About this episode

The episode explores whether 'Showgirls' is the worst film of the 90s or a misunderstood cult classic.

Diving deep into all things ’90s. Paul Verhoeven’s camp, deranged, Vegas-based “erotic drama” Showgirls was a $45 million Hollywood gamble that became one of the biggest box office flops of the decade. Nominated for 16 Razzies, it got its lead actress Elizabeth Berkeley effectively blacklisted for almost 20 years. But thirty years later, things look very different. Once dismissed as pure camp excess, Showgirls has since been critically re-evaluated as a vicious satire of the American dream, capitalism and the misogynist entertainment industry itself. Comedian Chantal Feduchin-Pate joins Miranda to ask: was Showgirls really the worst film of the 90s? Or perhaps a fierce, misunderstood, protofeminist cult classic? • Want early ad free episodes and access to merch? ⁠Support us on Patreon Follow us on: BlueSky Instagram TikTok Subscribe to our Spotify playlist • Buy Miranda’s book Uncommon People: Britpop and Beyond in 20 Songs through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll be helping the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend…

People in this episode

Host: Miranda Sawyer

Guest: Chantal Feduchin-Pate

Topics covered

• film analysis
• 90s cinema
• cultural critique
• satire
• feminism
• box office flops

Keywords

• Showgirls
• Paul Verhoeven
• Elizabeth Berkeley
• 90s film
• cult classic
• feminism
• satire
• box office flop

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Showgirls

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• From Queen to Mogwai – John Robins on his ’90s music journey · May 17, 2026 · 1h 3m

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