You can only understand and appreciate this movie in the entire context of Verhoeven's work. I think his mission is to take the formula of the Hollywood blockbuster, which he understands perfectly (Robocop) and push it (Total recall) and push it some more (Basic instinct) until it explodes (Showgirls). What makes Verhoeven truly admirable is that he keeps pushing (Star troopers) until the movie becomes a pastiche of itself and of the genre. [Note: I haven't seen Hollow Man and I am quite curious whether it still fits the equation.]
On this continuum, as I said, all movies fit the blockbuster formula very well: very polished cinematography, great production values, ridiculous plot developments, sex&violence, vacuous acting, etc. Up to 'Showgirls' the formula has the expected effect on the movie-watching crowds; after it (i.e. 'Troopers') the very simple-minded movie-goer funnily enough still likes it on that wham-bang level, but most people perceive it as a satire of sorts.
This leaves 'Showgirls' the odd movie out. The ingredients are the same as, but the dosage is different: it's too much to take but not enough to be truly over the top. The movie hovers in a very precarious region around the top making the viewer very uncomfortable. As most of the reviews will testify, many feel guilty about watching it; many criticize it without giving motives ("the worst movie **EVER**!!"); many give motives that are absurd (plot holes? you need to take a movie quite seriously to dig for plot holes.) or incorrect (poor cinematography? quite the contrary.) or at best questionable (poor acting? not worse than anything with Tom Cruise in it and, besides, a certain mannerism of acting is part of what I call 'the Hollywood formula'.)
The greatness of this movie, or rather of Verhoeven's work as a whole, lies in what it says about the person who watches the film. I wouldn't call Verhoeven an artistic genius, because he might simply work mechanically, increasing the dosage of the ingredients with scientifical precision. He might do it out of curiosity, or maybe he even foolishly thinks the more the better. Alghough I strongly doubt he is a fool. The fact that he accepted the Razzie award for 'Showgirls' in person tells me he's in on the joke.
Anyway, kudos to him for keeping this grand experiment going all the way and not being phased by the critics, the public or the studios. If not a genius, at least Verhoeven is a director of great integrity.
On this continuum, as I said, all movies fit the blockbuster formula very well: very polished cinematography, great production values, ridiculous plot developments, sex&violence, vacuous acting, etc. Up to 'Showgirls' the formula has the expected effect on the movie-watching crowds; after it (i.e. 'Troopers') the very simple-minded movie-goer funnily enough still likes it on that wham-bang level, but most people perceive it as a satire of sorts.
This leaves 'Showgirls' the odd movie out. The ingredients are the same as, but the dosage is different: it's too much to take but not enough to be truly over the top. The movie hovers in a very precarious region around the top making the viewer very uncomfortable. As most of the reviews will testify, many feel guilty about watching it; many criticize it without giving motives ("the worst movie **EVER**!!"); many give motives that are absurd (plot holes? you need to take a movie quite seriously to dig for plot holes.) or incorrect (poor cinematography? quite the contrary.) or at best questionable (poor acting? not worse than anything with Tom Cruise in it and, besides, a certain mannerism of acting is part of what I call 'the Hollywood formula'.)
The greatness of this movie, or rather of Verhoeven's work as a whole, lies in what it says about the person who watches the film. I wouldn't call Verhoeven an artistic genius, because he might simply work mechanically, increasing the dosage of the ingredients with scientifical precision. He might do it out of curiosity, or maybe he even foolishly thinks the more the better. Alghough I strongly doubt he is a fool. The fact that he accepted the Razzie award for 'Showgirls' in person tells me he's in on the joke.
Anyway, kudos to him for keeping this grand experiment going all the way and not being phased by the critics, the public or the studios. If not a genius, at least Verhoeven is a director of great integrity.