User Score
6.1 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 52 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 52
  2. Negative: 17 out of 52

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  1. RandyC.
    Sep 30, 2005
    8
    A masterpiece of high camp... i laughed the entire time.
  2. RD.
    Sep 29, 2007
    3
    Not very erotic. I mean some scenes are very sexy like Elizabeth Berkeley's lap dance or her final French kiss with Gina Gershon. But the movie is not well acted and directed. Although, it is not that the movie has no redeeming qualities at all (infact, it is very unintentionally funny at times), but still a very bad movie.
  3. Dec 25, 2012
    0
    One of the worst movies. It has decent acting compared to a porn movie. The acting is plain bad. The main character can only express two feelings: anger and lust. The story is really the low end of Hollywood screenplays. It is nothing more than a soft-core porn movie. The girls were looking good. There is no other reason to see this.
  4. LeonardoF
    Nov 2, 2005
    10
    The authentic guilty pleasure.
  5. Sam
    Apr 6, 2006
    0
    It's gone beyond the well-loved "so bad it's good" bar and gone down to something much, much worse.
  6. SabrinaJ.
    Jan 29, 2007
    7
    Not to be taken to serious. It's a very clean T & A movie. This movie will be a classic!!
  7. PatrickJ
    Feb 19, 2007
    7
    "Its a Versace" Nomi sums it up herself nicely. Also deserves at least a six out of 10 for being six points better than the atrocious Striptease.
  8. LeonardP.
    Aug 15, 2004
    10
    Showgirls is one of the best comedies I have ever seen. It's like a big budget Dynasty.
  9. RickJ.G.
    May 18, 2003
    3
    The screenplay is a total bomb from beginning to end. Particularly dissapointing was the lack of development of the relationship between Naomi and her roommate. It's looked upon with a boyish facination by the makers of the film, never going beyond lame brain girl talk. I guess this is the what to expect when the writing is left to a man. Also, never had so much female flesh been dangled before my eyes with so little impact. It's not an erotic movie at all. I give it a few points because fun can be had laughing at how bad it is. Expand
  10. RobertS.
    Aug 11, 2003
    0
    Jessie from Saved by the Bell laying every sleezy guy around. *shiver* My childhood is ruined. I demand therapy.
  11. TheGilbertMulroneycakesSmile-TimeVarietyHour
    Dec 3, 2002
    0
    Look! There's some naked women! In the nude! With no clothes on! The film underneath's totally and utterly terrible, but it's got naked women in it! With nothing on! They're all naked! They're naked! Naked! Naked!
  12. PatC.
    Jan 19, 2004
    1
    I've heard that sex sells and that unscrupulous people can exploit human weakness for anything that's sexually titillating. This film proves otherwise. This is what happens to a movie when the costume budget is first to go. One point as educational material for explaining lap dancing protocol.
  13. SusanM.
    Feb 3, 2005
    8
    Cheesy, yes. But sexy, definitley, and fun, too. Even though I'm a straight girl, I admit I had a big crush on Gina Gershon after this movie!!
  14. WillieB.
    Feb 13, 2005
    10
    An overlooked masterpiece. A deliberately satirical look at American culture that's effective, damning, entertaining, well-written, and very, very funny.
  15. Feb 1, 2013
    3
    Eh....I don't find this movie so sexy. I'm a dude, and I guess I'm suppose to say this is so erotic and watch it over and over again just to see some seductive garbage. But this was just very disturbing. I'll admit that Elizabeth Berkeley who was also from "Saved by the Bell" is very attractive, but her acting is like she's trying to be sexy. As gorgeous as she is, it didn't help out a lot. She shows her breasts.....too many times. I'll be honest as a man, I always wanted to see her boobs. But after the 3rd time, it got really tiring very fast. My reaction was, (YES, she has nice t*ts, enough!) Also....the plot was so disturbing. I just don't understand what the plot this is trying to show me, its just bizarre. This was really hard for me to sit through, it's not worth the time....okay, maybe just one sit through the movie if you like bizarre erotic films with lots of stripping, Elizabeth Berkeley's t*ts and lap dance, weird sex and mediocre softcore porn. Expand
  16. DarrelB.
    Dec 2, 2005
    10
    This movie is great. Who doesnt love sex and nudity.
  17. MarkM.
    Jul 14, 2006
    9
    A cult Classic, much better then you think. Don't make the mistake to take this film to seriously.
  18. BobbyS
    Sep 14, 2004
    10
    This is the best, worst movie ever! My friends and I love this horrid film so much we recite lines from it, scenes from it. Heck, we even mimic some of the dance moves! If you take this film seriously... well, you are missing the whole joy that is Showgirls. It's terrible, and yet so entertaining! For camp fans ONLY!
  19. JJBiguns
    Jul 6, 2004
    10
    Seeing Elizabeth Berkley's breasts flap up and down wildly during the swimming pool sex scene is worth the price of admission. Thumbs up on this one!
  20. BeauF.
    Aug 11, 2002
    3
    Total soft peter.
  21. AndyQ.
    Jul 13, 2003
    8
    OK. Yes, I would probably agree with all of the Zero Votes here but if we look at a good film as being entertaining, this is one of the best! View it as an example of truly bad acting, dialogue, and script-writing! Sink into the hilarity of its over-the-top histrionics! If you've wondered what the word "camp" really means, this is it. Check it out.
  22. AishaT.
    Nov 6, 2003
    10
    I love this film it is so sexy and really commpelling. It just makes me want to go out there to Las Vegas and give it my all. Also, Gina Gershon is so hot and Elizabeth has so much power and spirt which is really uplifting. My favorite scene is when she kicks the sh.t out Andrew Carver her kicks are amazing. If you haven't seen this film go see it now. Also if you donn't like this film you are totally ridgid and probably are just bitter cause you can't get a date. Expand
  23. BenjaminB.
    Apr 15, 2004
    10
    Hilariously bad acting and sleazy dialogue and the most ridiculous sex scene in a film ever (the swimming pool)...This movie still cracks me up and I've seen it at least 50 times, what other movie can you say that about? I can't think of a single one. Cult classic. "Oh my god! I used to eat doggy chow too!"
  24. BrianJ.
    Jan 10, 2005
    10
    I found this movie thoroughly entertaining, which is the reason I watch movies in the first place, (for entertainment).
  25. MichaelL.
    Mar 20, 2005
    9
    One of the best "bad" movies ever. Right up there with "Valley of the Dolls" and "Faster, Pussycat, Kill, Kill". The poor, self-important critics missed a hoot of a ride by trying to take this dreck seriously. It's pure midnight movie joy! Over-acted, over produced, stereotyped into oblivion...accidental genius. To the critics: As Nomi Malone would say... "chill!"
  26. Sep 28, 2010
    6
    I am not comfortable calling Showgirls a bad film. I derive far too much enjoyment from its misguided attempt at drama to judge it so harshly. No, its not fair to call Showgirls bad, but I think â
  27. Mar 15, 2011
    6
    It's a real guilty pleasure with crappy acting from every actor in this movie.
  28. Sep 29, 2011
    5
    While Elizabeth Berkeley looks incredible, the movie would have been better had she actually looked like she was enjoying what she was doing. Other than that this is a guilty pleasure. The kiss between Elizabeth & Gina Gershon is up therer with the best lesbian kiss in a movie.
  29. Jun 2, 2012
    10
    i thought it was a pretty good movie,don't listen to the haters....

    i never knew of this movie until my sister told me about it,i was hesitant at first to watch it honestly but when i did,i enjoyed it one of the best erotic movies i have ever seen in my life....

    i constantly watch it from time to time.
  30. Dec 9, 2012
    5
    "Showgirls" is not nearly as bad as you might think; what it lacks in screenwriting it makes up for in gratuitous nudity. A peep show on the silver screen.
  31. Mar 11, 2013
    10
    I am first of all going to point out what everyone else so has failed to do. Which is, point out that this film is LOADED with feminist ideas. It's worth noting that the only positive review by an actual critic is also by a woman. Coincidence? My basic contention is that this film is merely masquerading as a high-camp sexploitation "comedy" (I didn't find it that funny). Instead, I found myself mostly admiring the protagonist, and at the point where your sympathy begins to wane, the film skillfully manipulates you once again back into that position. In a sense, this woman is a precursor to Joss Whedon's relaunch of Buffy, only this girl is more vulnerable, 'damaged', real. Secondly, if this really were a "man's" film, would literally EVERY single man in it be a giant sleezing, exploitative, repulsive d-bag? There is literally not one straight man in the film who is not completely abhorrent. Chris Katan has a brief scene as one of the gay male dancers, and all he does is make fun of another guy for being chauvinistic. And never are any of them 'forgiven' or presented sympathetically for the viewer to redeem.
    • People are making the mistake that this film is supposed to be 'erotic'. It's not about eros, it's about exploitation, especially male exploitation of women—but not for the film. You'll notice that all the breasts and sex in the film function not to titillate the viewer, but to illustrate that every single one of them are doing this for economic advantage and are part of an exchange process. The film's protagonist is struggling to stay above what is regarded socially as the lowest rung of this economic ladder, and her attempts to hold onto dignity and respect are almost microcosmic precursors to the Slutwalk movement which demands the same thing. Furthermore, as a Canadian viewing this film, I find it particularly ironic the continual condemnation by critics of the prevalent presence of breasts—which, here, are perfectly legal and uncontroversial. Already armed with this disposition, it was perfectly obvious that they aren't there for me, the viewer's enjoyment—they're there because these are women who are *working* in an environment which demands it, and this film is about the difficulty existing in such an environment. Now, I would never actually give this film a "10"—but I am, for the purposes of improving its Metacritic rating, which I think is quite low. Oh, and at 2hrs11min long, really: would a be that long? Think about it.
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Metascore

Overwhelming dislike - based on 19 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 19
  2. Negative: 13 out of 19
  1. 20
    This film is just a coarser, dumber, smuttier remake of the 1983 Eszterhas-penned "Flashdance," throbbing music, working-class Cinderella and all.
  2. What matters much more than the story or the Spicy Stuff is the dancing, the show-biz dancing. It's electric. Exciting. And there's lots of it. [23 Oct 1995]
  3. What's completely baffling is that everyone in the film thinks Nomi is one heck of a dancer, even though her one move -- throwing her arms out stiffly -- is straight out of "Dr. Strangelove."