Most critics are strongly negative about Showgirls, finding its sexual spectacle dramatically thin and largely unerotic. The recurring complaints concern formulaic plotting, poor dialogue and performances that offer little convincing human interest. Praise is more scattered: production values, camp humour and the energy of the lead performance earn some credit even in hostile reviews. The reviews repeatedly recognise excess, but few regard it as a virtue.
The split is sharp rather than evenly balanced, with two favourable readings against seven negative ones. Slant Magazine sees an audacious satire of mass culture with a humanistic sensibility, while The Guardian embraces the crass absurdity and Berkley’s committed strangeness. Sight and Sound instead argues that the film’s supposed female sexual power disguises exploitation. Collider offers a qualified dissent on its erotic appeal, finding pleasure in the dance and nudity despite condemning the acting and script.