News-Pilot from San Pedro, California • 38

FILM CURRENTLY SHOWING 'UauGOofy 40GTi(S)7(3ODQof oOpoDG ff DGo Dcldo'Sof I aoeiaa I ttwrris" Drama A Metro-GoldwynMayef picture directed by Paul Verhoeven Starring Elizabeth Berkley Kyle Maclachlan Gina Gershon and Glenn Plummer Rated NC-1 7 for violence sexual situations nudity and language Opening today area theaters YISSiyitSKSTI flMCflifiC showgirls the look behind Lthe curtain of Las Vegas' 'stripping dubs and topless floor shows is 2V4 gaudy hours of nudity sex simulated sex dance avarice deceit envy vulgarity Take a breath OK: humiliation brutality rape cocaine abuse lesbianism hysterics petty spats deafening music super-glitzy sets bad acting unclear motivation lousy dialogue and hearts of stone Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" it isnt Of this list of components in Joe Eszterhas' screenplay there's one that you cag't see on network television nudity And in this case it's intermittent wall-to-wall nudity or in a combination of street and mathematical vernacular to about the sixth power The film has been a curiosity throughout its production as the only major studio picture that because of the pervasive nudity would inevitably receive the NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America The rating restricts attendance to persons 17 years of age or older But after about 45 minutes into the movie the novelty of all the flesh wean off and you sit there agog at the screechy melodrama of back stabbing and self-preservation in the lives of the dancers and the human wolves who choreograph their routines try to bed them and otherwise run and ruin their lives The movie follows the rise of Nomi Malone from a new kid in town who's robbed and left for broke to a vigorous stripper and angry nude lap dancer to a major casino dancer to the star of the casino show Basically every picture you've ever seen about backstage aspirations has been combined with a check the premises for a straitjackei When her future roommate Molly (Gina Ravera) buys her something to eat at a fast-food joint she explodes sending french fries everywhere When a male dancer James (Glenn Plummer) occasionally pleads with her to perform a routine he has choreographed she reacts regularly with screechy rebukes When she auditions for her first hotel show and the director (Alan Rachins) approaches her with handfuls of shaved ice so that she can achieve the erect nipples required of his show she slaps the ice away and stomps off Naturally she gets the job but mostly because the shows star Cristal (Gina Gershon) seems to have a simmering erotic attraction for her But so does James So does hotel entertainment director Zack (Kyle MacLachlan) So do casino regulars who could use a warm bedmate for the night So does Vegas entertainment producer and vicious rapist Phil Newkirk (Greg Travis) Funny how this viewer couldnt stand her It takes a certain mood to tolerate Showgirls" a cold incessantly unpleasant picture about hateful people caught up in an artificial world After the novelty of the nudity wears off it's about as sexy as dog food Elizabeth Berkley as Nomi Malone gets her first break in a Las Vegas glitter show Playboy tableau and ground out like a giant greasy cheeseburger Along the way Nomi learns how to deliver graphic bumps and grinds bed the boss tease the androgynous star of the show torture a rapist and ruin careers with a shove down the stairs But she still may have heart What utter trash Nomi is played by Elizabeth Berkley whose previous notoriety came from the teen sitcom Saved by the Bell" As directed by Paul Verhoeven shes a kook who flies off the handle on a regular basis She's one of those possible psychopaths who only show up in the movies They are tolerated by other characters even though in real life youd give them a wide berth and Vorhoovon: Director pushes erotic envelope Because the NC-17 rating had already been known most of the hotels didn't want to have to deal with us Most of them on the strip have been converting in the last few years to more family-oriented enterprises with theme parklike attractions They want to portray themselves as having a Disney sort of feeling which in reality doesn't exist there -Paul Verhoeven Showgirls director by Eszterhas into the screenplay In one case a story told by a dancer became a major plot turn in the movie The dancer who wanted to be the understudy to the star of the show dropped marbles beneath the feet of the male dancer lifting the understudy above his head He fell and she suffered a long-term injury and the woman who dropped the marbles became the understudy Most of the hotels refused to allow Verhoevens crew to film on the premises which is why only two Vegas hotels are seen in die film: die Riviera and the Stardust The Luxor only allowed filming outside and Caesars Palace only allowed filming in its cafe Continued from K13 nudity and dancing are more explicit than we had in our movie" To crawl into the Vegas underbelly Eszterhas tapped the experience of Lynn Wadell the former gaming reporter for the Las Vegas Sun who recently returned to St Petersburg Fla to continue her education She introduced us to a lot of people and we interviewed them" Verhoeven said We talked to 180 people in all walks of life: dancers choreographers strippers police officers hotel workers We went to shows But to know what it was like backstage we had to get a feel of what life is like for these people" of the hotels didnt want to have to deal with us" the director said "Most of them on the strip have been converting in the last few years to more family-oriented enterprises with theme park-like attractions They want to portray themselves as having a Disney sort of feeling which in reality doesnt exist there" Verhoeven who has made his bones in Hollywood with technical expertise and by pushing the envelope of sexual content in his movies is asked if his central story in Showgirls" a strippers climb to the top in a casino revue can also stand as a metaphor for Hollywood Of course" he said Look at the careers of Marilyn Monroe and others Some people in' 1 order to make a career anywhere compromise and that might include such things as sexual favors A lot of evil things can happen We aimed for that Vegas hotel feel Whenever you check into a hotel in Vegas you have to pass through the slot machine gallery There are no windows so that it could be 3 am or 2 pm People even suggested to me that in the casinos they pump in more oxygen than is normal to keep people feeling good oant to keep you kl spendihg your money Verhoeven said many of the" 1 1 Jecquse tJieNCyl7- rating interviews were incorporated 4 hid already heeftdcndwn most cl rtti Mif 4 (K iTf K14 The Daily BreezeNews-Pilot RAVE! Friday September 22 1995.