History YMMV / Showgirls

** Creator/GinaGershon has claimed this of her performance, once she realized [[SoBadItsGood just what kind of film she was making]]. However, reviewers, while generally acknowledging her performance as the best in the film, are usually left with the impression that she was fully committing to the material in a way that none of her co-stars could (or in some cases, simply didn't want to).

** The entire fact that Elizabeth Berkley also played feminist SoapboxSadie Jessie in ''Series/SavedByTheBell'' naturally invites a ton of amusing juxtapositions.
* {{Misblamed}}: Elizabeth Berkley took much of the backlash for the movie, and she suffered the most because of it. Her agent dropped her and she had trouble getting work afterwards. Paul Verhoeven even said his biggest regret of the film was how it destroyed Elizabeth's career.

** The EditedForSyndication version! The great majority of it, from the mismatched voices to the scenes deleted or chopped down to the point that [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment it doesn't connect to anything else in the film]] to, most infamously, [[SpecialEffectsFailure the digital bras and even clothing put on the women.]] It almost transforms it onto a [[NarmCharm different type of film.]]

** '''However ''': This could be {{TruthInTelevision}}. A pathological sadist will prefer actual — non-consensual — cruelty over the role-play variety. This type of sadism is part of the dark tetrad, and it’s very different from the fun-loving kinkster variety. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_triad#Dark_tetrad]]

* CultClassic: Not ''quite'' at ''Film/TheRoom'' level, but it has a devoted following who consider it high {{Camp}} entertainment, and there are still screenings of the film in major cities today. Elizabeth Berkley herself [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk8XR3U71D0 attended a Los Angeles screening in 2015]], and even Kyle [=MacLachlan=] was happy that the film took on a strange life of its own.

* BestKnownForTheFanservice: Definitely. Not only is it the only NC-17 film to receive a wide theatrical release but it's full of nudity from Nomi and other characters.

* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Whatever bonus points the movie may earn for averting the NoPeriodsPeriod trope are immediately lost when it becomes clear the film knows periods ''exist,'' but not how they work.

* ScapegoatCreator: Elizabeth Berkley took much of the backlash for the movie, and she suffered the most because of it. Her agent dropped her and she had trouble getting work afterwards. Paul Verhoeven even said his biggest regret of the film was how it destroyed Elizabeth's career.
--> "If somebody has to be blamed, it should be me because I thought that it was interesting to portray somebody like that...I asked Elizabeth to do all that - to be abrupt and to act in that way, but people have been attacking her about for that ever since."

** Nomi licking a stripper pole, due to the ''very'' likely possibility of the pole being covered with germs and maybe even bodily fluids.

* TooBleakStoppedCaring: From the very beginning of the film, it's very clear that there are very few people to root for. With the exception of Molly, every character is either incredibly sleazy, villainous or both. Nomi finds herself being used and taken advantage of by virtually every male character in the film in some way, shape or form, all while the majority of the female characters lie to her face or act catty towards her. The GratuitousRape of Molly is the final straw.

* {{Narm}}: So much in the film.
** "I've had dog food. Doggy chow. I used to love Doggy chow."
** "I used to love Doggy Chow too."
** "I like nice tits. I always have, how about you? I like having nice tits. How do you like having 'em? What do you mean?"
** "You can't touch me, but I can touch you. I'd really love to touch you."

** The infamous pool sex scene between Nomi and Zack.

* SignatureLine: "Man, everybody got AIDS and shit".

* BestKnownForTheFanservice: Definitely. Not only is it the only NC-17 film to receive a wide theatrical release but it's full of nudity from Nomi and the strippers.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: From the very beginning of the film, it's very clear that there are very few people to root for. With the exception of Molly, every character is either incredibly sleazy, villainous or both. Nomi finds herself being used and taken advantage of by virtually every male character in the film in some way, shape or form, all while the majority of the female characters lie to her face or act catty towards her. The GratuitousRape of Molly is the final straw.

** Cristal seems to blow off Nomi from the getgo, but quickly seeks her out again. The movie treats this as villainous behavior, but Nomi's overreactions are more striking in each scene, making Cristal look like an incredibly patient would-be love interest until she crosses her MoralEventHorizon.

* FanonWelding: Much of the fanbase believe a theory that Nomi is actually a grown-up Jessie from ''Series/SavedByTheBell'' who never got over addiction to caffeine pills and nervous breakdown.

* FandomSpecificPlot: Much of the fanbase believe a theory that Nomi is actually a grown-up Jessie from ''Series/SavedByTheBell'' who never got over addiction to caffeine pills and nervous breakdown.

** Nomi and Crystal. Quick tip fellas: If your girlfriends idea of a night on the town is taking you to a strip club, her being completely mesmerized by the entertainment and then spends an ungodly amount of money in order to watch while she gives you a lap-dance, [[TheBeard it is time to recognize yourself for what you are]].

*** Or before that, when she sleeps with Zack behind Cristal's back.

** Nomi licking a stripper pole. Mm, tetanus and other bodily fluids that might be there.

* SoBadItsGood: It was supposed to be a drama, but the film is so sleazy and full of bad acting and writing that it scored high on unintentional hilarity, resulting in an ironic fandom for its. MGM eventually embraced it, and the film's 2004 DVD release downright came with shot glasses and a list of possible {{Drinking Game}}s for the movie.

** Creator/ElizabethBerkeley could be said to have taken ''Showgirls'' '''too''' seriously. This is why she received the majority of the backlash from it. At least everyone else gave the impression that they were trying to distance themselves from it.

** If you watch the "Making Of" featurette included in the DVD, it seems like EVERYONE involved the film took it way too seriously. It's downright surreal, hearing people go on about "complex emotional bonds" and making serious attempts at character interpretation for a movie that turned out to be... ''[[SoBadItsGood Showgirls]]''. Meanwhile, Robert Davi is camping it up for all he's worth as the sleazy owner of the Alligator Club, clearly aware that the material couldn't rise beyond its narrow aspirations.

** Creator/GinaGershon has claimed this of her performance, once she realized [[SoBadItsGood just what kind of film she was making]]. However, reviewers (while they ''do'' generally acknowledge her performance as the best in the film) are usually left with the impression that she was fully committing to the material in a way that none of her co-stars could (or in some cases, simply didn't want to).

** Gina Gershon has claimed this of her performance, once she realized [[SoBadItsGood just what kind of film she was making]]. However, reviewers (while they ''do'' generally acknowledge her performance as the best in the film) are usually left with the impression that she was fully committing to the material in a way that none of her co-stars could (or in some cases, simply didn't want to).
** It's clear that Robert Davi is [[LargeHam chewing the scenery]] as much as he can as Al, but he's the only character who gets a halfway-honest emotional scene in the film, even if ends with a hilariously-inappropriate line to Nomi.

--> "But guess which character is [[SeriousBusiness described with care, cinematic attention, and]] [[{{Irony}} not a single description of her sex appeal]]? [[DoubleTake Nomi Malone from]] ''[[DoubleTake Showgirls]]''!"

* DesignatedHero: Nomi ''really'' didn't even try to be heroic. The HookerWithAHeartOfGold trope is attempted to be played with her job as a stripper/topless dancer, despite the fact that many of her actions in the movie come off as mildly amoral. She gives what is apparently a lap-dance, but is just actual sex while he kept his pants on. She screwed her boss Zack Carey to get higher in the consideration to be [[PsychoLesbian Cristal Conners's]] understudy. Then she pushes Cristal down the stairs, which one character mentions resulted in injuries that would keep her out for up to a year. Sure Cristal was a bitch, but Nomi just stooped to the level of the bitchy dancer who purposely injured another dancer because she yelled at her kids. Even Molly is disgusted at Nomi for having done this... for a whole four minutes before she goes back to fangirling over Andrew Carver, who for some reason gang-rapes her. By the end, [[EasilyForgiven everybody forgives Nomi]] and treats her as some angelic force- the girl she pushed down the stairs, her boss, everybody. There's also the fact that her punishment of Andrew, to kick him in the face a few times, [[KarmaHoudini really did nothing to prevent him from raping again.]] Nomi leaves town at the end after threatening Andrew's life. Nomi was a Vegas star, did she think her disappearance would go unnoticed? What's stopping Andrew from attacking Molly again? Nothing.
** Pick any other character with more than two lines in the movie. Odds are good they'd make a better, more interesting protagonist.

* BileFascination \ SnarkBait: It's an NC-17 movie that bombed in theaters. Some people definitely want to know why.