ABOUT THE PROJECT

LOGLINE
Upon its release in 1995, Showgirls was reviled and dismissed as a cinematic disaster. But in the years since, the movie has risen from the ashes to become a beloved cult classic. GODDESS: THE FALL AND RISE OF SHOWGIRLS tells the untold story of how the film was made, the journey of its lead actress Elizabeth Berkley, and how both the film and its star found redemption in the hearts of a devoted fanbase.

SYNOPSIS
In 1995, director Paul Verhoeven released Showgirls, an ambitious, sexually explicit film designed to expose the raw underbelly of Las Vegas. Casting Elizabeth Berkley - best known for her squeaky-clean role on “Saved by the Bell”—as the fierce, ambitious Nomi Malone, Verhoeven pushed the actress to deliver an uninhibited performance that departed radically from anything she’d done before.

But when the film premiered, audiences and critics were baffled. What Verhoeven intended as a serious, satirical exploration of ambition and exploitation was widely dismissed as unintentionally comedic, over-the-top, and sleazy. Showgirls bombed at the box office, and Berkley bore the brunt of the backlash.

However, something unexpected happened over the following decades. At midnight showings and screening parties, particularly among LGBTQ+ audiences, Showgirls found a devoted following who celebrated its excess. Verhoeven’s satirical vision was reappraised as genuinely bold filmmaking, and Berkley’s performance became legendary.

Showgirls became one of cinema’s most extraordinary comeback stories: a film and a star resurrected by the very audiences who understood what the critics had missed.

With full support from director Paul Verhoeven, GODDESS: THE FALL AND RISE OF SHOWGIRLS arrives at a moment when Showgirls’ legacy has never been more relevant or celebrated.

PROJECT TYPE Documentary Feature

DIRECTOR Jeffrey Schwarz
PRODUCER JEFFREY SCHWARZ, LOTTI PHARRIS KNOWLES, PETER STICKLES

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