Showgirls: The Genius Behind Paul Verhoevens Most Misunderstood Film Jordan Peterson [mH4wurbHpfe]

Showgirls movie discussion begins at 1:02:04

Episode 191 (April 24, 2026)

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Content warning: Showgirls depicts sexual violence as a centraltheme, and this is discussed in the podcast.

The podcast tackles Paul Verhoeven's misunderstood masterpieceShowgirls (1995), and celebration the singularity of Elizabeth Berkley's incredible performance as Nomi Malone, theeternal cowboy of America.

Laci and Matt provide a scene-by-scene analysis of the 1995 film "Showgirls." The film functions as a modern Western, with the protagonist Nomi Malone (Elizabeth Berkeley) a classic cowboy figure seeking her fortune in the frontier town of Las Vegas. The discussion explores Showgirlss satirical critique of American capitalism, the "casino mentality," and william shatner the artificial nature of show business. The two touch on what director Paul Verhoeven and Joe Eszterhas are saying about the transactional nature of all relationships, and how Nomi's past trauma uniquely positioned her as the only character capable of delivering true justice within a rotten system.

Matt's video essay about Paul Verhoeven:

Time stamps:

0:00 Episode opening

1:19 Opening thoughts on Showgirls

10:27 Roger Eberts Review of Showgirls

18:17 Director fulham vs bournemouth Paul Verhoeven

24:59 Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas

27:54 Developing Showgirls

43:31 Elizabeth Berkley

56:15 NC-17 ratings

1:02:04 Showgirls is a western

1:03:20 Nomi hitchhikes

1:11:33 Nomi at the casino

1:16:35 Molly meets Nomi

1:20:41 Cristal Connors (Gina Gershon)

1:28:20 Nomi at the dance club

1:33:43 The Cheetah Club

1:37:06 Cristal and Zach buy a dance

1:40:11 James and Nomi dance

1:47:06 Nomi gets the show!

1:49:30 Nomi deals with HR

1:52:39 Nomis first show

1:54:35 Lunch at Spago

1:59:20 Boat show

2:05:40 You can trust Zach (Kyle MacLachlan)

2:08:02 Backstage backstab

2:10:30 The pool scene

2:12:28 Nomi auditions for the understudy role

2:14:45 James flops at the Crave Club

2:16:43 Nomi doesnt get the part

2:18:35 pete crow-armstrong Nomi injures Cristal

2:20:16 Now Nomis the star

2:23:40 Andrew Carver

2:25:46 Molly in the hospital

2:28:40 Nomis vengeance

2:32:16 Nomi leaves Vegas

2:33:30 Star ratings + final review of Showgirls

Sources:

"Showgirls: Paul Verhoeven on the Greatest Stripper Movie Ever Made" by Jennifer Wood | Rolling Stone (2015) -

"How Showgirls Became a Queer-Movie Classic" by Jeffrey McHale | The Daily Beast (2020) -

Review of Showgirls by Roger Ebert | The Chicago Sun-Times (1995) -

"Interviews | Vulgar Moralism: Paul Verhoevens Black Book" by Robert Koehler | Cinema Scope (2006) -

"The Naked Truth About 'Showgirls' by Kenneth Turan | The Los Angeles Times (1995) -

"Interview with Elizabeth Berkley" by Danielle Cantor | Jewish Women International (2011) -

"Farmington Hills' Elizabeth Berkley so excited for 'Saved by the Bell' reboot" by Kurt Anthony Krug | The Detroit News (2020) -

"The Staggering Transformation Of Elizabeth Berkley" by Cassie Daigle | Nicki Swift (2024) -

Showgirls was directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas. Starring Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon, Gina Ravera, Glenn Plummer, and Robert Davi as Al.