Today is a major event for Taylor Swift fans as her twelfth album, The Life of a Showgirl, has finally been released.
Although Swift has yet to play a showgirl in a film, there are a handful of movies that explore life from the perspective of a showgirl.
Watch With Us has assembled our picks for the three movies you need to watch now if you like Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl.
Our first pick is perhaps the most obvious choice ever. But how could this list be complete without Showgirls?
‘Showgirls’ (1995)
Elizabeth Berkley has said several times that she took the lead role in Showgirls to escape her Saved by the Bell persona. And boy did she ever. The first and only NC-17 film to get a wide release features Berkley as Nomi Malone, a young woman who has dreams of becoming a Las Vegas showgirl. For now, she’ll just have to settle for being a stripper.
Nomi befriends one person who works in the show, seamstress Molly Abrams (Gina Ravera), almost as quickly as she alienates a genuine showgirl, Cristal Connors (Gina Gershon). Cristal goes out of her way to antagonize or bully Nomi as she edges closer to her goal of becoming a showgirl. To get past the finish line, Nomi may have to play even dirtier than Cristal.
Showgirls is streaming on HBO Max.
‘Burlesque’ (2010)
Burlesque has some very similar themes to Showgirls, but the former is a tamer version of that story. Christina Aguilera made her acting debut as Ali Rose, an aspiring dancer whose dreams of stardom take a detour. Cher plays Tess Scali, the owner of a burlesque, who reluctantly hires Ali as a waitress.
Once Ali makes it on stage as a dancer, she proves that she’s a star with her dynamic voice. That only serves to enrage her rival, Nikki (Kristen Bell), who was Tess’ favorite before Ali showed up. Now, Nikki is willing to do anything to sabotage Ali’s success, even if it means ending her friendship with Tess. We all know Ms. Swift is a talented singer, but can she ever match the lunatic artistry that Cher and Aguilera display in this movie when the latter dances to “Wagon Wheel Watusi”?
Burlesque is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.
‘The Last Showgirl’ (2024)
Pamela Anderson had one of her best roles in The Last Showgirl as Shelly Gardner, an older dancer who clearly loves the life she chose for herself. Unfortunately for Shelly, she comes to question putting her show over her personal life when she discovers that it’s closing down for good.
Although Shelly’s younger colleagues, Jodie (Kiernan Shipka) and Mary-Anne (Brenda Song), admire her and see her as a mother figure, she has only a tenuous relationship with her own daughter, Hannah Gardner (Billie Lourd). For the first time in her life, Shelly is truly afraid about her next step in life, and if she has any kind of a future at all.
The Last Showgirl is streaming on Hulu.
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