Showgirls: Brilliant or Schlocky or Both?

For some, watching Elizabeth Berkeley lick a pole in a Vegas show girl sparkling thong is enough to put them off their Thursday evening buzz but not Gothamist. The Dutch king of schlock Paul Verhoeven's 1995 travesty of cinema resurrected by the generosity of camp, Showgirls (1995) will be playing tonight at 8 pm at the Clearview Chelsea (260 W. 23rd Street between 7th and 8th Ave.) in its unedited NC-17 "director's cut" version. An "interactive" screening, drag diva Cashetta will offer her running commentary during the film and there will be special appearances by Lin Tucci and the girls of Scores, according to the promotional website for the newly released V.I.P. Edition DVD set.

A few questions you may get answered at the film: Will Elizabeth Berkeley see her dreams of Vegas fame and fortune come true? Can she emote and remove her clothes at the same time? Is Gina Gershon the evilest erotic dancer ever? Can Kyle MacLachlan be more smarmy or wooden, and yet not be considered a part of the set? Should Joe Eszterhas's WGA card been ripped up on completion of this script? Or should he and Verhoeven be touted as camp geniuses? All answers to these questions can be left in the comments section below.

Still don't believe us that Show girls might be worth a second look? The editors of Film Quarterly, the journal produced by the University of California published a roundtable discussion about the film by seven film scholars in last year's Spring issue. Charles Taylor discussed the roundtable and the film recently on Salon, as well.