After thirty years performing in the same show on the Las Vegas Strip, fifty-seven year old showgirl Shelly (Pamela Anderson) has to come to terms with it being cancelled.

The Last Showgirl is a small intimate film about the sacrifices women make for their careers and focuses closely on what dancing means to Shelly and what the closure of the show might mean for her future. Running at a brief eighty-eight minutes it never outstays its welcome and features the finest performance of Anderson’s career.

Shelly is devastated by the news. She is clearly fascinated by the past and the history of the revue style show that she appears in. Considering it glamourous and artistic and unlike the obscene and gaudy shows that are taking over the strip.

Shelly’s story is told via the relationships she has. Her best friend Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis) was ousted from the show years ago and barely makes ends meet as a cocktail waitress where she is often out of favour due to younger co-workers. She represents what Shelly fears that she will become. Her co-workers Jodie (Kiernan Shipka) and Mary-Anne (Brenda Song) treat her like a mother figure whom they can put their worries on and ask advice of as they help her change costumes. Jodie represents to an extent where Shelly once was, sacrificing her family for her art. She has history with the producer of the show Eddie (Dave Bautista) who wants to help her but often their interactions are too awkward to help either of them. And then there is her estranged daughter Hannah (Billie Lourd) who holds resentment towards her mother for focusing on her career over her. And yet Shelly is utterly supportive and nurturing towards Hannah’s aspirations to be a photographer when those around her suggest she might be better off going into graphic design.

Director Gia Coppola (another film maker from the Coppola family – and yes she gives a key role to family member Jason Schwartzman who nails it) chose to shoot on 16mm handheld cameras with anamorphic lenses giving the wide shots really soft focus. The whole look feels almost like a dream-like pastel painting and seems to go a long way to explain Shelly’s wistful and fond memories and feelings towards her art.

The overall result is a solid if not spectacular character study that is made worth watching for its sensitive and nuanced performances. Pamela Anderson is revelatory in what I believe is the only dramatic role that I have seen her in. Whilst the supporting cast also adds a lot. Jason Schwartzman’s cameo as mentioned is brutally effective, Dave Bautista proves again that he is an accomplished actor and Kiernan Shipka makes a mark with her small role.

Worth watching for Anderson’s performance alone.