|
I watched Showgirls the other day with someone who had never seen it before - and she brought up a good point. I'm sure the question has been asked hundreds if not thousands of times before. "If it weren't for the nudity, why would anyone bother watching?" Now, you can ask yourself that same question with the release of the Showgirls V.I.P. Edition DVD.
For those unfamiliar with the movie, it stars Jessie Spano (aka Elizabeth Berkley) as Nomi Malone (pronounced 'Know Me' as is "I'm Elizabeth Berkley. You might know me as the worst actress ever who starred in Showgirls"!) Anyways, under mysterious circumstances, Nomi makes her way to Vegas to make it as a 'dancer'. She soon gets punched in the face, pukes and then becomes best friends with the person who punched her?! So, she pursues her dream of dancing and it becomes a reality as she soon secures a job as a peeler - or as some might call it - a dancer. Lucky for her though that her new best friend also works in wardrobe at some fancy show in Vegas. So, Nomi makes her way back stage, meets the star of the show (Gina Gershon), they form a very odd relationship and Nomi gets a job in the show. She quits her stripping job so she can perform naked in an actual show. Does that make sense? So, she sleeps her way to the top, pushes Gina Gershon down the stairs and becomes the star of the show. Her best friend gets gang-raped, Nomi's deep dark and mysterious secret is revealed and she leaves Vegas. Worst. Movie. Ever.
I shouldn't be too hard on Jessie, I mean Elizabeth Berkley. Sure, she's the worst actress ever, but she doesn't deserve all the blame. The story was terrible. The writing even worse. And the directing. Oh, the directing. Some say Gina Gershon was the best thing about the movie - but I wouldn't even say that. There was nothing good. I saw it in the theaters when it was originally released, and I'm left wondering what was going through my head. And let me say that the movie hasn't gotten better with age. If anything, it's gotten worse. I can't help but wonder why Hollywood can't get strippers right. First Showgirls. Then Striptease, which pretty much sank Demi Moore. What's wrong here?
It should be noted here though, that the new V.I.P. Edition DVD is very much a self-mocking production aimed at those who can appreciate the movie's camp value. And apparently that's quite an audience. Just don't include me in their ranks.
For extras, it's no surprise that nobody involved with the actual making of the film appears. But, that doesn't mean there aren't any extras to be had. First, there's an audio commentary titled 'The Greatest Movie Ever made' by David Schmader, who's made somewhat of a career move out of mocking this movie. I was scared at first by how he opened the commentary, calling 'Showgirls' the greatest movie ever made, because I thought he might be serious, but we quickly learn that he's anything but serious. Instead, he give a rather comical perspective of the movie, pointing out its many flaws and absurdities. If (and I emphasize if) you can stand to sit through the movie one more time, the commentary isn't too bad. From this special feature, you can also access a video commentary of the strip-club scene by the girls of "Scores" (only two girls) who pretty much rip into Elizabeth Berkley and the fact that she strips about as well as she acts. Oh yeah, and don't lick the pole!! Other than that, not a lot of insight here.
In the mood to watch the movie yet again? Please say no. Do you really want to punish yourself? Well, if you want, another feature is a trivia track (ala Pop Up Video) that provide some inside information about the movie, its stars, etc. It would have been nice if you had the option of listening to the audio commentary and play the trivia track at the same time, but alas, you must watch the movie - again. But, if you can afford to waste your time, this isn't the worst way to waste it.
More of the disc's features include a Lap Dance Tutorial featuring the Scores girls again. On a side note, I've heard my share about Scores. From what I've heard, I've always imagined it as this magical strip club where all the dancers are the most beautiful women in the world. If this DVD did anything, it shattered that image. Couldn't they have come up with better dancers? Please. Throw me a bone here. On top of it, the feature isn't even that great. Finally, there's the 'Showgirls Diary' which is a storyboard-to-screen feature. If you're looking for behind-the-scenes materials, this is the only place your're gonna find it - but it isn't much. If I can offer any advice, it's to avoid this one. The features are rounded out by trailers for this movie and a couple of others.
And that's it for the DVD. But, the package doesn't end there. After all, this is the V.I.P. Edition! The goodies here include some photo cards detailing some party games. But, you can't play the games without the supplies, so those are included to. Some shot glasses (for nonalcoholic beverages, of course), a deck of playing cards, a poster of a naked Elizabeth Berkley with some suction cup pasties and a blindfold for playing "Pin the Pasties on the Showgirl". It's a party in a box! If I had a complaint, I would have liked the deck of cards to fit the theme and feature some naked ladies. (I've always wanted a deck of cards with naked ladies!)
It's hard to judge which is more stacked - this DVD package or the odds of Elizabeth Berkley ever recovering from starring in this movie. Or Elizabeth Berkley herself - but that's another story. The movie is terrible - you can't deny it. But kudos to MGM for having the balls to release it and celebrate its terrible-ness. Even though we get next to nothing from the filmmakers to help us understand their madness, we do get the tools to help us have fun with it. I guess that's about as much as we can ask for. Oh - and I'm going with her career.
|
