexy and scuzzy as it possibly can be. It’s glorious.

Showgirls star Elizabeth Berkley tears the living hell out of every scene with the ferocity of a junkyard dog that hasn’t eaten in days. After all, her character Nomi Malone did love doggy chow! Seriously, just watch her eat anything in this movie! Intense, baby. Nomi is an epic character, and Berkley delivers an appropriately epic performance. She’s a sexy 5’10” live wire with a jaw-dropping body and an indomitable spirit. She’s unhinged and out of control, and I would absolutely let her ruin me. Not only that, but I’d enjoy being ruined by Nomi. What a way to go!

Berkley’s career tanked alongside the film. As the star who’s in nearly every scene, she took the brunt of the critical backlash. Costar Gina Gershon managed to sidestep this fate, probably because she wasn’t the lead, but also because she played topless dancer Cristal Connors with an obvious wink and a nod towards the absolute absurdity surrounding her. There is never a moment where we don’t think Gershon is fully aware that she’s performing in a colossally insane production. Not only that, but she also seems to be relishing it! Every note she hits in her performance is exquisite. She’s sexy, smart, and deliciously snarky.

Kyle Machlachlan’s floppy haired “entertainment director” Zachary Carey is a riot. The actor has candidly talked about how he had no idea what type of film they were making until he saw the final product. His sex scene with Berkley in the pool is one of the most batshit insane things ever committed to film. Watching Berkley flop violently in the water like a spasmodic fish while screwing Machlachlan’s brains out is hardly sexy; instead, it’s one of the funniest scenes in a movie overflowing with them. Showgirls is the rare film that manages to keep topping itself when it comes to absurdity—scene after scene, it just gets crazier and crazier. That’s part of what makes the film to beloved by fans of exploitation cinema.

I mean, look no firther than Robert Davi’s inspired line deliveries as strip club manager Al Torres, who runs the deliriously trashy Cheetah Club. Davi is hilarious. Almost every line he utters is highly inappropriate and pure comedy gold. As a new hire at the club, Rena Riffel’s wide-eyed response to Davi nonchalantly telling her that “First I get you used to the money. Then I make you swallow” is priceless. You can practically see the rusty gears churning in her mostly empty head, as she realizes she’ll need to do more than just dance to keep her job.

Paul Verhoeven is one of the most fascinating filmmakers of his generation. The American films he made during the ‘80s and ‘90s still stand as some of the best, most biting social commentaries of their era. From Robocop to Total Recall, Showgirls to Starship Troopers, Verhouven’s films didn’t just satirize numerous genres and tropes, they practically nuked them into oblivion. While Showgirls was long considered his ultimate failure, today it feels more like his most outrageous triumph: a sprawling, glorious mess of a film that becomes more entertaining with each successive viewing. Thirty years on, the film that bombed so spectacularly at the box office and with critics just keeps steadily and endearingly thrusting its way into the hearts, minds, and gonads of a devoted audience of fans.

Long live Nomi Malone! Long live Showgirls! Keep thrusting it!

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And now a word about thrusting from our thrusting expert and all around Gal Friday, Yvette.

Yvette: During ze years I spent in deep cover as a glamorous international spy, zere were times when a Nomi-style thrusting session worked wonders for prying ze important secrets out of ze top government officials. My thrusting skills remain legendary across ze entire continent of Europe, much of South America, and ze Lincoln Bedroom.