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cover art for Jeffrey McHale (Showgirls Doc You Don't Nomi)

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Jeffrey McHale (Showgirls Doc You Don't Nomi)

Season 1, Ep. 27

With You Don't Nomi, filmmaker Jeffrey McHale uses thoughtful voiceover and deft editing to take Showgirls seriously. Is Paul Verhoeven's 1995 bomb, starring a very committed Elizabeth Berkley as aspiring topless dancer Nomi Malone, truly as bad as critics claimed at the time? Or is it a misunderstood satire? Or both?


Whatever the case may be, McHale shows how Showgirls belongs now to its audience — who embrace it for its camp, its wildness, and an LGBTQ message that many have found after the fact. He's made a documentary about Showgirls that is superior to Showgirls itself, but has empathy and respect for everyone involved, especially Berkley.

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