In the movie, which was released wide on Jan. 8, Pamela Anderson stars as an aging-out Las Vegas showgirl named Shelly, and she and her fellow dancers had the costumes to match. They wore a number of vintage-sourced pieces, including valuable finds created by legendary designer Bob Mackie.

But director Gia Coppola returns to that image so often, in lieu of character development or forward plotting, that it becomes clear Anderson’s starring performance is more substantial than the film housing it.

Nothing lasts forever, but in Las Vegas not much sticks around longer than a minute or two. Not your money, not the old casino hotels on the Strip, and not the topless revues that, for decades, defined Sin City in a rhinestone nutshell.

While Pamela Anderson gives a raw, poignant performance that’s likely the best of her career, ‘The Last Showgirl’ treads well-worn narrative ground.

Pamela Anderson, Brenda Song and Kiernan Shipka are a fun trio in "The Last Showgirl." And Miley Cyrus's new song makes it worth watching the film.

Pamela Anderson, Kiernan Shipka, Jamie Lee Curtis and director Gia Coppola discuss making "The Last Showgirl," a tribute to Las Vegas dancers to which Anderson could relate.