Video Fridays: Nothing Lasts Forever & The Last Showgirl

This movie isn’t going to do anything to dispel the stereotype that everyone living in Las Vegas works on the Strip or in a casino. But then if you live your life based on stereotypes you’re probably not going to see this movie anyway. Almost a week into its run, there were only two other patrons in the theater where I saw this film. But low movie attendance has been the norm since the pandemic, especially the kind of movies I prefer. I note that it will begin its run at my local art theater, The Beverly Theater, in over a week, on January 25th. I’m curious whether it will attract a larger audience there during its run?

I read in IMDB that when the script was sent to Pamela Anderson’s agent that he rejected it before giving it to her to consider. It was her son who saw the script, got it into Anderson’s hands, she loved it and then fired that agent. I can kind’a see why the agent rejected this script. Assuming that an agent’s primary goal is to elevate his client’s status and marketability, all in service to make the big bucks, this movie does none of that. It’s an unflattering portrayal of flawed aging women and men in an industry that’s moved on, but they’re still holding on to what it used to mean or the attention that it brought to them a long time ago. It takes a lot of bravery to be willing to tell this story and not sugar-coat it or give us some kind of tacked on happy ending. This is what happens to dreamers when no one can hear the music anymore except the dreamers themselves.

If this had been a TV movie someone would have tragically died and then everyone connected to the story would have “seen the light” and made better choices. This is not that kind of simplistic crap. The characters are a bit unlikeable and the situation is on a definite downward trajectory. But it is such an important story to tell. How do we hang on to the good things that we had in our lives but also recognize that there are some careers that one cannot do forever. Our value, our meaning in life, shouldn’t be so dependent things that don’t last forever. We should be able to hold on to the memories while exploring the next chapters in our lives.

[Movie view on 2025-01-16 at Cinemark Orleans]