The Last Showgirl 2024

Shelly Gardner is a 57-year-old showgirl who has performed for three decades in Le Razzle Dazzle, a classic French-style revue at a casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Her co-stars in the show now include several younger women, including Mary-Anne and Jodie, who view Shelly as a mother figure. Shelly’s older friend, Annette, maintains a close kinship with Shelly, despite having been ousted from the show years prior, and now works as a cocktail waitress.

Eddie, the producer of the show, joins Annette, Mary-Anne, and Jodie for an impromptu dinner at Shelly’s home. He breaks the news that Le Razzle Dazzle is due to close in two weeks due to declining ticket sales, and is to be replaced by the more contemporary, neo-burlesque circus show that already took over their most popular nights. Shelly is crestfallen by the news, and views the replacement show as obscene and garish. Mary-Anne and Jodie begin auditioning for roles in other shows on the Las Vegas Strip, despite Shelly’s objections that they are low-class and too risqué.

Shelly, who has no means for retirement and little resources, worries for her livelihood. Her newest paychecks are smaller due to the fewer shows with less ticket-buyers, and she is docked for tearing her costume which required new fabric to be ordered. Meanwhile, Annette faces her own financial struggles, largely stemming from her alcoholism and gambling addiction. Shelly reaches out to Hannah, her semi-estranged daughter. Hannah lived with family friends for much of her adolescence and is now a photography student in Tucson nearing graduation. Hannah briefly visits Shelly at her home, but their reunion is marred by Hannah’s emotional distance and Shelly’s lack of realism. Shelly displays her lack of knowledge about her daughter, like forgetting her age and asking if she has declared a major. Hannah declines dinner with Shelly that night but later changes her mind and they enjoy each other’s company.

Hannah attends a Le Razzle Dazzle performance, unbeknownst to Shelly. After, Hannah confronts Shelly in the dressing room, offended that her mother prioritized the show over caring for her. Shelly storms out and Hannah briefly meets Eddie before leaving. Jodie comes by Shelly’s place distraught because her own mother will not talk to her, but Shelly is unempathetic and rebuffs her. At the next show, Jodie refuses to help Shelly get ready, leading her to rip part of her costume and ultimately miss her cue, breaking down on the floor backstage. Shelly invites Eddie to dinner, where she discusses her future and feelings of alienation as an aging woman, frustrated that Eddie can continue working for the casino as a producer of the new show. Through their conversation, it is revealed that Eddie is Hannah’s father, a fact which neither have ever disclosed to Hannah. Eddie implies his disappointment about Hannah’s upbringing, while Shelly condemns Eddie for his failure to be present in Hannah’s life.

Shelly auditions at a casting call also attended by Mary-Anne. The audition goes poorly, as Shelly is clearly nervous and unfamiliar with modern auditioning. The director stops Shelly early and tells they are seeking acrobatic or “sexier” acts. He plainly tells her she is not a talented dancer, and made up for it with youth and looks when she was hired years ago at Le Razzle Dazzle, but is not “selling” that anymore. Shelly is shattered and humiliated, and Mary-Anne misses her own audition slot to console her and get her to leave the stage. Before driving off, Shelly verbally attacks Mary-Anne in her grief over giving up her life for this unforgiving industry, telling her she is not their mother and she does not love them.

Annette loses her home when she is unable to make her rent, admitting to Shelly that she has been showering in the casino’s locker room and sleeping in her car. Shelly offers to let her stay with her. Shelly leaves Hannah a voicemail apologizing and appears to reconcile with Jodie and Mary-Anne. At the final performance of Le Razzle Dazzle, Shelly envisions Hannah smiling at her backstage and watching excitedly in the audience with Eddie, but it is unclear if Hannah truly forgave her or if it was just a manifestation of Shelly’s hopes.