The tagline for media-grabbing Showgirls back in 1995 was “leave your inhibitions at the door.”
Unfortunately for the potentially scandalous NC-17 erotic melodrama, directed by Paul Verhoeven, few viewers saw it, and the movie was a notorious flop.
You Don’t Nomi, Jeffrey McHale’s documentary chronicles the life of Showgirls, the pre-release anticipation, the bomb that it became, and also the second life that it got after the theatrical release in ancillary markets, at the time home entertainment.
The non-fiction feature argues that the movie may not be great artistically, but it’s still enjoyable as camp classic.
Others, who take it more seriously, claim that the movie, despite its glossy veneer, deals with issues of sex and gender in progressive way, considering that it was made quarter of a century ago.
It premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Fest, and upon release it was positively reviewed by critics.