The Last Showgirl

I liked it, I didn't love it.

Coppola’s direction has improved little since her equally vapid 2020 Mainstream.

Here and there, Coppola even risks Shelly seeming — shock horror — unsympathetic. We are trusted to be smart enough to handle it.

More of this would have given this showbusiness fable some welcome bite; as it is, it’s an absorbing but disappointingly tasteful watch.

Without the narrative scaffolding or depth to surround her character, Coppola’s film can often feel like a message in search of a movie.

It’s initially tempting to dismiss the picture, like its central character with her breathy, little-girl voice, as superficial. But there’s a bruising cumulative power to this melancholy little paean to an ending era.

The bumpier elements of the script don’t seem to bother Anderson, who plows forward with significant effort and insight. Despite this film’s problems, there’s little denying its melancholy power.

It’s reason enough to celebrate an otherwise shaky film.

The Last Showgirl is a moving portrayal of a multi-generational group of women who, while facing uncertainty, attempt to figure out their next steps for their future.

‘The Last Showgirl’ is an emotionally resonant film, and full credit goes to Gia Coppola for crafting a fictional story that feels real.