Pamela Anderson Is 'Heartbreaking' and 'Sensational' inThe Last Showgirl: See the First Reviews Out of Toronto

Mar. 15, 2025

Pamela Anderson in The Last Showgirl.Photo:Courtesy of TIFF

Courtesy of TIFF

Pamela Andersonis back on the big screen!

After Anderson’s new movieThe Last Showgirlmade its world premiere at the 2024Toronto International Film Festivalon Wednesday, Sept. 4, critics are offering their thoughts on theBaywatchalum’s first movie role since 2022.

Kate Erbland forIndieWirecalled theGia Coppola-directed movie about a Las Vegas showgirl facing reinvention “both the role of a lifetime for Anderson, one that can fully capture her incredible emotional intensity and vulnerability, and (we can only hope) the start of a brand new career for her.”

Dubbing Anderson, 57, “a heartbreaking presence” onscreen, she wrote of her character, Shelley, “It’s a full meal of a role.” Meanwhile, supporting starJamie Lee Curtis, playing Shelley’s friend Annette, “is a dynamo of comedic timing.”

Alex Hudson ofExclaimdeclared, “The Pamaissance is here,” adding that “Anderson’s performance is effective if slightly one-note, with childlike naïveté that flips over into emotional outbursts… the wordless shots of Shelley dancing and smoking against the backdrop of the Vegas are particularly sad and romantic.”

Pamela Anderson on Sept. 6, 2024.Kayla Oaddams/Getty

Kayla Oaddams/Getty

“It’s heartbreaking to watch Anderson’s character reckon with the life she chose for herself, even as she remains steadfast in her love of the craft” of dancing as a showgirl, wrote Graeme Guttmann in a review forScreen Rant. The movie is “a crowning moment for Anderson, deservedly so.”

Pete Hammond ofDeadlinecalled the star’s work “sensational” and “remarkable,” adding that the film “does meander a bit only to then stand and deliver another knockout scene and acting showcase for Anderson… She will break your heart.”

“Pamela Anderson is excellent in THE LAST SHOWGIRL, a film that I otherwise did not connect with,” FandomWire critic Sean Boelmanposted on X(formerly Twitter). Sara Clements of nextbestpicture.com called the star’s turn “an emotional and powerful performance"on X.

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“Shelley (Anderson) has been a Las Vegas showgirl for over 30 years, the feather and crystal–adorned centrepiece of Sin City’s last remaining traditional floor show,” reads an official synopsis.

Anderson most recently appeared onscreen as the subject of her producer sonBrandon Lee’s 2023 documentary,Pamela, A Love Story, which received twoEmmy Awardsnominations.

AfterThe Last Showgirl, the actress is next expected to appear in thenextNaked Gunmovie, which reboots the franchise withLiam Neesonin the lead role.

The Toronto International Film Festival runs through Sept. 15.

source: people.com