Common Sense Media Review
By Charles Cassady Jr. , based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 18+
Borderline p*rn cult "hit" with drugs, rape, topless fights.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
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Language
a lot
Comprehensive, with versions of "f--k," "s--t," "bitch," "p---y," "t--s." Two small children of a showgirl hear the f-word backstage and cry.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a lot
Extensive female nakedness -- full-frontal and back-end -- or barely-there attire. Some rear-end nudity of the male lead. Sex, graphic pole dancing, lapdancing, and topless Vegas production numbers that are unsubtle mimicry of oral sex, even rape. Prostitution.
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a lot
Plenty of cocaine-snorting (though heroine Nomi abstains, she turns out to be a past crack user), talk of marijuana. Social and recreational drinking.
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Products & Purchases
some
Numerous Las Vegas real-life casinos, restaurants, and attractions in the backdrop. A strong materialist vibe puts emblems of hot cars, boats, and fashion in your face. The clothing label Versace is a running detail. Mention of Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul and the Alvin Ailey dance company.
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Violence & Scariness
some
A (topless) kickboxing attack. A young woman is beaten and gang-raped. Backstage catfighting, reckless driving, bad falls on the dance floor and backstage (some caused deliberately).
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Positive Messages
very little
Theme about a strong woman holding on to her integrity and not lowering herself to become a "whor*" even though mired in the sex-show trade. But the whole movie is so sleazy it strongly gives the opposite message. Nomi's moral victory: abandoning her topless career to avenge (toplessly) her one true friend.
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Positive Role Models
very little
Only one character, Molly, seems thoroughly decent (though she works backstage on an upscale sex show), and her "reward" is assault and rape. Brash heroine Nomi is repeatedly disparaged as a "whor*," a label she fights (but third-act revelation is that she really is one, with a rap sheet). Plenty of negative racial stereotyping to go around: Asians are shown as leering businessmen, etc.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this film was adults-only for a reason. As Showgirls gradually enters into the nudie-show environment, topless dancing and sex (often in combo, a la prostitution) become frequent and stop just short of hardcore p*rnography. Violence includes a brutal gang rape of a sympathetic female character and a man is also beaten viciously. Practically every nasty word there is comes out at one point or another. Characters are stereotyped. A "milder" R-rated cut is available, but this is a review of the more widely available NC-17 movie. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Showgirls
Parent and Kid Reviews
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- Parents say (13)
- Kids say (20)
age 18+
Based on 13 parent reviews
Written by Anonymous
July 22, 2023
age 18+
Showgirls is a Women Movie in Las Vegas and is a Good Movie. But, Not for Babies, Kids or Teens. For Babies, If You Want a Best Good Movie, Watch Cars or Sesame Street Elmo Movies. For Kids, If You Want a Best Good Movie, Watch Daddy’s Home or Angry Birds Movie. For Teens, If You Want a Best Good Movie, Watch A Quiet Place or Ted. Showgirls HAS A LOTS OF ADULT SEX. YOU HAVE TO BE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD TO WATCH SHOWGIRLS. If Any Person Under 18 Years Old Watch Showgirls, Please Change the Movie to Appropriate Movies Such as Daddy’s Home or Other Movies That are Not Rated NC-17 or Adult. Rated R is Still OK for Persons Under 18 Years Old.Thank You for the Warning!
Gamer4056 Adult
August 16, 2018
age 18+
Showgirls Parent Guide
This movie was just made for money. No great messages and no great role models. Too much sex (A.K.A. anal or regiment) and dirty massages (A.K.A. oral). A woman is beaten and raped. A guy bites a lady's nipples. "whor*s" are mentioned. Some people who watch p*rn on the internet hate it too. The heck with this movie. This movie is not for kids under 18. More like not for civilized human beings. One of the worse movies of all time. I rather eat trash than watch that movie. There is more about this movie that I am not going to mention.
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See all 13 parent reviews
What's the Story?
Nomi Malone (Elizabeth Berkley), a young, attractive, and assertive drifter covering up her troubled past, hitchhikes to Las Vegas only to be robbed of her meager possessions. Nomi finds sanctuary sharing a trailer with Molly (Gina Ravera), a kind-hearted costumer who works on "Goddess," an erotic-topless musical revue in one of the biggest gambling casinos. Nomi dreams of dancing in a show like that, but meanwhile earns money as a stripper and lapdancer at a raunchy night club called Cheetah's. Crystal (Gina Gershon), the haughty star showgirl who headlines in "Goddess" finds out about Nomi and loses no opportunity to try and humiliate the hopeful newcomer, as Nomi rises through the ranks of topless-showgirl-dom and is drawn into an affair with Crystal's steady boyfriend (Kyle MacLachlan), a powerful casino executive.
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say (13):
Kids say (20):
Between stripper-hookers, promoter-pimps, hateful choreographers, and creepy gay chorus boys, there's nobody to root for -- but everybody worked hard on the dancing, obviously. Critics were near-universal in their hatred -- a merciful Roger Ebert judged Showgirls bad but never boring, and some call it a "cult" film. It still failed to bring real usefulness to the NC-17 rating other than to make everyone take notice of a movie best forgotten. And quickly.
Notorious even before premiering, SHOWGIRLS tested the MPAA NC-17 rating for adults-only material. NC-17 got stamped on arty/indie film before; this was the first time a mainstream NC-17 blockbuster went wide with an ad blitz. Alas, the same "edgy" guys who made Basic Instinct went to extremes of bad taste with this flagrantly borderline-p*rno; a stew of stripper-stardom, drugs, ghastly boyfriends, betrayal, and bare booties/breasts. It pretends to be a moral story of an indominatable girl resisting 100 percent degredation and exploitation -- but hey, this is about topless Vegas dancers (she bails at about 99.05234 percent degredation).
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the choices Nomi and the other characters make. What (if anything) ennobles Nomi as more heroic than the other showgirls?
Themes of backstabbing women in the same profession are handled much better in the classic All About Eve. Which movie seems more realistic?
Why do you think this movie is NC-17? Did it dissuade viewers from seeing it? Find out more about ratings controveries in the mature documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated.
Movie Details
- In theaters: September 22, 1995
- On DVD or streaming: July 17, 2007
- Cast: Elizabeth Berkley, Gina Gershon, Kyle MacLachlan
- Director: Paul Verhoeven
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: MGM/UA
- Genre: Drama
- Run time: 131 minutes
- MPAA rating: NC-17
- MPAA explanation: nudity and erotic sexuality throughout, and for some graphic language and sexual violence.
- Last updated: August 9, 2023
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Showgirls
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