History Film / Showgirls

*** Worse, in audition scenes several other dancers are visibly {{Jobbing}} and trying to be worse than she is.

%%* RapeAsDrama

* MamaBear: Julie is sort of this. Although she had already had a lot of tension between her and Angie it seems to have taken Angie upsetting Julie's children that caused her to [[spoiler: sabotage Angie and thus break her leg.]]

* SleepingWithTheBoss: Nomi eventually sleeps with her new stage boss to get ahead (she had already given him a lapdance when she was still a stripper and not employed by him). The other girls call her out on this because they have an unwritten rule against it, though it's implied at least some of them have also broken this rule.

''Showgirls'' is a 1995 sexploitation film written by Joe Eszterhas and directed by Creator/PaulVerhoeven. It is also the only movie to receive a wide release under the NC-17 rating. This tale of the lives of UsefulNotes/LasVegas strippers set to the plot of ''[[FortySecondStreet 42nd Street]]'' may have been partially responsible for the rating's decline, as it was basically an X-rated movie that went through the ratings process (which actually isn't required for an X rating; anyone wanting to make an X-rated movie will gladly release it as such on their own). That said: when compared to the explicitness of today's cable television series, even the unrated version of this movie would barely qualify for an R-rating today.

* FullFrontalAssault: Nomi's beatdown of Andrew comes pretty close to this sicne she's barely wearing anything, and her lady parts can beseen

* RecycledInSPACE: This movie is basically any number of backstage movies (particularly ''AllAboutEve'' and ''42nd Street'') set in the world of X-rated Vegas revues.

* AllMenArePerverts: Virtually none of the straight men in this film have any kind of morals or act in a way that won't ultimately lead to getting in some woman's pants or seeing her breasts.

%%* BechdelTest: Passes.

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''Showgirls'' was a 1995 sexploitation film written by Joe Eszterhas and directed by Creator/PaulVerhoeven. The only movie to receive a wide release under the NC-17 rating, this tale of the lives of UsefulNotes/LasVegas strippers set to the plot of ''[[FortySecondStreet 42nd Street]]'' may have been partially responsible for the rating's decline; it was basically an X-rated movie that went through the ratings process (which actually isn't required for an X rating; anyone wanting to make an X-rated movie will gladly release it as such on their own). That said, however, when compared to the explicitness of today's cable television series even the unrated version of the movie would barely qualify for an R-rating today.

The film tells the tale of [[PunnyName Nomi Malone]] (Elizabeth Berkley), a country girl who hitchhikes to UsefulNotes/LasVegas in hopes of becoming "a dancer" and eventually (after a lot of nudity, a lot of sleaze, a little violence, and a lot of choreographed numbers) making her way to the top.

The film was (and continues to be) very controversial, and was not a hit upon release, killing the chances of future NC-17 movies getting wide releases, but it has attracted a cult following on home video in the years since as a "guilty pleasure" infamous for it's liberal excess of sex and nudity and hilariously inane story and dialogue.

!This film provides examples of:

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The film was (and continues to be) very controversial, and was not a hit upon release, killing the chances of future NC-17 movies getting wide releases, but it has attracted a cult following on home video in the years since as a "guilty pleasure."

* AngryBlackWoman: Annie, who only seems to be there to yell, threaten, attack or snipe at someone, except when she's on stage.

* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Nomi says this to Zach, after [[spoiler: he confronts her with her criminal record and about her ''long'' stretch of prostitution arrests, saying she did what she had to survive on the streets after her parents died in a MurderSuicide.]]

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* [[AngryBlackMan Angry Black Woman]]: Annie, who only seems to be there to yell, threaten, attack or snipe at someone, except when she's on stage.

* AngryBlackWoman: Annie, who only seems to be there to yell, threaten, attack or snipe at someone, except when she's on stage.

* ChekhovsGun: The stairs at the Goddess, which are the main (and only apparently) entrance to the stage and which [[spoiler: Nomi pushes Cristal down, critically injuring her.]]

* IdealizedSex: The legendary pool sex scene. Nomi is far too high up on Zach to be legitimately seen as intercourse.

** Nomi is supposed to be a brilliant dancer, but if you actually watch her dance she's not all that good. James even lampshades this in the club, and for obvious reasons; all she does is flail her arms around.

* OnlySaneWoman: Molly, who also serves as a MoralityPet to Nomi. [[spoiler: Too bad she ends up brutally gang-raped towards the end of the film and from then on is seen lying helpless in a hospital bed.]]
* StrawMisogynist: Most men, apparently, only see women as sex objects.
** And then there is Henrietta "Mama" Bazoom who seems to be an in-universe example seeing as what she does at the Cheetah is basically tell misogynistic jokes even though off-stage certain dialogue suggest it's all an act.
* TwoPersonPoolParty: Zach and Nomi have this after the latter is invited to the former's house and gives way to the very infamous [[IdealizedSex pool scene.]]

** Otherise, No, I'm Alone.

%%* ChekhovsGun: The stairs at the Goddess.

%%* IdealizedSex: The legendary pool sex scene.
%%* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Word for word.

** Nomi is supposed to be a brilliant dancer, but if you actually watch her dance she's not all that good.

%%* TwoPersonPoolParty: [[http://showgirlsualuealuealeua

%%* SassyBlackWoman: Annie

* EasilyForgiven: At the end of the movie, [[spoiler: Crystal isn't mad at Nomi for having stolen her boyfriend and pushed her down the stairs. She implied that she herself did something similar to her predecessor though.]]

Compare this to the 1966 film, ''Film/BlowUp'', a daring film for its time that had a chance to shake up Hollywood film censorship forever, and ''didn't'' blow it.

* AtLeastIAdmitIt: Cristal considers her self a type of whore and calls Nomi out for denying it when she's trying to get the same job.

* NoPeriodsPeriod: Averted. James doesn't believe Nomi has her period, so she challenges him to check... and he does. ''With his fingers''. {{Squick|She wasn't lying}}.
%%* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Andrew Carver is obviously inspired by Michael Bolton and other Soft Rockers: he has long hair and sings sappy love songs.

* AtLeastIAdmitIt: Cristal considers her self a type of whore and calls Nomi out for denying when she's trying to get the same job.

* SexForServices: Most women, apparently, use this to get ahead in life. A few standout examples include Nomi and her boss, James and Penny and implied with Cristal.

* UngratefulBastard: Nomi. After puking on Annie's car then being saved by Annie, Nomi still cusses her out and acts petulant when Annie offers her a place to live.

* SexForServices: Most women, apparently, use this to achieve something in life. A few standout examples include Nomi and her boss, James and Penny and implied with Cristal.