YOU DON’T NOMI: WHEN DOES TRASH BECOME ART?

 

It’s amazing to watch as things that were at one time considered to be either terrible of high camp in film suddenly are rediscovered by a completely different set of people who then elevate it to art. Every time it happens I sit and wonder what could someone have seen in what was something so bad that they think it’s wonderful? Don’t get me wrong, there are movies that are terrible that I love but I’ve never gone so far as to call them art or tell others how stupid they were for not seeing how great they are.

This brings us to the new documentary YOU DON’T NOMI, a celebration of the movie SHOWGIRLS. Released in 1995 the film was written by Joe Eszterhas and directed by Paul Verhoeven fresh from their hit BASIC INSTINCT. Starring Elizabeth Berkley in her first adult role (she played Jessie on the kids TV series SAVED BY THE BELL) the film was made for a costly (at the time) $45 million dollars and bombed at the box office bringing in just $37 million. No doubt this was due to the films NC-17 rating and the drumming it took from critics at the time

But when it hit the video market all of that turned around. Whether it was people trying to see if the movie was as bad as they’d heard or boys now grown with dreams of seeing Berkley nude for the first time the movie took off on video raking in over $100 million. The movie was still considered a critical flop but something strange happened. The movie seemed to take on a life of its own.

For those who haven’t seen the movie let’s begin there. It tells the story of Nomi Malone, a rough and ready young woman on her way to Las Vegas to take the town by storm as their top dance. But with one reigning queen already in place, Cristal Connors (Gina Gershon), the odds of her taking over are slim. Working as a stripper to make ends me, Nomi gets into her job there. I mean REALLY gets into it. She catches the eye of Connors one night along with her boyfriend (Kyle McLachlan). Eventually Connors gets Nomi the chance to audition for the big show and eventually she tries out for the top spot. Will her dreams come true?

Directed by Jeffrey McHale, YOU DON’T NOMI takes a look at the movie all over again from his own perspective and discovers he enjoyed it more than he realized. Combining older interviews with cast and crew as well as talking to various people who have found the film their perfect feature, McHale attempts to convert the non-believers out there that the film deserves to be taken more seriously than it has in the past.

Among the various people he talks to are numerous pop culture critics who view the film as an icon of the times, finding more happening on screen than viewers and critics were willing to give it credit for in the past. They champion the films and its story line while at the same time noting the ridiculous dialogue and overblown acting. I know it’s just me but I’ve always found people who find some deep hidden meaning in things like paint splatters to be pretentious folks looking to impress others with how smart they are and how stupid the rest of the world is. No amount of adjectives can make this movie an actual classic. That being said from a craftwork standpoint it is a great film to watch with some great cinematography, set designs and set up from director Verhoeven.

Another person interviewed is a drag queen who fell in love with the film and booked it at a late night screening in a theater where others would join in mimicking the film on stage as it ran. As word spread about what was taking place the cult following popped up much like it did around the film THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, but a little racier.

Then there is an actress who went to New York to be discovered. Instead she was raped and secluded herself until her boyfriend convinced her to try out for the lead role in the stage production of a camp version of SAVED BY THE BELL being done off-Broadway. She got the past and noted how it helped her find the inner strength go on with her life. When the off-Broadway production of SHOWGIRLS came about she got the lead in that as well.

The question becomes can a movie made about what ranks on many lists as one of the worst movies made of all time be entertaining? The answer is yes, perhaps even more so than the original film itself. It was interesting to listen to these varying viewpoints of the film as well as seeing Berkley finally embrace the film for what it was in spite of it nearly killing her career. I finished still not convinced that the film was all that many here think it is but at least I came to appreciate how others could find it so.

One thing should be noted for viewers. The film uses extensive clips from the original movie and that means there are plenty of nude and simulated sex scenes on hand. If you found the original film offensive then this movie will fall into that category as well. If it doesn’t bother you then you might want to watch this and come to your own conclusions about the original film. Who knows, you might even go looking for a copy to watch all over again.

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