Product Description

Seduction, passion and power struggles unfold when the creators of Basic Instinct, director Paul Verhoeven (Starship Troopers) and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas (Original Sin) blow the lid off the seemingly glamorous world of Las Vegas showdancing to create one of the most controversialand shockingfilms of all time. Nomi Malone (Elizabeth Berkley) has what it takes to make it as a Las Vegas showgirlwhat she doesn't have is a way in. To survive, she accepts the only job available: lap dancing at a seedy club. And when she meets Cristal (Gina Gershon), Vegas'reigning showgirl, Nomi wants everything she hasincluding her boyfriend (Kyle MacLachlan). And as Nomi dives deeper into the world she so desperately desires, a rivalry between the two women heatsup. The battle for the spotlight becomes so fiercely competitive that it drives Nomi to desperate lengthsand devious heightsfor fame in Sin City.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24890 in DVD
• Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
• Released on: 2004-07-27
• Rating: NC-17
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Anamorphic, Box set, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 128 minutes

Amazon.com
When Goldie Hawn recommended Elizabeth Berkley for a small role in First Wives Club, she publicly stated that Berkley deserved the opportunity to redeem herself after starring in the ridiculous Showgirls. That says it all: this sleazy, stupid movie, which mixes soft pornography with the clichés of backstage dramas, is the kind of project an aspiring actress would have to put well behind her to keep a career going (though costar Gina Gershon certainly benefited from her, uh, exposure in the film). Berkley plays a drifter who hitches a ride to Las Vegas, becomes a lap dancer and then a performer, and discovers--gasp!--there's a whole world of sex and violence involved with these things. Gershon is probably the best element in the film, playing Berkley's bisexual rival for the big spotlight on stage. Joe Eszterhas was well overpaid for writing this howler, and director Paul Verhoeven (Basic Instinct) should have known better than to take it seriously. --Tom Keogh

DVD features
The primary supplemental feature on the Showgirls VIP limited-edition DVD is a commentary track by David Schmader, who gained fame for hosting an "annotated" version of the movie (think Mystery Science Theater 3000). The track is subtitled "The Greatest Movie Ever Made," and Schmader explains himself thus: "Showgirls triumphs in that every single person involved in the making of the film, from the writers, actors, gaffers, every single one of them is making the worst possible decision at every possible time, and it's this incredible density of failure that makes Showgirls sublime." (He make an exception for Gina Gershon.) He wittily discusses the recurring "chips 'n' nails" motif and what Nomie's dancing reminds him of. Also included are behind-the-scenes footage, a pop-up trivia track, and some real-life showgirls offering tips on how to perform a lap dance and their take on the movie's lapdance scene. The oversized box is filled out with a variety of themed trinkets: two shot glasses, playing cards, a pin-the-pasties game, and photo cards with instructions for party games. It's like a bachelor party in a box. --David Horiuchi

From The New Yorker
Director Paul Verhoeven and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, who last worked together on "Basic Instinct," tell the story of Nomi (Elizabeth Berkley), a young woman who goes to Las Vegas determined to climb the greasy pole of success. In an unusual career move, she ends up actually licking the pole-just one of the highlights of her dance routine at the Cheetah Club. We soon find her ascending to the heights of the Stardust, an altogether classier joint (dry ice, gold costumes), where she arouses the pleasant lust of Zack (Kyle MacLachlan) and the furious lust of Cristal (Gina Gershon); these days, no Eszterhas script is complete without a dash of wandering sexuality. He and Verhoeven are like a couple of kids sniggering at a peepshow on Forty-second Street-their movie is full of really rude words, plus women without their tops on! Berkley's acting début is a joy, if you can call it acting: she jumps up and down a lot to indicate excitement. Watching this picture is like surfing the soaps for a couple of hours. There's no use being offended, so you might as well have a good laugh. -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Here is what is on this thing...
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!

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

Trash, Sure, But Fun Nonetheless
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.