Showgirls is…not good. However, there’s plenty of entertainment value to be found in the cult classic that features laughably bad dialogue, nonsensical plotting, and an unnecessary waste of delicious Las Vegas fries. On the other hand, there are several moments in the film that doesn’t make Showgirls seem all that bad. In retrospect, the premise of the feature has a ton of potential: A small-town girl hopes to escape her troubled past by venturing out to Las Vegas to achieve her dreams as a dancer. It’s just a shame that the execution of the film doesn’t come close to reaching the heights that it could’ve. Still, this list is about the five best moments of Showgirls that actually make the cult classic seem decent.
James Smith has a sex problem
So, James is a sex addict who likes to touch women’s periods. Gross. In concept, the character of James Smith isn’t too bad; A scam artist looking to use his power and leverage to sleep with girls could’ve been sleazy fun, but the developing relationship between Nomi and James starts off laughably bad and gets worse from there on. However, the one moment that was decent is when Nomi catches James being a sleazeball by sleeping with one of her co-workers. James hasn’t particularly come across as the best character in the world in the film thus far, calling Nomi a b**tch, essentially saying she’s a whore, and this moment only cemented the fact. The scene is actually captured nicely, and James surprisingly doesn’t come across as a cartoon villain when his shady practices is exposed. This scene is more so on the list for the potential of something promising that ultimately serves no purpose for the larger story.
Al and Henrietta ‘Mama’ Bazoom reunites with Nomi
“She looks better than a 10-inch dick and you know it!” Mama is one of the two likable characters in the entire film. At first, this moment was teased as the past coming back to haunt Nomi, but it was nice reunion between Al, Henrietta, and Nomi. Al is a grade A douche to Nomi and the other girls at the Cheetah club, but he’s actually a decent guy in this scene and Henrietta was her fun self. Nothing significant happens during this moment, but it’s just a heartwarming scene that showcases the growth from Mr. Torres.
You are a whore, darling
I like tits, do you like tits? Who could forget the lovely back and forth conversation between Cristal and Nomi about tits? However, this scene isn’t about that unforgettable dialogue as it’s mostly due to Gina Gershon’s Cristal Connors; Say what you will about most of the acting, but she isn’t too bad and makes a nice villain for Nomi’s character. If Showgirls played into the cheesiness of the feature, then it would’ve made for a better film, but Gina Gershon does the best that she can with the material. It was a nice scene that showed off several layers of Cristal’s character, but the intensity between the two once the stupid tits dialogue commences nicely translates onscreen and Gershon feeds into the villainess side of her character effectively.
Nomi beats the holy crap out of Andrew Carver
So, the scene where Molly is raped by Andrew Carver is cartoonishly over-the-top and bad. However, it effectively makes you hate the singer, so I guess mission accomplished. The third act was redemption mode for Nomi as she pretends to be Andrew Carver’s next call girl and proceeds to beat him senseless to avenge Molly. It doesn’t make sense that Nomi randomly gets these ass-kicking powers, though assault with a deadly weapon is listed as one of her charges so perhaps she got knife and karate lessons in her past life? Nevertheless, this was one of the few moments that allowed audiences to root for Nomi’s character, and it was fun to see Carver get tossed around the room. It’s a shame that the actual rapist didn’t get his just desserts, but I guess since Carver was the mastermind behind the situation then he’ll surely do.
Nomi’s Past Comes to Light
It’s been teased throughout the film that Nomi has a dark past and this moment finally brings her criminal record to light. Kyle MacLachlan is a fantastic actor and despite some odd character choices, he’s easily one of the better performers on Showgirls. However, Elizabeth Berkley actually holds her own here and that helps make the scene more effective. It’s a nice dramatic moment that actually teases a great prequel that we never got made. It’s one of the few scenes in the film that isn’t plagued by non-sensical writing, it’s just a shame that Nomi isn’t crafted as a better character before we get to this revealing moment. Nomi’s “I’m not a whore” stance makes more sense despite the fact that her actions completely contradict her words. Again, Nomi is a terribly written character, but like the premise itself, the blueprint for Nomi is actually interesting.Elizabeth Berkley
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