'Showgirls' hosted with fun, commentary by El Paso writer at Plaza Classic Film Fest
This year, the Plaza Classic Film Festival will include a unique feature of the famously bad stripper movie "Showgirls." Only the film will be shown, controlled by a remote, with live comedic commentary by an El Paso writer and performer.
David Schmader, a native El Pasoan who moved back in 2019 after living in Seattle for 30 years, will comment on the film, which will be shown at 10 p.m. Friday, July 19, at the Plaza's Philanthropy Theatre. The event is late in the evening since it is rated NC-17.
Schmader, who was a staff writer, editor and columnist for the Seattle news weekly The Stranger from 1998-2015, said he has seen the Paul Verhoeven-famous flop at least 100 times as part of his special screenings around the country.
He is excited about being able to present it for the first time in El Paso.
"I've been doing it for 20 years. People love it and will ask 'what's next?' and I did a big search trying to find stuff and "Showgirls" is just one of a kind. It's a bad movie that's firing on all cylinders," he said. "The closest I found is probably the Patrick Swayze movie called, "Road House," which is kind of like Showgirls for boys."
"Showgirls" was released in 1995 and soon received critical reviews and was deemed doomed for failure.
His view is that the writer and director had a huge hit before "Showgirls" with Sharon Stone's "Basic Instinct" and expected the same with the film starring "Saved by the Bell's" Elizabeth Berkley.
"They had a huge hit with "Basic Instinct," another movie that critics weren't nice to, but it was a huge hit. They were like, 'oh we know better.' They had the golden ticket to blockbuster, sex thrillers. So they had a unique power after a hit like that.
"And then beyond that it's just curious," he said, adding that it didn't help the movie is unclear in its genre.
"It keeps changing tones. It's like, 'oh, it's a comedy, no it's a thriller'. 'Oh, it's pornography'. And it makes it very confusing for the actors who don't know what to do. Gina Gershon seems to be the only one that knows she in a campy movie," he said.
Since its release, the film has grown into a cult phenomenon thanks in part to Schmader's special attention.
Schmader hosted the first annotated screening of the film at Seattle's Northwest Film Forum in 1999 and has packed many theaters and film festivals in Seattle. He does skip over a rape scene in the film.
As further proof of his comedic genius, Schmader's art-appreciation lecture/comedy spiel was included in a Showgirls DVD release by MGM Studios in 2003.
Throughout the film, he will stop it and provide sporadic thematic insights, background facts and some mockery, ala Mystery Science Theatre, with a more doctoral-thesis style.
"My big theory is that lots of people make film comedies for 100 years and there's been a lot of great ones and there's been a lot that have been mediocre but very few are as funny as this failed drama. I mention Mystery Science Theatre because that's what people know, but I'm not as jokey as that. I guess the movie is so cartoonish, I take a scholastic approach," he said with a chuckle.
The film with his introduction is 2 hours and 30 minutes long.
When he's been showcasing the movie, Schmader said new audiences are now unfamiliar with the famous campy movie.
"There's kind of an understanding that the audience may not have the tiniest bit of information about "Showgirls," which is great because you don't have to have seen the movie to enjoy the show. It's built for first-time viewers," he said.María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; [email protected], @EPTMaria on Twitter; eptmariacg on TikTok.
Make plans:
What: "Showgirls," hosted with live commentary by El Paso writer and performer David Schmader.
When: 10 p.m. Friday, July 19.
Where: Plaza Theatre's Philanthropy Theatre, 125 W. Mills Ave.
Cost: $5 at https://plazaclassic.com For ages 18 and over.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Showgirls hosted by El Paso writer David Schmader at Plaza Classic Film Fest
